Media Blocks Overview

Overview

Media Blocks let you present images or videos to participants directly within a study. Participants view the content and respond to follow up questions about it. You can upload files from your device or embed public videos from YouTube or Vimeo.

When tracking technologies such as Facial Coding and Eye Tracking are enabled, Decode also captures how participants responded to the media including where they looked, their emotional reactions and their level of engagement throughout.

WHEN TO USE

• You want to test ads, product videos, packaging visuals or brand imagery
• You are running message testing or creative evaluation
• You need both direct feedback and behavioural data such as attention and emotional response
• You want to ask targeted follow up questions based on what participants just viewed

BLOCK TYPES

Supported Media Types

1. Local File

Upload a video or image directly from your device. Supported formats are MP4, MOV, JPG and PNG. The maximum file size is 200 MB and one file can be uploaded per block. Once uploaded, the file is embedded directly into the survey.

2. YouTube and Vimeo

Paste a public YouTube or Vimeo link to embed the video into the survey block. The video is processed automatically and a preview appears once the link is validated. If the video is private or embedding is restricted, an error message will be shown.

KEY FEATURES

Category and subcategory classification

Each media block can be classified under a category and subcategory. This is used to benchmark the media's performance against other content in the same category, such as TV ads, product demos or UI walkthroughs. 

Tracking technologies

Two tracking technologies can be enabled per media block, depending on the insights you need. 

• Facial Coding: tracks facial expressions to capture emotional responses such as happiness, surprise, anger and more. Requires the participant's camera to be enabled
• Eye Tracking: monitors eye movement and gaze to understand which parts of the media received the most visual attention

Follow up questions

Follow up questions such as rating scales, multiple choice or open ended text can be added directly after a media block to capture participant reactions immediately after viewing. 

Built in validation

Decode checks file size, format and embed permissions before the study goes live to ensure the media loads correctly for all participants.

USE CASES

• Ad testing: compare multiple creatives for attention, clarity or appeal
• Product demo evaluation: understand whether a video helps participants grasp the value of a product
• UX and UI walkthroughs: show prototypes or app flows and collect targeted usability feedback
• Message refinement: test how different ways of presenting a message influence understanding or intent
• Packaging and brand visual testing: capture first impressions and emotional reactions to visual assets