Written response questions (Think-out-loud tests)

This article applies to: UserTesting 

On this page:

• About Written responses
• How to set it up
• Best practices
• Collecting insights: Smart Tags for Written Tasks

About Written responses

• Written response questions allow participants to provide detailed, open-ended feedback in text format.
• These questions are useful for gathering deeper insights into user experiences, opinions, and expectations.

How to set it up

1. Select the Create test button, and choose Think-out-loud test under Unmoderated test.
   
2. Click the Build test plan button.
   
3. Navigate to Tasks and questions and select Written response. 
   
4. Type your question.
   
5. When participants take your test, they will see a field where they can type short responses.

Best practices

• Use Written response questions to gather participants' initial impressions, understand their behavior, and gauge their comprehension of symbols and concepts.
• Examples include asking participants to describe a company's offerings based on its homepage or to explain the purpose of a specific button in an app.
• Be mindful of participant fatigue, especially for those on mobile devices. Use Written response questions sparingly and mix them with other question types.
• Remind participants to type their responses to ensure feedback is captured accurately.
• If applicable, request specific examples to support their response. 
• Specify the desired response length to set clear expectations and maintain consistency in data collection.

Collecting insights: Smart Tags for Written Tasks

• If your plan allows, smart tags can be applied to written responses in an unmoderated TOL test to help identify essential moments quickly.
• Smart tags are color-coded: green for positive, red for negative, and purple for neutral sentiments.
  
  

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