| Learn about Balanced comparison for the updated experience. |
This article applies to: UserTesting
On this page:
- About the Balanced comparison feature
- Add Balanced comparison to your survey
- Add Balanced comparison to your think-out-loud test
- Balanced comparison results
- Balanced comparison use cases
About the Balanced comparison feature
- Available for Surveys, Interaction tests, and new think-out-loud tests
- Can be used to test a website, app, or prototype
- Designed to reduce the risk of bias
- When you use Balanced comparison, you create 2 to 4 sections in your study.
For example: Part A and Part B. - The order in which participants see the two parts is automatically alternated:
- The first participant sees options A first and B second
- The next participant sees option B first and option A second
- The order continues to alternate for the remaining participants
Add Balanced comparison to your survey
- In the Test builder, select the + Add button.
- Under the Groups and randomize section, select Balanced Comparison.
- Choose your group: Image or Question page
Note: Balanced comparison will be in an empty state, and launching is disabled until a group is chosen and task information is completed.
- Add two to four groups for participants to see in a randomized order.
Important: You must have at least two groups.
Add Balanced comparison to your think-out-loud test
- In the Test builder, select the + Add button.
- Under the Groups and randomize section, select Balanced Comparison.
- Choose your group: Navigation task, Figma task, Image, or Question page
Note: Balanced comparison will be in an empty state. Launching is disabled until a group is chosen and task information is completed.
- Add two to four groups for participants to see in a randomized order.
Important: You must have at least two groups.
Balanced comparison results
Sequence cards are shown in the Overview section for Balanced comparison.
- Results appear in a Sequence distribution.
- A sequence is the order in which different groups in a Balanced comparison are shown to participants.
- Across all sequences, each group is shown in every position to different participants.
Sequences also appear in response tables for Written and Verbal responses, Matrix questions, NPS (written responses), and Navigation or Figma task instructions.
- Each participant’s video follows the sequence assigned to them. This means tasks appear in the same order shown in the sequence table.
- For example, if you have four groups with one task each and a participant’s sequence is BCAD, the task from Group A is third in their video. When you open that task, the video will start at that point rather than at the beginning.
Balanced comparison use cases
Compare onboarding flows without order bias (click to see more)
Scenario: A UX researcher compares four onboarding flows while ensuring the order of the flows does not bias the feedback.
How Balanced comparison helps:
- Each participant sees the onboarding flows in a different order
- Reduces first-impression and recency bias
- Feedback reflects true usability and clarity across flows
Takeaway: “We can confidently identify which onboarding flow performs best, not just which was seen first.”
Run first-impression tests on homepage concepts (click to see more)
Scenario: A product team runs a first-impression test where each participant sees only one homepage concept.
How Balanced comparison helps:
- Participants are evenly distributed across different homepage versions
- Prevents exposure to multiple concepts from influencing perception
- Ensures unbiased, independent feedback on each design
Takeaway: “We're getting clean first impressions for each concept, without cross-contamination.”
Evaluate sensitive or competing messages (click to see more)
Scenario: A marketing team evaluates sensitive or competing messages without exposing participants to multiple variants.
How Balanced comparison helps:
- Each participant sees only one version of the message
- Avoids bias caused by comparison or conflicting information
- Produces more authentic reactions to tone, clarity, and trust
Takeaway: “We can test sensitive messaging with confidence and get more honest feedback.”
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