Settings

This documentation provides a comprehensive overview of the study-level settings and features available in Labvanced. It explains how to configure core study information, participant controls, device and software requirements, subject management, physiological measurements, and optional advanced features, helping researchers set up, customize, and manage experiments effectively from start to finish.

Main
Controls
Subjects
Physiology
Special Features

Main

Settings

Study Id

A unique identifier for a study. Also displayed in 'My Studies' Page. Always provide this ID when you reach out to our support.

Study Name (Internal)

The internal study name is the name you see on the 'My Studies' page to organize your studies.

Study Name (Public)

The public study name is the name that will be displayed to participants while the study is loading.

Loading Image

The loading image is an optional image that will be displayed to participants while the study is loading.

Background Color

The background color is the color of all the unoccupied parts of your screen. For Eye-Tracking studies it is important to make sure that the study background color matches the background color of your eye-tracking task.

Time Zone (UTC)

This determines the timezone for your study. It is defined as an offset from UTC.

Main Language

This setting indicates the main language of your study shown to participants. If you have multiple languages enabled there will either be a language selection option at the start or you can predefine the displayed language via a URL parameter.

Static / System Text Language

This setting indicates the language for system messages / static strings shown to the participant. You can customize these strings in the Texts & Translate tab.

Multiple Languages

Indicates whether the study is defined for multiple languages or not.

Eye-Tracking Study

Indicates whether the study has activated eye-tracking or not.

Longitudinal Design

Indicates whether the study is defined as longitudinal (multiple sessions per participant) or not.

Multi User Study

Indicates whether the study is defined as a multi-user / real time multi-player experiment or not.

Device Preference

By changing this setting, other study settings will be adjusted accordingly. E.g. if you select "Mobile Optimized", the default size for newly created frames will be take on to mobile size (portrait orientation).

Is Offline Compatible

Indicates whether the study is compatible with the offline mode offered in the Labvanced Desktop and Phone Apps. Offline compatible studies can be downloaded and run without an internet connection.

Locked Offline Mode

Locking the study to offline compatible mode ensures that only features supported in offline mode are used. This is recommended for studies intended to be run without an internet connection.

JavaScript Code Execution

You can allow JavaScript code execution in a native format or within a sandboxed environment for improved security. Learn More.

Defaults

Default Font Size (Px)

Set a preferred font size in pixels that will be applied to any new text elements you create in your study.

Default Button Color

Set a preferred button color that will be applied to any new button elements you create in your study.

Default Button Hover Color

Set a preferred button hover color that will be applied to any new button elements you create in your study.

Default Frame Size

This setting controls the default dimensions for your study's frames (landscape or portrait). If you choose custom, you can also change the display mode to control how rendering and displaying the frames is handled in general. For more information see the documentation.

Shared Editing Access

Invite User to Edit Your Study

Grant editing access to this study to other users by entering their email address or user name. They will be notified and have to accept the editing access request. Note, you should only allow editing access to users you trust. Only the admin of the study can invite new users to edit.

List of Users With Edit Rights

This section displays a list of users who have been granted edit access to your study. You can revoke access to any user by clicking the "Revoke Access" button. The users on this who have access are only visible to the admin of the study.

Open Experiment Library

Study in Experiment Library

The Labvanced Public Experiment Library is a free and open science / open materials resource for everyone. It contains a collection of studies from both the Labvanced team and other researchers who have chosen to share their work with the research community.

Study Link In Experiment Library

The URL to your study in the Labvanced Public Experiment Library. You can use this link to share your study with reviewers, colleagues, and everyone else in the community.

Import Rule For Your Study

This setting allows you to control if and how other users can import your study design from the Labvanced Public Experiment Library. Sharing your work (before or after publishing) will increase transparency and allow others to build on your work.

Allow Everyone to Inspect Your Recorded Data and Study Setup (View Access Only)

This setting allows everyone to view your recorded data and study setup without making any changes. This is most useful for open science and transparency.

