Desktop vs. Mobile App Interviews in Strella: Setup Guide

Compare desktop and mobile interview formats, then follow step-by-step setup instructions to configure your Strella project for the right device type.

Strella supports both desktop and mobile interviews, giving you the flexibility to meet participants wherever they are. The format you choose shapes everything from how participants join the session to what tasks you can run and how long the interview should be. Read through the format comparison below, then follow the setup steps for the format that fits your study.

Choose the Right Format

Desktop

Best for:

• Website or prototype testing
• Concept feedback or ad testing with multiple visuals
• Longer interviews (15–30 minutes)
• Professional audiences or participants using a laptop for work

Mobile

Best for:

• Usability testing on mobile apps or mobile websites
• In-the-moment feedback (e.g., shopping, travel, product use)
• On-the-go research where participants record reactions in real settings
• Short, conversational interviews (5–15 minutes)

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Set Up Your Interview Format

💻 Desktop

Desktop interviews run in a participant’s browser, making them easy to join and ideal for screen-sharing tasks. Follow the steps below to configure your project for desktop participants.

1. Open your project settings

   Inside your project, click the ⚙ gear icon in the top-right corner to open the Settings panel.

2. Navigate to Interview Setup

   In the left-hand settings menu, select Interview Setup.

3. Set Permitted Devices to Desktop only

   Scroll down to the Permitted devices dropdown and select Desktop only. This prevents mobile participants from joining a study that requires a larger screen or keyboard input.

4. Enable screen recording (optional)

   If your study involves website walkthroughs, prototype testing, or any task where you need to observe what participants see on their screen, toggle on Screen recording. Participants will be prompted to share their screen when they join.

5. Test your study materials

   Open any PDFs, prototype links, or videos you plan to use and verify they render correctly on a desktop screen. Broken or misformatted assets will disrupt the participant experience.

6. Publish and share the desktop link

   When your guide is ready, publish your study. Participants access the interview through the Strella desktop link — share it via your recruitment channel, screener, or email invitation.

Desktop best practices

Keep the session length appropriate

Desktop participants are typically in a focused, seated context. Sessions up to 30 minutes work well — beyond that, plan for a short break or trim your guide.

Use screen recording for task-based research

Whenever participants navigate a live site, prototype, or app, enable screen recording so you can observe exactly where they click, hesitate, or get confused.

Leverage webcam recording for emotional cues

Enable Webcam recording under Interview Setup to capture facial expressions and reactions alongside audio — especially valuable for concept testing and ad feedback.

Test all media at actual screen size

Images, PDFs, and videos that look fine in a thumbnail can appear differently at full browser width. Always preview assets as a participant would see them before going live.

📱 Mobile

Mobile interviews run through the Strella iOS app, letting participants join from their phone in any real-world setting. This format is currently available in the United States only. Follow the steps below to configure your project for mobile participants.

1. Open your project settings

   Inside your project, click the ⚙ gear icon in the top-right corner to open the Settings panel.

2. Navigate to Interview Setup

   In the left-hand settings menu, select Interview Setup.

3. Set Permitted Devices to Mobile app

   Scroll down to the Permitted devices dropdown and select Mobile app. This routes participants to the Strella iOS app when they join, rather than a desktop browser.

4. Keep your guide mobile-friendly

   Mobile participants are often on the go. Aim for 5–15 minutes and favor open, behavior-based prompts over long multi-part questions. Screen recording is not available for mobile studies — focus on verbal walkthroughs and participant narration instead.

5. Add a screener question about app download

   Before recruiting, add a screener question that confirms participants are willing and able to download the Strella iOS app — for example: “Are you able and willing to download a free app on your iPhone to complete this interview?” This filters out participants who can’t access the mobile format.

6. Publish and share the mobile join link

   When your guide is ready, publish your study. Share the join link through your recruitment channel — participants will be directed to open or download the Strella iOS app to begin.

The Strella mobile app is currently available in the United States only. Do not recruit international participants for mobile studies until broader availability is announced.

Mobile best practices

Write prompts that fit mobile behavior

Frame tasks around natural, in-context actions participants can actually do on their phone:

• “Show us how you normally use this app.”
• “Walk us through what you’d do if you wanted to [complete a specific task].”
• “Record your experience while trying [product] for the first time.”

Keep sessions under 15 minutes

Attention spans are shorter on mobile. A tightly scoped guide with 3–5 focused questions will outperform a sprawling one that overstays its welcome.

Be explicit in your screener about setup requirements

Tell participants upfront that they’ll need an iPhone and will be asked to download a free app. Surprises at the start of a session lead to drop-offs.

Use mobile for in-the-moment research

Mobile is uniquely powerful for capturing behavior as it happens — shopping decisions, app onboarding, daily routines. Design your guide to lean into that real-world context rather than replicating a desktop-style interview.

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Quick Format Comparison

	Desktop	Mobile
Participant access	Browser link	Strella iOS app
Geographic availability	Global	United States only
Ideal session length	15–30 minutes	5–15 minutes
Screen recording	✅ Supported	❌ Not supported
Webcam recording	✅ Supported	✅ Supported
Best use cases	Prototypes, websites, ad testing	Mobile apps, in-context behavior

You can only select one permitted device type per project. If you want to run both desktop and mobile research on the same topic, create separate projects for each format so you can analyze results independently.