Managing Test Sessions

Test Room Statuses

The room transitions through states which determine data collection and editability

Draft

• Preparation mode. No data collected.
• Editable: Tasks can be modified.

In Progress

• Active or scheduled. Enters this state after first participant joins.
• Partially Editable: Cannot change Pie files to ensure consistency. Meta info is editable.

Live

• Participant is currently in session; recording in progress.
• Not Editable.

Archived

• Tests completed. Records preserved.
• Not Editable.

Session Roles

• Moderator: An Editor who clicks [Start testing]. Manages the session and creates highlights.
• Observer: Team members (Editors or Viewers) who monitor the session in real-time.
• Participant: Invited users whose behavior is recorded. They can complete or abandon tasks using the [End task] button.

Test Execution

Session Preparation

• Access: Participants enter via URL/QR code and a passcode (refreshes every 3 minutes).
• Device Requirements: Desktop/mobile browser, or ProtoPie Player App (6.23.0+) on iOS/Android.
• Participation Limit: Only one participant per session.
• Time Limit: 20 minutes per task is recommended.

Real-time Observation

• Monitoring: Moderators and observers can watch the test process in real-time.
• Mirroring: Uses "Broadcast & watch" mechanism for screen mirroring.

Test Completion & Recovery

• Ending: When a participant reaches the 'Thank You' page, the session ends, recording stops, and the room status clears "Live" status.
• Disconnection: If a participant disconnects, the system waits 5-10 minutes for them to reconnect to the same session.

Terminology

Test Room: A virtual space configured for user testing, serving as a container that includes one or more tasks and prototypes.

Task: An individual task that participants must perform within a test room, which can have success criteria set.

Session: The entire actual test process where moderators and participants sequentially perform multiple tasks together.

Task Recording: The recording captured for each individual task within a session. Screen interactions and timestamp data are collected separately for each task.

Highlight: A marker indicating noteworthy moments or important insights during User Testing result analysis, used to quickly find and share meaningful segments during session replay.