UX Research: Combining Stimuli Testing and Sequence Flow for Prototype Studies¶
A prototype study often needs to answer two different kinds of questions: "what do people think when they see this specific screen" and "in what order would people expect to do these things." Those are two different section types doing two different jobs, and a single Advanced Survey can combine both.
Reacting to Individual Screens: Stimuli Testing¶
Use a Stimuli Testing section (see Setting Up Image and Video Stimulus Testing) for each prototype screen or flow you want direct reaction to - first impressions, clarity, visual appeal, whether the purpose of the screen is obvious. Pair each screenshot with a mix of scale and open-ended questions to capture both a quick read and richer feedback.
Understanding Expected Flow: Sequence Flow¶
Use a Sequence Flow section (see Introduction to Sequence Flow) when the research question is about order - how respondents expect to move through a multi-step process, what they'd do first when landing on a new feature, or how they'd prioritize a set of onboarding steps. This captures something a screen-by-screen reaction study can't: the relationship between steps, not just opinions about each one individually.
A Practical Study Structure¶
A common pattern: open with a few Stimuli Testing sections showing key screens in isolation to capture first-impression reactions, then a Sequence Flow section asking respondents to arrange the steps of a broader flow in the order they'd expect, closing with an open-ended question on anything confusing or unexpected. This combination captures both the micro (individual screens) and macro (overall flow logic) levels of the experience.
Reading the Results Together¶
Route Flow and Route Network (see Reading Sequence Flow Results: Consensus Routes vs. Averaged Rank) show you the expected order; your Stimuli Testing results show you reactions to individual screens along that order. Read them together - a screen that scores poorly on its own reaction question but sits at a point in the sequence where confusion is expected tells a more complete story than either result alone.
When Simple Navigation Testing Is Enough¶
If your research question is purely "can people find X in this menu structure," rather than a broader multi-screen prototype study, Testing Navigation and Menu Structures with Sequence Flow covers that narrower, more common case directly.
FAQ¶
Do Stimuli Testing and Sequence Flow sections need to reference the same prototype?
Not necessarily - they're independent section types, though for a coherent study it usually makes sense for them to relate to the same overall product or flow.
Can I use Pairwise Comparison instead of Stimuli Testing for reacting to screens?
Use Pairwise Comparison when the goal is comparing multiple screen variants head-to-head; use Stimuli Testing when you want a direct reaction to one screen at a time. See Choosing Between Plain Questions, Stimuli Testing, Pairwise Comparison, and Sequence Flow.
How many prototype screens should one study cover?
There's no fixed limit, but a longer study risks lower completion rates - see Common Report Mistakes to Avoid and Completion Rate and Average Time: What Your Survey Management Page Shows You for monitoring this.
Is this approach only for digital product prototypes?
No - the same combination works for any multi-step process or set of visual concepts where both individual reaction and overall flow matter.
For the section-type decision generally, see Choosing Between Plain Questions, Stimuli Testing, Pairwise Comparison, and Sequence Flow.