Creating a Study

A study is how you commission real-world testing from neurodivergent users. You define what to test, who tests it, and what tasks to run. OpenScouter handles matching, scheduling, and results collection.

Before You Start

Have your product URL ready. This can be a live web app, a staging environment, or a prototype link (Figma, Maze, etc.). Testers will access it directly, so make sure it is publicly reachable or includes any required access credentials in the task instructions.

Steps to Create a Study

1. Click “New Study” from your dashboard

   Log in to your OpenScouter business account and click the “New Study” button in the top right of the dashboard. This opens the study creation wizard.

2. Enter your target URL

   Paste the URL of the product you want tested. This can be a production URL, a staging link, or a shareable prototype. If your environment requires a login, include a test account in the task instructions rather than in this field.

3. Select neurodivergent (ND) categories

   Choose which ND profiles you want represented in your tester pool. You can select one or more categories:

   • ADHD - Testers with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Useful for identifying issues with focus, distraction, cognitive load, and long or complex flows.
   • Autism - Testers on the autism spectrum. Helpful for surfacing ambiguous language, inconsistent UI patterns, sensory triggers (like animations or high-contrast flashes), and unclear social cues in copy.
   • Dyslexia - Testers with reading and language processing differences. Reveals problems with dense text, poor typography, low contrast, and unclear information hierarchy.
   • Dyscalculia - Testers with numerical processing differences. Particularly relevant for finance, e-commerce, data dashboards, or any interface that relies on numbers.
   • Dyspraxia / DCD - Testers with developmental coordination differences. Surfaces issues with fine motor interactions, small click targets, and complex drag-and-drop or multi-step gestures.
   • Combined - Testers with more than one ND profile. Provides a broader, intersectional perspective on accessibility barriers.

   If you are unsure where to start, selecting ADHD and Dyslexia gives good general coverage for most web products.

4. Set the number of testers

   Choose how many testers to include. A minimum of 3 is recommended for any meaningful signal. 5 or more testers will reveal the majority of usability issues and give you enough data to identify patterns rather than individual outliers.

   Larger studies (10 or more testers) are useful when you need statistical confidence or want to compare results across multiple ND categories.

5. Define your task list

   Tasks are the specific user flows you want testers to complete. Good tasks are goal-oriented rather than instruction-based. For example, “Find and purchase a product under $30” is better than “Click the Shop button, then filter by price.”

   You have two options:

   • Write your own tasks - Enter each task as a clear, concrete goal. Include any login credentials or setup instructions the tester will need.
   • Let AI generate a task list - Paste your URL and a brief description of your product, and OpenScouter will suggest a task list based on common user flows. You can edit or remove any suggestions before publishing.

   See Tips for Writing Good Tasks below for more guidance.

6. Review and publish

   The final screen shows a summary of your study: URL, ND categories, tester count, and task list. Review everything carefully before publishing. Once the study goes live, testers will start being matched and notified, so changes after publishing are limited.

   When you are ready, click “Publish Study.”

What Happens Next

Once your study is published, OpenScouter matches testers from its pool based on the ND categories you selected. Matched testers receive a notification via Telegram with a link to your study and their assigned tasks.

Testers complete the study at their own pace, typically within 24 to 48 hours of being notified. As results come in, you will see them appear in your study dashboard in real time. Each submission includes a recorded session, written observations, and a structured accessibility report.

You will receive a notification when all testers have submitted or when the study reaches its deadline.

Timeline

Most studies receive their first results within 48 hours of publishing. Full results are typically available within 3 to 5 days depending on the number of testers and the complexity of the tasks.

If a tester does not complete their submission within 72 hours, OpenScouter automatically re-assigns that slot to another matched tester so your study stays on track.

Tips for Writing Good Tasks

Well-written tasks produce more useful results. Keep these principles in mind:

Be specific about the goal, not the steps. Tell testers what to accomplish, not how to get there. Describing the steps defeats the purpose of usability testing.

Use realistic scenarios. Frame tasks as real-world situations. “You want to cancel your subscription before the next billing date. Try to do that.” gives testers more context than “Find the cancellation option.”

One goal per task. Avoid combining multiple actions into a single task. If you want to test checkout and account creation separately, write them as separate tasks.

Avoid leading language. Do not name UI elements in the task description. Saying “Click the blue button labeled ‘Get Started’” tells testers exactly where to look and removes the test.

Include necessary setup. If a task requires the tester to be logged in, or to have an item in their cart first, say so at the start of that task. Do not assume testers will remember context from a previous task.

Keep the list short. 3 to 7 tasks per study is a good range. Too many tasks cause fatigue and lower the quality of feedback on later tasks.