Websort.net

General Capabilities

Can I run a study offline?

Nope. WebSort is an online application and doesn't install anything on your computer. So if you are offline, you won't be able to access the study, submit study results, or view the data in the Study Manager.

What browsers are compatible with WebSort?

WebSort uses Flash Player 9 or higher for its interface. Any browser operating with Flash Player 9 or higher can use WebSort; Windows, Mac, or Linux. You can see Adobe's full list of compatible browsers here.

What is the minimum connection speed required to use WebSort?

WebSort does not require any minimum connection speed in order to access the site. The initial load time will be longer on slow connections, but the sorting data is very compact and transfers quickly.

Which participant languages are supported?

We currently offer the following languages for the participant display of the study interface: English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese, and romanized Japanese. You can take advantage of this by selecting the desired language from the dropdown menu available on the right-hand side of the Settings tab in the Study Manager. NOTE: This will only change the WebSort-programmed language and links. Client-input material, such as items and descriptions, will need to be entered in target language and will not be automatically translated by the system.

How do I change my account password?

In the Study Manager, click on the 'Account' link in the top right-hand corner. On the left-hand side of the Account section, you will see the option to 'change password'. Click on this link, and then type your new password into the text box and click 'Save'.

If you cannot log into the Study Manager, enter the account email address into the 'Email address' login field. Then click the 'Reset It' link under the 'Password' field. This will reset your password and send the new password to your account email address.

Can I conduct multi-level sorts with WebSort?

Not currently. However, a good workaround is to conduct a general sort of all items. Categories that have a large number of items are good candidates for a secondary card sort, where only the items from that category are presented. The data from the secondary sort will then provide information on user-defined subcategories for the original category created in the first sort.

What is your company contact information?

WebSort is owned and operated by Lime & Chile Productions, LLC. Our address is 114 W. Illinois Street, 3rd floor, Chicago, IL 60610. Our contact telephone number is 312-380-6369. You can learn more about us and our other services by visiting the LimeChile website.

Running a Study

How many participants do I need?

In a study by Tullis & Wood (2004), it was found that there are quickly diminishing returns with more than 25-30 participants. That is particurlarly important when you're providing compensation to participants.

Keep in mind, however, that this research was done with a participants of a similar background, who were all familiar with the the forty-six content items, which were part of a corporate intranet.

How long will it take participants to complete a study?

You can estimate the time needed to complete a study by using the following equation:

          Average (mean) completion time in minutes = .34 (number of items) + 4

For example if you have 50 items in your study then the average completion time = .34(50) + 4 = 21 minutes. Please keep in mind that is an estimated average, but one that is based on actual data. This equation was derived from a sample of 25 WebSort projects with the number of items ranging from 22 to 108. None of the studies used images as a study item.

How do I get participants for my study?

In the Study Manager, you can find the link for your study by clicking the 'View Your Study' link to the right of the tabs. Anywhere you can embed a URL, you can use the study link, and it will send a participant there. So, for example, you could send the link in an email, post it on a website, or tweet it.

Should I randomize my items so my results aren't biased?

We do recommend randomizing the order of the items to prevent biasing participants towards (or away from) any pre-defined categorization. And you do have the option to randomize the list in the Settings tab of the Study Manager. On the right-hand side of the Settings tab, second from the bottom, is an option that says 'Randomize order of items.' If this option is checked, then the items will be randomized for each participant.

How many items should I have in my study?

There is no technical limit to the number of cards that our Study Manager will accept and allow to be sorted. You can enter as many as you like and it will present all to the participants to be sorted.

However, you should take two factors into account: the amount of time it takes a participant to sort that many items, and the amount of time it takes to process the data for the analysis tables. When you get over 150 items, it generally will take a participant over an hour to complete a study, which can create difficulties in finding participants willing to spend that amount of time sorting the items. And our formulas for calculating the statistics that go into our analysis tables start to reach critical mass at around 200 to 250 items, meaning that the number of calculations that need to be made get exponentially higher, resulting in a 'crash' of the analysis tables.

