What are the best user testing platforms for conducting remote research studies?

When conducting research remotely, you still can choose between moderated or unmoderated session. But the best opportunity is that you can invite almost everyone in the world. That will make the data richer and more valuable. Surely you may need to conduct a more accurate participant screening before everything. You may also save more money because there is no transportation or printing needed. But you may need to be ready to work according to the timezones of the participants, even unmoderated session, you still need to be reachable at anytime. For me, one of the best advantages is that the participants feel more comfortable because they can suggest some ideas on the place and time of the session.

Top user testing platforms for remote research studies include UserTesting, UserZoom, and Validately. They offer features like remote moderated and unmoderated testing, screen sharing, and task-based assessments, enabling researchers to gather valuable insights from participants located anywhere in the world.

Some things to think about would be (1) are you able to record their screen interactions -- if someone is hovering over something and not clicking, you may not be able to see it. (2) are you able to view their facial expressions to see when they face difficulties? (3) are they able to access your prototype without your help setting up? (4) Are you able to record? I typically use MS Teams/Google meet/Zoom and give clear instructions on setting up before the call + get them to speak aloud to truly understand their every move across the screen. But there are other platforms that you may want to pay for with more robust features.

- Seamless integration with project management and analytics tools streamlines research, enhances collaboration, and ensures smooth data flow between systems, thereby boosting research efficiency.

- Advanced analytics tools like heat maps and click tracking are essential for understanding user behavior, while platforms offering clear, actionable reports enable efficient iteration on product improvements based on user feedback.

Like on a real face-to-face research, you need to consider the participant experience. Be willing to do the same thing as it is a face-to-face research that needs the participant to go somewhere and to meet some people before really participate in the research. Choose the app that is accessible for different kind of people. Don't forget that you need to recruit all of the groups of the people you got from personas with the help of the empathy maps. Be ready to conduct your own research on the app that will be used to the usability studies. Check all the accessibility parts of the app and see if it fits your needs. Don't forget that empathy is still required, even remotely, so be attentive to the participant and be aware of the biases.

Prioritize accessibility: be ready to put the accessibility as the core of your research session. When remotely, there are some chances that the accessibility might be hard to respect. The goals of your usability studies should always be centered to this core of the design. Make sure to ask if they are still in need of assistance so that you understand if you should use the moderated session. Also, be ready to stay open to any suggestion that is not against the goals of your research. For example, the participant may live in another country but finds more interesting to participate in the research in a another place than their house. For that, you need to prepare yourself and show your empathy.