Dial testing with MX8 Labs

Dial testing is a powerful tool in market research, particularly when assessing emotional engagement and sentiment in response to video content. Here's a detailed guide on implementing dial testing with the MX8 Labs Research Platform.

Why Use Dial Testing?

Dial testing allows respondents to provide real-time feedback as they watch a video. This method is invaluable for capturing moment-by-moment reactions, helping researchers pinpoint specific parts of the video that resonate or fall flat.

What Dial Testing Can Reveal

Dial testing helps uncover:

• Emotional Peaks and Valleys: Identify moments of high engagement or emotional impact.
• Clarity Issues: Spot sections where confusion or disengagement occurs.
• Audience Preferences: Understand which elements (e.g., visuals, messaging, tone) resonate most.
• Comparative Feedback: Test multiple versions of a video to see which performs better.

How to Code Dial Testing in MX8 Labs

MX8 Labs makes it simple to integrate dial testing into your surveys. Here's how to set it up:

1. Play the Video: Use the play_video function to show your video to respondents.
2. Add a Dial: Set the dial parameter to position the dial on the screen. Options are:
   • "right": Places the dial to the right of the video.
   • "bottom": Positions the dial below the video.
   • "none": No dial is displayed.

Customize Labels and Captions:

1. Use dial_labels to define the scale (e.g., {0: "Dislike", 50: "Neutral", 100: "Like"}).
2. Add a custom dial_caption to instruct respondents (e.g., "Adjust the slider to indicate your feelings.").

Example Code

from survey import Survey

s = Survey(**globals())

for media in s.media:
    s.play_video(
        video=media,
        start_message="Hit play when you're ready to watch the video.",
        end_message="Thank you for watching the video!",
        dial="bottom",
        dial_labels={0: "Dislike", 50: "Neutral", 100: "Like"},
        dial_caption="Adjust the slider to reflect your feelings as you watch the video."
    )

s.complete()

How Dial Testing Appears in the Survey

Respondents will see the video player with a slider (dial) to the right or below the video. They can adjust the slider in real time to reflect their feelings as the video plays.

How the Reporting Looks

Once data is collected, the reporting dashboard will display:

• A timeline graph showing the average dial position over time.

• Key moments (timestamps) of peak engagement or disengagement.

• Breakdown of sentiment trends by demographics or segments.

You can also play or download the video with the results shown side by side.

Creating a Video Overlay Report

Dial results are reported through a dedicated report type. Click Create on the Reports tab, and in the Select Report Type step choose Video Overlay — "Overlay a variable on the timeline of a video." This report type requires a question tagged with file_name and offset_seconds; if the survey has none, the platform explains that a tagged question is needed to configure video overlay aggregation.

Once the report exists, the Video Overlay Configuration section in the Layout step of the report editor controls it:

• Video Overlay Question — the tagged question plotted over the video timeline.

• Additional Question — optionally add a second question to the overlay, or leave it as None.

• Show multiple videos on the same chart — plot all of the report's videos on a single chart.

• Generate overlay video — render a new video with the results drawn over the original. Turning on one of these two toggles disables the other, so a report either combines videos on one chart or generates overlay videos.

• Overlay description and Copyright notice — optional text stored with the generated video; the platform supplies defaults when they are left blank.

Overlay videos are generated in the background — the report keeps refreshing while generation is in progress, and each finished video can be played in the report or downloaded for sharing outside the platform.

Final Thoughts

Dial testing is a robust feature that enables real-time emotional feedback, giving you actionable insights into your video content. By leveraging MX8 Labs' straightforward setup, you can easily integrate this valuable tool into your surveys.