Understanding quick vs. in-depth studies

Lyssna's unmoderated studies are built from one or more sections, each using a research method (survey, prototype, tree test, etc.). The number of sections you use dictates whether your study is considered quick or in-depth, and thus whether you need a paid plan or not.

Understanding how these pieces fit together will help you plan your research and avoid unexpected blockers.

There are two types of unmoderated studies you can create with Lyssna: quick studies and in-depth studies.

Quick studies contain a single test section (e.g., one prototype test, or one first-click test). They're designed for fast, focused feedback and are unlimited on every plan, including the Free plan.

One caveat: Live website tests are only available on paid plans, even if there is only one section in your test.

In-depth studies contain more than one section (e.g., a survey followed by a card sort, or two preference tests). They're built for more complex research and require a paid plan to launch.

Core methods are available on all plans and include:

Your plan determines which study types and methods you can use, and how many of each study type you can launch during your billing cycle.

Quick studies and In-depth studies are charged the same way when you order participant responses from the Lyssna panel. The credit cost for a panel order is based on the estimated duration of your test; it doesn't matter whether it's considered quick or in-depth.

For example, a one-section prototype test with a screener survey and several follow-up questions will typically take longer than a multi-section preference test with no follow-up questions or screeners. The former is considered quick, but it'll likely cost more credits than the latter when recruiting from the Lyssna panel.

Panel responses cost 1 credit (typically $1 USD) per minute of your test, but adding screener questions and/or recorded sections will incur an additional fee per response.

You don't need credits to launch a study with your own audience, no matter the study type.

Quick studies don't cost credits to build or to launch to your own audience. Credits are only spent when you order responses from the Lyssna panel or our partner panel, and the credit cost is calculated the same way regardless of whether your study is a quick study or an in-depth study.

Your study is considered In-depth if it includes more than one test section.

No, screeners do not make a study in-depth. A study is only considered in-depth if it has multiple sections, and screeners are not considered a test section.

You can technically build an in-depth study on the Free plan, but you won't be able to recruit participants. You'll either need to remove sections so that you only have one, or upgrade your subscription, before launching your study.

You can change a study from in-depth to quick by updating the study to reduce the number of sections to one. You can split longer tests into multiple quick studies and run them separately to gather your feedback. For example, if your study has three card sort sections, you can split your test into three separate studies, each with one of your card sort activities.

Quick studies do not count toward the launched study limit on your plan. Quick studies are unlimited across all plans, including the Free plan.

No, adding additional follow-up questions at the end of a test section will not make it an in-depth study. You can add as many follow-up questions as you need at the end of your study's task, and it will still be considered a quick study as long as it only contains one test section.