If you can get participants to sort that many items, you can work around the analysis tables issue by simply requesting a raw data file from our Support Team and then avoiding the analysis tables in the Study Manager.

What is the recommended size for uploading a custom logo?

We support JPG, PNG, and GIF file types for images. File sizes must be no larger than 1 MB. Your logo will be resized to a width of 195 pixels and a maximum height of 50 pixels (it will keep the aspect ratio rather than squishing or stretching it to fill the whole space). For best results, you may want to resize your logo before uploading.

How do I add images to my study?

Images can be added to the items (or cards) by entering them into the Items tab of the Study Manager, under the 'Image (optional)' column. There are two ways to do this: by entering the URL of the image's location in the text box or by clicking the 'Upload' button to the right of the text field and uploading an image file.

We support JPG, PNG, and GIF file types for images. File sizes must be no larger than 1 MB. The optimal dimensions for viewing are 150 x 150, but our system will resize the image while keeping the aspect ratio, so any square image should view well. And if images are only added to a few items of the study, they will not display for the participant in the study - images must be used on a majority of the cards for them to display properly in the actual study.

How do I change the name of my study?

Study names are not public; you're the only one that sees them. But if you'd still like to change it, simply send an email to our Support Team detailing the email address on the account, the name of the study, and the name you would like it to be, and we can make the change for you.

What if I don't want my participants to use their email address?

No problem. You can actually change what information you request from the participant. In the Settings tab, you can edit the 'Participant login label:', which will change what information you are asking for. Since the label is completely customizable, you can request first initial and last name, company name, department name, or something more innocuous, like favorite color or today's date. You can choose what information you request from your participants - it doesn't have to be an email address.

How do I let my participants leave some items unsorted?

In the Settings tab of the Study Manager, you will see the checkbox 'Allow unsorted items' on the bottom of the right-hand side. If this box is checked, then participants can click the 'I'm Done' button without sorting all items into a category. In the Results tab, any items that were left unsorted will have been placed into a category entitled 'UNSORTED'. It is important to remember that in many of the tables, these unsorted items will appear to have been sorted into a category, but the category is actually the 'unsorted' grouping.

Can I make changes to my study after it is open to participants?

If you do not have any participant data in the system, then you can make any changes as needed. It is recommended that when you make those changes, you temporarily close the study to make the changes, as a participant can begin a study any time the study is active. If a participant begins the study before your changes are saved, then their data will be based on the old version of the study.

However, if you do have ANY data in the Results tab of the Study Manager (or if any participants have begun to take your study and not yet submitted their data), you can seriously compromise your data by making changes to your study. Once you have participant data in the Study Manager, you will notice a bright yellow warning at the top of the Items tab that will warn against modifying the item list after data has already been submitted. This is because the formulas used to create the analysis tables in the Study Manager will calculate incorrectly, causing errors in the data presented. If you need to make changes to an active study, please close your study, clear out all previous data from the Results tab, make the necessary changes, and then reopen the study to participants.

Can participants leave comments?

We do allow participants to enter comments. You can see where participants can do this by going in to your study as if you were a participant (from the Study Manager, click on 'Study Link' and then 'Preview'). After you view the instructions and complete the login field, you will see at the top of the sorting page two links - 'Instructions' and 'Comments'. Clicking on the 'Comments' link will bring a little window down where participants can enter comments about the study, items, categories, etc. You can then view these comments by choosing 'Comments' from the dropdown list in the Results tab of the Study Manager.

Can participants put an item into more than one category or create new items?

WebSort does not currently have the capability to allow participants to place an item into more than one category or to create new items during the study. However, the Comments section of a study is an good place for a participant to put such additional information, and additional instructions at the beginning of a study can guide participants to use this option.

Analyzing the Results

Can I download my study data?

Absolutely. For every table that you see in the Results tab of the Study Manager, you will see a little icon in the top right-hand corner. Usually it will be a little Excel icon, but for Clusters (the tree diagram) it will be a little picture icon. If you click on these icons, you can download the table you are currently viewing as an Excel file (or as a png image, for the tree diagram). It will contain the information you are currently viewing, so if you have merged categories or selected a sub-set of participants, this will be the data you download. From there, you can review these file while offline and use them for reports and presentations.

