Sequential vs Monadic design

Use these designs when participants need to evaluate multiple concepts, designs, ads, products, or other stimuli.

Monadic Design

In a monadic design, each participant evaluates one concept only.

Example

You want to test three advertising concepts:

• Concept A
• Concept B
• Concept C

You can create three groups:

• Group A → Concept A
• Group B → Concept B
• Group C → Concept C

Each participant is assigned to one group and sees only that concept.

When should I use monadic?

Use monadic when:

• You want an independent evaluation of each concept.
• You don't want participants comparing concepts directly.
• Seeing one concept could influence their response to another.
• You want to understand how each concept performs on its own.

Setting up a monadic design in Decode

Use Group & Randomization to distribute participants across the relevant groups.

You can also use Screener responses and Study Logic when participants need to be routed to a specific group based on their responses.

For example:

Current customers → Group A
Competitor customers → Group B

Sequential Design

In a sequential design, each participant evaluates multiple concepts one after another.

Example

You have three concepts:

Participant 1: A → C → B
Participant 2: B → A → C
Participant 3: C → B → A

Each participant sees all three concepts, but the order is randomized.

When should I use sequential?

Use sequential when:

• You want each participant to evaluate multiple concepts.
• You want to make more efficient use of your sample.
• You want to compare multiple concepts within the same participant.

Setting up a sequential design in Decode

Use Group & Randomization to control and randomize the order in which concepts are presented.

If the participant's experience should depend on their screener responses, use Screener + Study Logic to route them to the appropriate experience.

Keep order effects in mind

The order in which concepts are shown can influence participant responses.

To reduce this:

• Randomize the order of concepts.
• Keep exposure consistent.
• Avoid showing too many concepts in one session.
• Consider participant fatigue.

Monadic vs. Sequential

Rule of thumb

Want each participant to evaluate one concept independently? → Monadic
Want each participant to evaluate multiple concepts? → Sequential