Randomization

To capture genuine, in-the-moment experiences and reduce bias, some studies randomize parts of your surveys. As a participant you don't set any of this up — it's chosen by your research team — but it helps to know why things may look a little different each time.

What can be randomized

• Notification timing. Instead of a fixed time, a survey's prompt can arrive at a random moment inside its open window, and vary from day to day. This is what makes experience sampling feel spontaneous rather than scheduled; see Schedule personalization.
• Question order. The questions in a survey may appear in a different order each time, so earlier answers don't shape later ones.
• Answer choices. The options under a question may be shuffled, so no choice is always first.

What stays the same

• You still answer the same set of questions — randomization changes the order or timing, not the content.
• Your responses are recorded and scored the same way regardless of the order they were shown in, so randomization never affects your compensation or progress.