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Start Using Testable

Before you build anything, it helps to hold a small mental model of how Testable is put together. Five ideas cover it.

Projects

Section titled “Projects”

A project is the container for one study. It holds the trial file, the stimuli you upload, the Setup settings (consent, appearance, security, recruitment), and the Results that accumulate as the study runs. The Platform Tour shows where each of these lives in the interface. Projects can also be shared with collaborators, who can view and edit the trial file and setup; see Collaboration.

The trial file

Section titled “The trial file”

The trial file is a spreadsheet where each row is one trial: a stimulus presentation, a survey question, or an instructions screen. Each column is a parameter, such as what stimulus to show, how long to show it, and what response to accept. Column names are human-readable, and you only include the columns your design needs. Trial File Fundamentals covers the full structure.

Experiments and surveys

Section titled “Experiments and surveys”

Every project is an experiment, a survey (form), or a combination of both, and the fork happens row by row in the trial type column.

  • Experiment trials present stimuli and record behaviour and reaction times under strict timing conditions.
  • Form trials collect self-report data using standard question types: text boxes, radio buttons, Likert scales, dropdowns, sliders, and more.

A single project can mix both, for example a demographics survey followed by a reaction time task followed by a follow-up questionnaire. See Trial Types and Forms and Surveys.

Stimuli

Section titled “Stimuli”

Image, video, and audio files live in the project’s Stimuli section, and you reference them by filename in the trial file. Text stimuli need no upload. You type them straight into the trial file. See Define and Position Stimuli.

Preview, publish, then share

Section titled “Preview, publish, then share”

Nothing you edit reaches participants until you publish it. Preview individual trials from the editor to check what participants will see, click Publish when you are happy, then set the project to Active and share its unique link (for example tstbl.co/123-456) with participants however you choose: email, social media, a participant pool, or lab computers. The study runs in their browser, and you can take the project Offline again at any time. See Previewing Your Trials and Project Flow and Trial Management.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”