Participant guidance

On this page:

• About Participant guidance Instructions
• Add Participant guidance
• Review and Edit guidance before launch
• Edit or Remove guidance after launch
• How participants see guidance - Invite Network
• How participants see guidance - UserTesting Network
• FAQ

About Participant guidance

• Participant guidance give you a native way to add optional, audience-level instructions for studies of all types.
• Guidance surface to participants and panelists at key recruitment touchpoints throughout their journey.
• Use these instructions to communicate expectations, prerequisites, or requirements before participants commit.
• Configure instructions separately for each audience in your study.
• Instructions help set clear expectations, attract more suitable participants, reduce no-shows, and build participant confidence.

Add Participant guidance

1. Go to the Audience tab and open your audience configuration.
2. Find the Participant guidance field and click +Add guidance to enter your instructions. Instructions can be up to 1,000 characters long.
   
3. Instructions will be surfaced to participants throughout the recruitment journey once the test is launched.
4. The Audience summary card will update to show "Participant guidance: Added" once instructions have been entered.
   

Review and Edit guidance before launch

1. Go to the Review tab before launching your test.
2. Find your instructions in the Audience summary section. 
3. Click Edit if you need to update them.
   

Edit or Remove guidance after launch

1. Go to the Monitor tab of your test and click the Pause button.
2. Go to the Audience tab and update or clear the Participant guidance field.
   
3. Return to the Monitor tab to resume your test when you're ready. Changes will apply to all future recruitment touchpoints immediately.

How participants see guidance - Invite Network

• Participants joining via a direct link (or Invite Network) will see custom instructions on the welcome page.
  
• Instructions appear before participants begin qualification or scheduling.
• This gives participants the opportunity to review any requirements or context before committing to the study.
• If no instructions have been added, this section does not appear and participants see the standard experience.

How participants see guidance - UserTesting Network

UserTesting Network participants see custom instructions at two key points in their journey:

Invitation email

• Guidance are included in the invite before the participant has accepted.
• Participants can review requirements upfront.

Qualification modal

• Guidance are shown before screener questions begin (if applicable).
• Participants can decide if the study is right for them before answering qualification questions.
• If no instructions have been added, none of these sections appear, and participants see the standard experience.

FAQ

Is Participant guidance required to launch a test?

No. Participant guidance is optional. If no text is entered, the section is not surfaced in any participant-facing experience.

Does this apply to all audience types?

Yes. Participant guidance applies to all audience types.

Can I add different guidance for each audience?

Yes. Guidance is set at the audience level, so each audience in your study can have its own guidance.

What happens if I duplicate a test or audience?

Participant guidance carries over automatically when you duplicate a test or an audience. You don't need to re-enter them.

Is there a limit to how long my guidance can be?

Yes. Guidance is limited to 1,000 characters.

Can I preview what participants will see?

Yes. Your guidance are visible on the Review page before you launch, so you can confirm what participants will see.

Will guidance be translated for participants in other languages?

Guidance follows the same translation behavior as other text you enter on the platform.

What if I need to update my Participant guidance mid-study?

Pause your test, update the instructions in the Audience tab, then resume. Changes apply to all future recruitment touchpoints immediately. Participants who have already accepted will not be re-notified.

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