Settings for Experiment Library:

Study Is Published (Required)

A flag indicating whether the study is published and available for participant recruitment.

Study Duration (Required)

An estimate of how long it will take a participant to complete the entire study. This information will be shown in the Labvanced Experiment Library only.

Your Affiliation (Required)

Refers to the academic or research institutions that you are formally connected with, such as a university, research center, or company. This information will be shown in the Labvanced Experiment Library only.

Study Keywords (Required)

These are descriptive words or phrases that researchers can associate with their studies to make them easier to find and categorize within the Labvanced Experiment Library. You can add any custom keywords you like.

Description (Optional)

This is a text field where you can introduce and provide details about your study. This description is visible both in the Labvanced Experiment Library and during experiment loading.

This allows researchers to add academic citations to their studies when sharing them in the Public Experiment Library.

Controls

Experiment Startup

Pre-load All Experiment Files

This is the process of loading all necessary media files, such as images, audio, and videos, into the participant's browser before the study begins. It is best practice to ensure the smooth and timely presentation of stimuli. In case your study has a large amount of media files, it is recommended to disable this option.

On File Loading Error

This setting determines what should happen if a resource file, such as an image or audio file fails to load before the study begins. If you select "abort experiment", the experiment will be terminated and the participant will not be able to participate.

This option enables showing the Labvanced consent form before the experiment starts.

This option enables showing a custom consent form before the experiment starts. Modify this custom consent via our Texts & Translate tab. Go to the "Start" section then edit the field "customConsent".

Shows Initial Survey

The initial survey is a special predefined survey that can (optionally) be shown before the experiment starts. If enabled, the data of the initial survey is used for subject balancing (e.g to assign subjects into groups based on gender, age etc.) If a more customized group assignment based on pre-survey answers is required, you have to assign the subjects first to only one group and then change their group using the "change group action". For more information please read our documentation.

Asks for Webcam Access

This flag indicates whether the experiment will request access to the participant's webcam on experiment startup. The participant will have to consent to share their webcam.

Asks for Microphone Access

This flag indicates whether the experiment will request access to the participant's microphone on experiment startup. The participant will have to consent to share their microphone.

Asks for Screen Access

This flag indicates whether the experiment will request to record the participant's screen on experiment startup. The participant will have to consent to share their screen.

Shows Experiment Language Selection

This flag indicates whether the study is available in multiple languages and participants will be prompted to select their preferred language at the start of the experiment.

Screen

Start Study in Fullscreen

This option ensures that the study begins in fullscreen mode, providing an immersive experience for participants by utilizing the entire screen space.

Pause on Exit Fullscreen

This option pauses the study if the participant exits fullscreen mode, ensuring that participants stay focused and do not miss any important content, instructions.

Pause on Exit Browser Tab

This option pauses the study if the participant navigates away from the browser tab, helping to maintain their focus and engagement with the study, and avoids attempts to complete the study while the participant is not present.

Set Required Refresh Rate (Hz)

This is a setting that allows researchers to specify a minimum monitor refresh rate that a participant's device must have in order to run the study. This feature is important for experiments where precise timing of visual stimuli is essential (e.g. stimuli shown shorter than 100 ms).

Allowed Screen Orientation

This setting allows you to specify the screen orientations that are permitted for participants to use during your study. This is particularly important for studies that are designed to be run on mobile devices like tablets and smartphones.

Prevent Dark Mode Theme

When enabled, this stops participants from using a dark mode theme on their device while taking part in the study. This is particularly useful for preventing display issues, especially on mobile devices.

Screen Size:

Measure Screen Size (card calibration)

When enabled, the participant will be asked to calibrate their screen size using a standardized card (85.60 by 53.98 mm). This calibration can be used to ensure that visual stimuli are displayed at the correct size in mm or visual degree, which is crucial for experiments requiring precise visual measurements.

Default Screen Distance (cm)

This is a setting used to estimate the visual angle of stimuli presented on the screen. It represents the assumed distance, in centimeters, between the participant's eyes and their monitor.

