Create a self-guided study

1. Open Studies → New and choose a self-guided study, or start from an idea or initiative’s Studies workspace.
2. Name the study. State who will take part, what you need to learn, and which decision the answer will inform.
3. Add participant steps. Use text, single-choice, or ranking questions for answers; use a Heatmap step with an image to learn where people click.
4. Add any screenshot, prototype frame, or captioned YouTube, Vimeo, or Loom video the participant needs. For a heatmap, mark a target area only when there is an intended action.
5. Add follow-up questions where an answer needs explanation. Welcome and thank-you pages and a closing rating are optional.

Ranking choices start unranked and randomized. Participants confirm the order they build. Keep the study focused on one question.

Use Linked work to attach the ideas, initiatives, opportunities, or features the study should inform. A study must keep at least one linked item. Review suggested links before attaching or dismissing them; you can also search and attach work yourself.

Changing these links does not duplicate responses or rewrite findings.

Preview the study before you publish it. Check the exact screen, question text, answer options, target areas, and step order.

Draft studies can be edited. Published study content is intentionally locked so responses stay comparable. If the prompt changes materially, clone the study or create a new one instead of editing live data.

When participant access is configured for your workspace, publish the study and copy the share link. Send it to the users or accounts whose judgment matters for the decision.

Select existing People or filter them by Account when the participant is known. If you enter a new email, Zentrik creates or reuses the Person only when you confirm the planned participant; typing alone does not change the directory. Anonymous responses create no Person. See People and Accounts for the shared identity rules.

Studies can use the same customer identity model as the portal when a workspace is configured that way, but the feature is independent: linked work does not make the study part of a portal backlog.

Start with a small segment. A few relevant users can be more useful than a large generic audience when the question is tied to a specific workflow or product area.

Participants can answer open-text questions by typing or by selecting Speak inside the answer field. Voice is optional: the question and submission flow work the same way for participants who prefer to type.

The participant controls when recording starts and stops. While recording, the control shows elapsed time and clear actions to discard or finish. Zentrik then places the transcript in the normal answer field so the participant can review, edit, or replace it before submitting the study. In results, Transcribed from voice identifies how the answer began without changing how researchers read or use it.

Zentrik does not retain the audio recording after it is sent for transcription. The submitted response contains the reviewed text, not an audio attachment. Recordings stop automatically after two minutes to keep answers focused and uploads bounded.

If microphone access is denied, recording is unavailable, or transcription fails, the participant can retry or type the answer without losing the rest of the study. Voice answers currently apply to open-text questions; choice and ranking questions keep their existing interaction.

After publishing, open the participant link and check the flow. As responses arrive, open Responses to inspect the answers. Continue with Review study findings.