Contributor networks comparison table

This article provides a snapshot of the three primary types of contributor network options used in UserTesting tests.

This article applies to: ut logo tiny.pngUserTesting 

 

For a more detailed explanation of the participant networks, see our article.

 

 

UserTesting Network

Custom
Network

Invite
Network

 

How they are different

What subscription do I need? Available on all subscription plans Ultimate or Premium Flex plan and Professional and Premium subscriptions
Who are the participants? Where do they come from? Members of the UserTesting Network

Though a Custom Network is created through the UserTesting platform, participants do not come from the UserTesting Contributor Network.

Rather, the customer recruits the participants, who can be employees, partners, fans of the customer, and so on.

As with the Custom Network, you recruit whomever you want to participate in a test. Generate a link to the test in the UserTesting platform and send it to the participants. 

Who recruits the participants? UserTesting  Customer Customer 
Who manages the onboarding process for the participants? UserTesting  UserTesting Customer
Who collects demographic information (e.g., age, gender, job) from participants? UserTesting UserTesting Customer
Who compensates the participants? UserTesting  UserTesting* Customer* 
Use when you want to...
  • Get immediate feedback from participants.
  • Recruit participants from around the world.
  • Have UserTesting handle the recruiting process for you.
  • Tests with participants are not readily available on the UserTesting Network.
  • Continuous testing should be done with the same group of participants.
  • Test with niche audiences that you’ve already identified.
  • Send a one-time test to a specific group of people.
  • Be in charge of how you communicate with and pay your participants.
How do I create...? Use the Create a test > Build Audience > Select Audience path in the Platform and select the UserTesting Contributor Network option on the Build Test Plan page (see image). Choose the Custom Network option from the Build Test Plan page (see image). Use the Create a test > Create Link > Customize Invite path in the UserTesting platform.
  Screen_Shot_2022-10-02_at_9.54.54_PM.png  

*Alternatively, the customer could opt for an unpaid network. 

The platform also offers two recruitment features—Favorite contributors and Specific contributorsthat help you target particular participants you wish to reuse for future tests.

 

 

Favorite contributors

Specific contributors

Where do the participants come from? The UserTesting Network. You create your own network of participants you want to reuse and add participants to that network.

Also from the UserTesting Network.

  • They can be a part of a Favorite contributors network but don't have to be. 
  • You can pull specific participants from different Favorite Networks to make up a single audience for a specific test.
Use when you want to...
  • Locate participants who are hard to find.
  • Run longitudinal studies (e.g., diary studies). 
  • Conduct a follow-up test, and you know of participants who would be an ideal fit to take that test.
  • Reuse participants who possess the domain and/or technical knowledge that would best serve your test objectives.

The same reasons are seen under "Favorite participants."

How do I access the feature and recruit/add participants?

Click the Favorite contributors button on the Select Audience page (see image below).

Add new participants to a Favorite network at the Session page for a specific test. See here for instructions. 

Click the Specific contributors button on the Select Audience page (see image).
 

Screen_Shot_2022-10-02_at_10.38.26_PM.png

 

Note: The Fuel Cycle community option is at the bottom of the Contributor network options list. Learn more about how to add the Fuel Cycle integration, and how to use Fuel Cycle community members to participate in a UserTesting test.

 

 

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