Set Minimum Screen Size

This setting allows researchers to define a minimum screen size requirement for devices in various units to ensure optimal display and functionality of the study. In Pixel Minimum screen size in pixels. In Millimeter Minimum screen size in milli meter (requires screen size measurement) In Visual Degree Minimum screen size in visual degree (requires screen size measurement and screen distance estimation)

Software & Devices

Allowed Software:

Labvanced Phone App

The Labvanced Mobile App is an application for Android devices (iOS support is planned) that enables data collection within a native phone application. It also includes a mode to collect data offline. Learn more.

Labvanced Desktop App

The Labvanced Desktop App is a downloadable application (for Windows, Mac and Linux) that brings the functionality of the Labvanced platform to a researcher's local computer, allowing for both online and offline data collection. Furthermore it integrates with Lab Streaming Layer (LSL) to enable EEG and other physiological data collection. Learn more.

Browsers

Allowing participation via web browsers enables online / remote participation. Individual browsers can be enabled or disabled.

Google Chrome

Allows participants to use Google Chrome.

Mozilla Firefox

Allows participants to use Mozilla Firefox.

Microsoft Edge

Allows participants to use Microsoft Edge.

Opera

Allows participants to use Opera.

Safari

Allows participants to use Safari.

Any Other

Allows participants to use any other browser.

Allowed Participation Devices:

Android Mobile

Allows participants to use an Android mobile phone.

Android Tablet

Allows participants to use an Android tablet.

iPhone

Allows participants to use an iPhone.

iPad

Allows participants to use an iPad.

Windows PC

Allows participants to use a Windows PC.

Mac

Allows participants to use a Mac.

Linux PC

Allows participants to use a Linux PC.

Any Other Device

Allows participants to use any other devices.

Headphone Check

To test whether participants wear headphones, you can include this or this block in your study.

Subjects

Repeated Participation

Longitudinal Design

Longitudinal design means that participants can take part repeatedly at different times in the same study. For this at least 1 group has to include more than 1 session.

Prevent Subject Re-Participation

This controls whether participants can take part in the same study multiple times. To prevent subjects from redoing the study, Labvanced needs a unique subject identifier in the URL. You can use either the "subject_code", "token", or "Prolific_PID" parameter. Read More.

Prevent When Completed

This option prevents a subject from participating in the same study again once the study is completed.

Prevent When Not Completed

This option prevents a subject from participating in the same study again when the subject started it, but did not complete the study before, i.e. they only have one chance to complete the study. You should enable this option if it is important that a subject did not see the stimuli / content of your study before. Note, this can cause complaints on crowdsourcing platforms when subjects are not able to finish the study for technical reasons or errors in the study design. Hence you should also compensate subjects who did not complete the study fairly.

Subject Balancing

Multi Group Design

Multi Group Design allows you to assign participants to different groups (e.g., control and experimental groups) within your study. Learn More.

Timeout Based Subject Discarding

When enabled this will flag a subject as timed out if they take too long to complete the experiment. This is important to balance completed datasets / subjects across groups. The data of timed out subjects will still be available in the data export.

Timeout (minutes)

Specifies the time until a subject is considered timed out. This should be 30-50% above the average participation time (i.e. you should be relatively certain that this subject will not complete the study).

Replace Subject Numbers of Timed Out and Discarded Subjects

If enabled, the subject numbers of timed out and manually discarded subjects will be assigned to new participants. Enabling this option will further improve subject balancing if you use the "Subject_Nr" or "Subject_Nr_Per_Group" variables, or between subject factors inside tasks. Learn More .

Physiology

Common Settings

Physiology Toolbox Version

Indicates the version of the Labvanced Physiology Toolbox that is used in the study. (Formerly called eye-tracking version).

Eye-Tracking

This feature allows researchers to enable webcam-based eye-tracking in their experiment. Labvanced's webcam-based eye-tracking technology is leading in terms of accuracy and ease of use and has been validated in multiple studies and publications. Learn More.

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