Note for Excel 2003 users: Excel 2003 has a limit of 256 columns in a spreadsheet. If you try to download a table with more columns than this, the program will give you an error. You can either download smaller sub-sets of the information that will fit within the 256 column limit, or you can upgrade your version of Excel. Excel 2007 allows up to 16,384 columns.

Can I save the merges I've done in the Category Summaries table?

When you hover over both the 'Merge Categories' and the 'Save' button when you merge your categories, you should see a tooltip display that says 'Merges are not saved permanently - groups revert when grid is reloaded.' Most of our clients do analysis in several layers and with multiple people working on the same set of data, and prefer that we maintain the original set of data.

However, note that you can download Excel-compatible tables of your merges. With the exception of 'Other Downloads', what you see in the tables is what you get from the downloads- including merges.

Can I see how long participants are spending on my study?

Yes - in the Items x Participants table you can download under the 'Other Downloads' section of the Results tab, it will show this information. Under each participant ID in the table (row 1), you will see the date and time the participant submitted their results (row 2) and how many minutes it took the participant to complete the study (row 3).

Pricing and Purchasing

What is the difference between a free account or study and a paid one?

There two differences: a free (or 'limited trial') study cannot have more than 10 participants, and you cannot upload a custom logo. Other than that, you get the same features, settings, and analysis tables.

How do I make a purchase?

Purchases are made by logging into your account and completing the purchase through the Study Manager. This can be done in one of two ways - you can click on the 'upgrade now' button to the right of the name of the study you would like to upgrade, or you can go through the 'Account' link in the top right-hand corner and click on the 'Buy Now' button for the plan you want to buy. Either option will walk you through the rest of the purchase process, which you can complete by using a credit card.

Where is the study I purchased?

When you purchase a study (or several studies) through your general account page, it is considered a study credit and will appear in the Account section of the Study Manager. When you are ready to apply a study credit to a study, select the study from the dropdown menu on the main screen of the Study Manager and then click the 'upgrade now' button to the right of the study name. You will then see a message asking you to confirm the use of your study credit, which will deduct it from your account balance and apply it to the study. If you do not have any study credits in your account, you will be taken to a screen where you can make a purchase. Once that purchase is complete, the study credit will automatically be applied to the study and will not appear in the Account section.

If you have purchased an Enterprise subscription, all studies in your account will be marked as paid automatically, and any new studies created will also automatically be considered paid. In the Account section of your Study Manager, you will see the renewal date for your subscription.

Do my studies or study credits ever expire?

No, your studies and study credits never expire. If you reach participant limits, your study may be closed to further participation, but the data will still be available for access and analysis. And study credits can be held in your account indefinitely without any penalties.

How can I see data for just some of my participants?

When you are viewing the Results tab of the Study Manager, you will see a list of all of your participant on the left side of the screen. To select just one participant, click on it to highlight it in orange, and then click the 'Reload' button. To select multiple participants, hold down the CTRL button while clicking on individual participants. This will cause all participants that you click to be highlighted in orange. When you have selected all of the participants that you want, click the 'Reload' button to load their data into the analysis tables. To select a subgroup of participants all in a row, hold down the SHIFT key as you click the first participant in the desired group and then the last participant of the desired group. This will highlight those two participants and all participants between in orange. Then click the 'Reload' button. And of course, you can use the 'select all' button at the very top of the participant list to select all participants before clicking the 'Reload' button.

Do I qualify for the non-profit or educational discount?

We currently offer a discount to educational institutions (e.g. - accredited universities, colleges, PhD programs, etc.) and to non-profit organizations (charities, foundations, public arts organizations, etc.). However, governments and government agencies do not qualify for this discount. For accounts that do not qualify for the non-profit or educational discount, we do offer a general public discount for prepaid months of Enterprise subscription service (6 months or more). If you would like to take advantage of either of these discounts, please contact our Support Team.