Frequently Asked Questions

UserTesting is a platform for getting rapid customer feedback on almost any customer experience you can imagine, including websites, mobile apps, prototypes, and real world experiences. You’ll receive audio and video recordings of real people from your target market speaking their thoughts as they complete tasks you specify.

With continuous user feedback, you can:

Who is UserTesting for?

Anyone who cares about customer experience, including eCommerce managers, UX research teams, product managers, marketers, and designers. We’re used extensively by the world’s most demanding consumer websites and apps, more than half of the top 100 brands in the world.

What kind of studies can I run?

We’ve invested heavily in online tools that let you set up a test on your own in minutes, and we also have a full-service research team for complex studies. Here are some research goals that are possible with UserTesting.

Understand your complete user experience with these research methodologies:

Recruit your exact target audience with our sampling services:

Launch a new product confidently through continuous software development research

Improve your customer experience through these advanced insights

How quickly will I receive results?

For simple self-serve tests, you‘ll start receiving results in as little as an hour. Response time can vary depending on the time of day when you order, and tests can take longer if you request users with very specific demographic requirements.

If you’re working with our professional services team to run your study, the typical turnaround time from your first meeting to the final report is two weeks, and more complex studies can take longer.

How many users should I include in a user test?

To uncover user experience issues in a product, we recommend five participants per study. It’s more effective to do a series of small tests at multiple points throughout development, rather than one large study at the end. That helps you identify problems early, when it’s easier to fix them. You can start testing an app or website as soon as you have concept sketches or wireframes.

If you’re looking for trends and insights beyond basic usability issues, we recommend five to eight participants per audience segment.

Do you provide quantitative as well as qualitative results?

In addition to capturing video and audio, you can include quantitative analysis and survey questions including multiple choice, rating scales, and written responses.

About the test participants

Who are the test participants?

The test participants on the UserTesting panel are real people in their natural environments, not usability experts. They are normal people who have been screened to make sure they articulate what they are thinking as they complete tests on the UserTesting platform. Learn more about the panel.

Do you have test participants in countries besides the United States?

Yes, we have a network of test participants from all over the world.

What if I want my own customers to be the test participants, not people on the UserTesting panel?

We have a few features that allow you to test with anyone. You can either bring your own panel of customers into the platform—for on-going feedback—or simply send a link to anyone in your contact list.

How do I apply to be a test participant?

Sign up here. If you are accepted, you’ll earn up to $60 for each test or interview you successfully complete.

Capabilities

Can I test my mobile app?

You can test your app at any stage of development (from prototype to beta to published) and on iOS or Android. No SDK integration is required. Learn more about mobile app testing. You can also conduct studies on your App Store or Play Store listing and app icons.

Can I test a site or app that's only partially done or requires a password?

Yes. Save time and engineering resources by running user tests on prototypes, staging websites or unpublished apps. When writing your test instructions, just let users know to expect a site or app that is only partially working. If it requires a username/password, you can give test participants login credentials in your test instructions.

Can I test real-world customer experiences?

Yes, you can run customer experience tests that range from shop-alongs and product unboxing to multi-channel customer experiences that include interactions both online and in the physical world. If you can record it with a smartphone camera, we can probably test it for you.

Can I pay for research consulting?

With our customizable Pro plans, our professional services team can create the tests for you and report on the findings. Our research team consists of world class user experience experts. Services include:

Can I test competitors' websites?

Yes, you can test any website. You can also run a comparison test in which the user interacts with two different websites–such as your website and a competitor’s–and tells you which they prefer and why.

What if I want to watch the user check out during a test?

If your study requires test participants to go through a complete checkout process, provide participants with fictitious credit card information or gift codes in order to complete the checkout process without entering their own credit card information.

About the videos

Do the videos record both audio and video?

Yes. Our screen recording software records both the audio of the speaker and video of the screen. For mobile recordings, you can see taps, swipes, and gestures, and you can have the user turn on the backside camera to record real-world experiences.

How long are the videos?

Videos are usually between 10 and 15 minutes. The length depends on how many tasks the user is asked to do. With our Pro plans, you can record videos as long as an hour.