Studies

A study defines the goals and ordered interview segments used for participants.

Every Project starts with a First user interview Study: a discovery conversation with no Intake, reward, or placement restrictions. Install the snippet to try it.

For follow-ups, use the follow-up guide.

Create a study

Choose New study, enter a title and research question, then choose Create study. The new draft opens with a starter Talk flow. Edit its goals and steps to match what you want to learn: ordinary product use, a specific task, or an open conversation. The interview recipes provide complete examples.

Use the three participant-facing modes:

talk conducts a conversation and follows up on participant answers.
speak delivers a scripted instruction or transition.
observe silently captures product use for later interpretation and debrief.

For a task-based study, run an instruction, silent observation, a planned debrief, and a closing message. Validate the script and run it yourself before inviting participants.

Know which check you are running

Three checks answer different questions:

Check	Surface	What it verifies
Study readiness	The Go live section of a study	Lists what still blocks publishing — Missing goals, Missing script, No debrief segment, or an intake that is not ready.
Script validation	Dashboard save, `usertold study validate-script`, `studies.validate_script` in MCP	Script structure and runtime-safe fields for each segment mode. It does not grade research quality or inspect a website.
Website integration check	Website interviews setup, `usertold project verify-widget-installation`, or `projects.verify_widget_installation` in MCP	An exact public HTTPS page checked for the canonical loader and Project key, then HTTP and meta CSP plus Permissions-Policy. It does not execute the host app, grant browser permissions, or replace a human browser smoke test.

Link an intake

An Intake is optional. Link one only when answers must qualify participants for this Study, independently of how they were invited. When linked:

qualification routes the participant to this study;
the widget loads this study's active script;
the interview retains its intake response context.

Activate both the study and intake before testing the participant flow. If either is paused, a qualified participant cannot begin the intended interview.

Configure the embed context

Under How participants arrive, choose On-site Invitation or Recruitment link. For an on-site Invitation, also choose Launcher only or Open when eligible. The optional panel carries copy, duration, CTA, and one exact reward; Minimize and Hide stay remembered. List every origin the widget runs on under Interview websites in the study's Go live section.

If you offer a reward, state its fixed amount, such as “20 minutes · $25 gift card.” You arrange fulfillment; UserTold does not calculate or deliver rewards.

See Study Runtime for advancement and recovery.

Test before inviting participants

Complete one interview through the participant entry path, including any Intake. Confirm that:

any qualification opens the intended Study;
instructions fit the product task;
observe segments advance through a deterministic completion rule or time limit;
a planned talk segment debriefs the observed task;
the interview completes and produces a reviewable source record.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Next action
Study readiness blocks activation	Open the study's Go live section and fix the item it names — goals in Research goal, a missing debrief in Interview flow, the intake in Participants.
Script validation fails	Check the required structure and mode-specific fields in the Study Design Guide, then use the dashboard save error, CLI result, or MCP response.
Website integration check stops at Page	Make the exact page publicly reachable with HTTP 2xx. Loader, key, CSP, and Permissions-Policy checks are intentionally skipped when the page itself cannot be fetched.
A qualified participant cannot start	Confirm the intake is linked to this study and both are active.
An observe segment never advances	Add an appropriate deterministic completion rule and a time limit.
The debrief is generic	Put a planned talk segment after observation and connect it to the task and study goals.
Evidence is thin	Inspect the transcript and timeline, then sharpen the task, goals, or planned debrief.
The widget reports an origin problem	Add the origin under Interview websites in the study's Go live section, or leave the list empty while testing.

Continue

Study Design Guide — design decisions and a complete example
Study Runtime — how segments advance in production
Widget Integration — embed and participant-flow behavior
Methodology — evidence quality and research limits
CLI Reference — discover terminal study operations
MCP Integration — discover agent study tools and resources

Try this with your own users

Copy the prompt and paste it into your AI assistant.

View prompt

Help me apply this research approach to my product and set up a suitable interview in UserTold.

Read this guide first: https://usertold.ai/docs/studies

Use my existing UserTold connection. If it is not connected, help me connect through https://mcp.usertold.ai/mcp and complete browser authorization. Ask for missing project details, use the available UserTold tools, and walk me through any steps that need the dashboard.