Frequently Asked Questions

No, when you sign up you'll be asked to choose a screen name which will keep your identity private. Only clients who are paying for you to conduct a test will be allowed to access your demographic profile information, but even they will not have access to your name as long as you do not use it as your screen name or enter it into your comments.

Userlytics may use portions of your tests, including the recordings of your screen computer during the test, as well as audio commentary and your facial reactions recorded on your web cam for samples to potential clients or in marketing material to secure more accounts. If you do not wish to have your tests used in this manner then please do not sign up as a tester.

Please ensure there is no identifiable personal data such as your name, address, telephone number etc in the background of where the web cam will be recording your facial expressions while testing.

Anyone can be a tester with Userlytics. We welcome people from all countries, backgrounds and experiences. You do not need to have usability experience. Our clients are looking for helpful feedback from real-world users, so most important is your ability to communicate your thoughts and provide feedback as you browse through websites.

Everyone can use extra money these days and who doesn't want to make their opinion known to help decision makers improve their products and services? Our tests can be performed wherever and whenever you want, so you can complete a test at home, at the office or even on vacation.

You need to follow the test instructions as provided by our client (see following FAQs). It is very important that your webcam is correctly set up to record your face clearly, and that you speak your thoughts out loud as you browse through the site. Try speaking and sharing your thoughts aloud during the entire test.

You'll be testing websites from small start-up companies to those of large well-known corporations. You will NOT be asked to view sites that do not meet our Terms of Use guidelines. You can contact us before beginning a test if you have doubts about its content.

Examples of past tasks include:

• Register for an account on a client site, log in, fill in your profile and add a friend.
• Pretend you are looking for a pair of jeans, search for jeans, look through the results and proceed to checkout, but stop before the order is confirmed.
• Look around our site, wherever your interests take you and give us feedback on the look and feel, concept and overall layout.
• Compare our home page to our competitor's (or industry leader's) home page and tell us what we do better or worse than them and which site you'd choose to visit and why.
• Compare the purchasing/checkout function of two sites.
• Conduct a search for an item/site.

You may be asked your opinion on things such as:

• Site navigation
• Overall concept
• Ease of use and intuitiveness
• Design, video, colors, layout
• Specific processes such as check out, log in, registration, search, utilities, etc.
• If you would use the site or recommend it to a friend

Typical tests will require 10 to 20 minutes to complete.

Testers earn $10 per test, though this can vary depending on the nature of the test. Your demographic profile, client demand and your tester rating may limit the number of tests you are invited to perform. You should not rely on testing for a regular income and we make no guarantees on the amount of tests you'll be invited to perform.

Please note that Userlytics reserves the right in its sole discretion to deny payment to any tester for the following reasons:

• Incorrect and/or misleading profile information.
• Poor set-up for purposes of conducting the usability test (e.g., background noise, no audio, poor sound quality, blocked webcam)
• Duplicate accounts.
• Substandard testing.
• Expired tests.
• Incomplete reports (task not adhered to, not entering at least one written bubble comment, not speaking your thoughts out loud.

You'll need a Mac with OSX 10.6 or higher or a PC with Windows XP or higher, a webcam, a microphone, high-speed internet access, a standard internet browser program (such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome), Java 1.6, and Adobe Flash Player. Windows users will need Adobe Flash Player for both Internet Explorer and also the version for the browser you will be testing with. We will test your system for the above when you apply to become a tester and provide links to download at no cost any software you don't already have.

The Userlytics Studio is our proprietary state-of the-art usability testing software application. It is very easy to use and all testers must perform our usability tests through this application.

Because our clients come to us for quick results your slot in a test may be taken by another tester if you cannot complete it within a short time period of 2-3 hours. For this reason, you should make sure your computer is correctly set-up (your webcam and microphone are connected and configured correctly) prior to starting any test. If you have any problems with the Userlytics Studio please contact us immediately.

We've installed several layers of protection to make sure that our testers are not subjected to illegal or objectionable sites, but if you are directed to a site you find offensive please contact us immediately.

Our tester rating system allows our clients to rate the quality of the feedback provided by our testers. This encourages our testers to offer the most helpful feedback possible, i.e. a good combination of webcam, spoken and written feedback. It is important to note that our clients have the final say on the quality of your feedback; if they are not fully satisfied with your feedback you may not receive payment.

An important point is that our clients are looking for critical feedback. In other words, they do not want to learn that their site is great, they do want to learn where it is not great, where it can be improved, where and what the problems are, where it is really bad.

You'll be paid via PayPal so you?ll need to provide us with your verified PayPal email address. Using PayPal also allows us to prevent multiple accounts, verify information and prevent fraud. If your PayPal account cannot be verified then you cannot be paid, so please ensure you provide us with the correct details.

You will receive payment once the client has reviewed and positively rates your test feedback.

When you sign up to be a tester with Userlytics you will be asked to choose a tester ID. Only clients who are paying for you to conduct a test will be allowed to view your demographic profile information; your personal information will remain confidential. Even they will not have access to your real name (as long as you do not use it as your screen name or enter it into your comments). Userlytics may use portions of your test feedback (including screen recordings, audio commentary, webcam recordings, written commentary), to create samples for potential clients or in marketing material. If you do not wish to have your test feedback used in this manner then please do not sign up to become one of our testers.

That's fine. You can uninstall the Userlytics Studio after you have completed a test and the data has been sent to our servers. However, the Userlytics Studio only records your actions when you are performing a usability test; once you have completed a test the application stops recording until such time as you click to begin the next test you are invited to perform. It is also a relatively small application and does not require a lot of hard disk space. For these reasons (plus the fact that you won't need to download and install it again when you are invited to perform your next test) we recommend you leave it installed.

You don't necessarily need to know anything about usability testing to be one of our testers. In fact, many of our clients prefer testers who have no specific knowledge of usability. This allows for realistic feedback from real-world testers. If you are interested in learning more about usability, a quick search on the Internet will provide you with a great deal of information.