How to Test a Guide

Before launching your Guide to participants, testing it is crucial to ensure a smooth interview experience and accurate data collection. This article will walk you through the steps to preview your Guide's structure, review its content, and run a test interview to confirm everything works as expected.

Only Team Members with the ability to create Guides can run tests. Members with a Viewer role will not be able to access the Testing panel.

Select Guide

First, navigate to the Guides page in the navigation menu.

In the Search bar, enter the name of the Guide you want to test.

The “Search” bar in the Guides page.

Alternatively, the Date Created dropdown menu allows you to sort the Guide listing by “Guide Name”, “Date Created”, or “Date Published”.

Additionally, toggling the Show Archive button will display archived Guide entries.

The “Date Created” dropdown menu and “Show Archive” button in the Guides page.

Next, from the Guide listing, click the View Guide button next to the specific Guide you want to test. This will direct you to the Guide's detail page.

The “View Guide” button in the Guide listing.

In the Guide's detail page, before you begin testing the Guide, you can select:

The Interviews tab to see a list of interviews already conducted for this Guide.
The Structure tab to view the Guide's current structure.
The Informed Consent tab to review the special instructions or terms participants must agree to before starting the interview (if provided).

The Demographics tab to view and filter interviews already conducted by interviewee demographic data.

The “Interviews”, “Structure”, “Informed Consent”, and “Demographics” tabs on the Guide’s detail page.

Modifying the Guide Structure

When testing a Guide, you may want to test the current structure or test modifications to the structure. You can test structure changes within the testing environment without affecting the Guide’s actual, current structure.

In the Guide’s detail page, select the Testing tab.

The “Testing” tab in the Guide’s detail page.

While in the Testing tab, navigate to the Structure section.

Here, you can edit the Guide's prompt using the Prompt field.

You can adjust the estimated duration of the interview by editing the Approximate Number of Questions field.

The “Testing” tab with the “Structure” section and the “Prompt” and “Approximate Number of Questions” fields.

You can edit the static questions in the Static Questions sub-section. Click Add Question to add a new question, or click the Delete button (trash bin icon) next to a question to remove it.

The “Static Questions” sub-section with the “Add Question” button and the “Delete” button.

Starting/Running a Test

To start testing a Guide, in the Guide's detail page, in the Testing tab, click the Start Test button (with the play icon) located in the right-hand panel below the static questions, OR click the Play icon next to the Submit response field at the bottom of the page.

The “Start Test” button and the “Play” icon.

This will begin a test run where the Guide's functions are simulated, and the interview unfolds within the Testing window.

First, click the Yes, I Understand button to agree to simulate agreeing to the special instructions or terms. (Alternatively, click the No, Thank You button to simulate disagreeing.)

The “Yes, I Understand” button in the test environment window.

Next, the interview questions will be displayed in the Testing window.

To respond, type your answers into the Submit response field and click Submit, OR type Shift+Enter.

The interview questions in the test environment window, the “Submit response” field, and the “Submit” button.

Once you complete the interview questions, you might be prompted to answer some questions regarding your demographic data. Click on the appropriate answers to respond.

Questions regarding demographic data in the test environment window.

Once the test interview is complete, you will see a message in the Testing window saying "That completes the interview. Thank you for your time."

The test interview end message.

The test interview will now be logged and can be accessed in the History section of the Testing tab.

The “History” section of the “Testing” tab.

Applying Testing Changes to the Guide

To apply any changes made to the Guide, click the Apply Changes button in the Testing tab.

The “Apply Changes” button.

This will update the Guide structure, and changes will be reflected in the new Guide Version in the Guide Version selector, as well as in the Structure tab.

The Guide Version selector.

The “Structure” tab reflecting the changes made to the Guide structure.

Reviewing Test History

On the Guide's detail page, access the Testing tab and then choose the History section to review test history.

Here, you will find a chronological list of all the test interviews associated with the Guide.

The “Testing” tab with the “History” section and the list of test interviews.

Click the dropdown button next to a test interview to view its questions and answers.

The dropdown button to view the test interview questions and answers.

To copy the verbatim transcript of a test interview, click the copy to clipboard button (the clipboard icon) associated with that interview.

The “Copy” button in the “History” section.

To resume testing from a specific point in the test history, click the Resume button next to the appropriate interview.

The “Resume” button in the “History” section.