Activities are the core of an online community study and the main source of data and insights from participants. On the platform they appear as Assignments. Each activity is made of a set of questions or exercises, which we call tasks.

Think of the activity as the structure of a questionnaire and the tasks as the questions participants will answer.

INDEX

• Tasks
• Interactions
• Settings

Tasks

Activities do not have to be limited to plain text or closed answers. They can include visual stimuli, different task types and different flows. This lets the study address practical questions dynamically and keeps participation and answer quality high over time.

Inside each activity, tasks are listed in All tasks, each with its code (T1, T2...) and type.

Interactions

Interactions happen at any time of day and participants set the pace (asynchronous): experiences, opinions, ideas and feelings are shared as they come up.

This makes participants feel part of an ongoing conversation that deepens and sparks reflection. This pace also supports the joint development of the community.

Settings

Each activity has settings that define key aspects of the study:

• How long is the activity available, and when does it start and end?
• Who can answer: all participants or only some segments?
• What is the activity cover image?
• Will answers be shared among participants?
• Must tasks be answered in order?
• Does the activity depend on another activity being completed first?

Researchers can adjust the study schedule based on what they learn from participants during the activities and discussions.

See how to set all of this up in Create an activity.