What will I actually be doing?

Every study is one of five kinds, and the study says which before you apply. Two are live with a researcher, three you do on your own time.

Live with a researcher, on a phone or a laptop. Your camera is optional.

• Interview: a one-on-one video call. The researcher asks about how you do something, what you use and what annoys you. No right answers, and nothing to prepare.
• Live product test: the same call, but you open an app or website and share your screen while you try it. They watch where you get stuck and ask you to say what you’re thinking.

On your own, whenever suits you. These record your screen and your voice, so you need a laptop or desktop computer. There’s nothing to download.

• Task test: step-by-step tasks and questions. You work through them talking out loud, and we record the screen as you go.
• Quick test: simple instructions and a set time. You try one thing and say what you make of it.
• Survey: questions you answer in writing, on your phone. Written answers need a real sentence (5 words or more), and there’s one question in the middle checking you’re reading.

Nobody is testing you. The team is testing the thing they built, and you’re the one who can tell them it doesn’t make sense. Saying “I don’t understand this” is the most useful thing you can do.