How Can I Run a Test Across Multiple Sessions

How Can I Run a Test Across Multiple Sessions

Introduction

With EyeQuestion it is possible that the sample evaluation is divided into sessions, so that not all samples have to be evaluated in one session. Suppose you have 8 samples to be evaluated. On the first day you will ask your panelists to evaluate 4 of them and on the following day the remaining ones. 

Generating the Design 

In a project, go to Design>Generate design to open the design generator window.
In here you will be able to find the option for setting up the Sessions. You can select a specific number of sessions, then EyeQuestion will split the total number of product in the number of sessions. By default EQ will try to split the products equally across the sessions. (The same amount of products in each session.)

Session Pattern

It is also possible to go for the option Session Pattern, in case you want to have a custom design pattern. 
The session pattern has to be entered in the following format: n,n,n where: n is the number of products contained in a session a coma will represent a new session. 
So for example, if you have 8 products that you want to split in 2 session, but in session 1 you need to evaluate 6 products and the remaining 2 products should be evaluated in session 2, then the session pattern for this example will be: 6,2 (EyeQuestion generates 2 sessions, S1 has 6 products and S2 has 2products). 

Design Visualization in Sessions

Once you have created a design in sessions, your design sets can be visualized in the design section. The column session will now make a distinction across the sessions and highlight those accordingly. 



Allocating Sessions in Booth

Projects that have been designed with sessions and are allocated in a sensory booth, can be allocated for a specific session. 

In the allocation menu you are able to allocate the specific session that you want to allocate that day. If you select S1 from the session drop down, then only the products in the design that fall under S1 will be presented. Make sure not to forget to always save the changes in this screen.

By using the option Sx, the panelists will pick up where they left off, continuing with the next session in order. This means that if they already completed 3 sessions, if they open the booth link linked to Session Sx they will go on with 4th session of the project.

Option Anonymous makes the sessions anonymous, panelists not being requested to log in in order to complete the questionnaires.



How to Define Start and End Dates for Sessions

Step 1: Create a New Project or Open a existing Project and Generate a Design with Sessions
Navigate to the Design tab and add the Sessions to your project (ensure that your test is designed with more than one session)
You should see that the sessions have been added to the project. (in this case 2 sessions). More sessions can be also added.



Step 2: Access the Session Settings
On the left-hand panel, under the ‘'Design Settings’' you will find the ‘'Sessions’' section.

By default, automatically generated links in a project will always show all sessions. If your project contains multiple sessions and you want participants to access a specific one, you can do this by exporting the QR code PDF from the Distribution section after the project is deployed.

Exporting session-specific QR codes

Once your project is deployed:

  1. Go to the Distribution section.

  2. Export the QR code PDF (from the R1 or R3 link).

What’s included in the QR code PDF?

The exported PDF contains multiple pages:

  • First page

    • A QR code and link that provide access to All Sessions.

  • Following pages

    • Each page contains a QR code and direct link to a specific session

    • Pages are labeled clearly (Session 1, Session 2, etc.)

How to use session-specific access

You can then:

  • Share the link shown on the page of the session you want participants to access, or

  • Print or distribute the QR code for that specific session

This ensures participants start directly in the intended session instead of the first one.

    • Related Articles

    • Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA)

      Purpose Performs a multiple factor analysis on a data set. This is not ‘Factor Analysis’ in the classic statistical sense, but rather a method for handling multiple groups of variables that are all measured on the same samples, and from this ...

    • Different From Control Test Analysis

      Purpose To analyse the results of a different from control test. Data Format Different from control.xlsx Attribute data type is ‘category’. Background Different from control tests can determine: If a difference exists between a product vs. reference. ...

    • How to Monitor Active Sessions

      Introduction The monitor function allows the user to monitor the progress of the panellists who are completing and/or evaluating the questionnaire. Which monitoring option you will choose depends on how you are running the test, whether it is a ...

    • Cochran and McNemar test (CATA)

      Purpose Cochran and McNemar tests are used to test for differences between products when the data has been collected through a ‘Check All That Apply’ (CATA) design. Using a CATA method for sensory research means that the responses collected are ...

    • ANOVA with Multiple Comparison Tests

      Purpose To provide an analysis of variance (ANOVA) test per selected attribute. ANOVA examines sources of variation in the data: this is often used in sensory science to investigate whether variation in attributes is due to products, samples and ...