Overview

1. Collecting Mock Results - Guest logins are great for collecting testing (mock) results to fully review analysis options before collecting real data. This helps to ensure that the test setup matches both data collection and analysis objectives.
   
   
2. Proof of Concept - An example scenario: You are trying out new testing method or developing a test for a client. By using generic guest panelists you can enable your client or team (and/or management) to go through the test numerous times if necessary by providing them with several guest logins. This is useful for verifying that data collection and analysis objectives are met. 
   

   
   

   An example advantage of using guest logins over anonymous testing for this scenario is if your analysis objective is to have the data linked back to panelists and show the panelist performance, for example. Anonymous testing will not provide such link between panelist and their data. Guest logins, although not real panelists, are still treated by the software as panelists.
   
   
3. Panelist Overflow - A great way to add spare generic logins to your test for consumers or employee panelists who are expected to evaluate samples but have not been added into your Panelists library yet (perhaps you didn't have enough time for that).
   

   
   

   This can also be the case when 'surprise' consumers show up and you do not want to turn them away, or don't have time to add them to the test even though you have them in the Panelists library.
   

   
   

   Another example: An employee panelist that was expected to come to your test did not show up due to an unexpected circumstance. You could bring in the first available employee panelist that you currently don't have in the Panelists library and assign them a guest login. Even if they are in the Panelists library, you might find it faster to use for them a guest login that's already in your test rather than adding them to the test while you have many other things to manage at that very moment.
   
   
4. Panelist Forgot Their Login Details - Although it is possible to retrieve panelist Username, reset their password for them, and even enable panelists to reset their own password, sometimes the time sensitivity of your sample testing does not allow for that process to take place. Having spare generic guest logins in your test is a great way to overcome this obstacle.
   
   Please note that the data will be linked to the guest login used, not the panelist record of the person that was using the guest login.
   
   
   
5. Panelist Privacy Protection / Anonymous Testing - An example scenario could be that your Legal Team communicated to you that for security and data privacy reasons panelist information cannot be stored in the software.
   

   
   

   Another example scenario could be that you are not concerned about linking the data to specific individuals in your test. if you do not wish to use the anonymous testing feature, guest logins are the closest alternative. The data will not be linked to any individuals, just like in anonymous tests, but it will be linked to guest logins used, providing you with testing and analysis flexibility that true anonymous tests do not have.
   

   
   

   There are more test setup and analysis options available with guest panelists than with true anonymous tests.
   

   
   
6. Device Driven Testing - An example scenario: You would like to conduct anonymous testing in different points of purchase locations in your city. You are providing devices for each location and you would like to keep track of which sample sets were completed at each location. This can be useful if you wish to analyze the data within specific location vs. across all of them. With true anonymous test feature, this is not possible to track.
   

   
   

   To accomplish location tracking goal, you can assign a single guest login to a device (e.g. Guest001 can be logged in on iPad #1, Guest002 can be logged in on iPad #2, etc.).  In combination with the Allow panelists to evaluate multiple sample sets feature, you can enable multiple panelists to evaluate samples through the same guest login on a device.
   
   Technicians will need to log in as a guest panelist only once per device before the evaluation begins (actual panelists will not even see the login page). When a panelist is done with their evaluation, the test will automatically loop back to the list of tests. The panelist who completed the test does not have to log out, and the next panelist does not have to log in. The next panelist can simply click Start and begin evaluation.
   
   
7. Analyst Training - You might have the role of training new analysts at your company. A part of the training is to showcase panelist experience in the software. Assigning guest logins to the analysts in training to go through some example tests may be more convenient than having them log in using their real panelist logins.
   
   
8. Just in Case - Adding generic guest panelists into your Panelists library and tests does not have drawbacks. We cannot always predict all the things that can take unexpected turn during testing, so if you want to be on a safe side, we recommend making it a practice to add some guest panelists into your tests.
   

Visit the Panelists library page for other panelist-related workflows that may be of interest to you.

Import Guest Panelists from a File

1.  Prepare your guest panelist data in the file format compatible with our software. Use the example guest panelist import file found at the bottom of this page to guide you in the process.
   
   
   

   The file contains these columns:
   
   • Username - Required field . This unique identifier is what panelists need to enter along with the password in order to log into the panelist website.
     

     
     

     We suggest using an alphanumeric combination of characters. Feel free to use the ones in the file, or set your own in a similar way. Take advantage of the Find and Replace feature in Excel to quickly replace the "Guest" prefix with a prefix of your own choosing (e.g. your_location001).
     
     
   • First Name - Optional field. Although optional, this can be useful information to include in case you wish to use it in combination with Wildcards for personalizing pages in tests. If you choose not to import this information, remove the column completely from the file.
     
     
   • Password - Required , case sensitive field. Guest panels are intended to be reused by different people at different times. For this reason, it is not possible to allow guest panelists to set their own passwords. You have to set the passwords for each guest login and provide the passwords to your guest panelists. 
     
     Some ideas for guest passwords:
   • Username. You can make the passwords identical to the Username. It is recommended to start the password with a lowercase letter because devices and browsers typically default to a lowercase keyboard in password fields.
     
     
   • A word that everyone is familiar with. This can be the company name or a portion of the company name, lab name, "sensory", etc.
     
     
     Do not change the spelling of the column headers.
     
     Please maintain the .csv file format to be able to import panelists (i.e. do not save the file in a different file format). 
2. In the Panelists library, select a panel in which you wish to import the guest panelists. If the desired panel does not exist, add a new panel first.
   
   
3. On the right, select Import/export > Import panelists .
   
   
   
   
   
4. In the Import panelists options screen, select import new panelists > Use passwords from my imported file > Next .
   
   
5. In the Import panelists screen, click Browse and locate your panelist import file that you prepared in the first step. Click Open .
   
   
6. Click Submit .
   

You will be provided with a message indicating whether your import was successful or not. 

Message	Description
	All the records in your file imported successfully. No action is required for successful imports.
	Your file imported partially. The portion of your original file that did not successfully import is saved to a new file. Download the revised file to review what has caused the import to be unsuccessful, and update the file to eliminate the issue.  Repeat the importing steps.
	Your entire file did not import. Download the revised file to review what has caused the import to be unsuccessful, and update the file to eliminate the issue.  Repeat the importing steps.

 

Once the import is complete, your panelists are ready to be added to tests .

To review the import and export history for a panel at any time, in the Panelists library, select the panel you are interested in, and on the right select Import/export > Import/export history.