Samples & Design: Add and Modify Reps

Samples & Design: Add and Modify Reps

Overview

The reps provide the ability to present the samples more than once to the same panelists, allowing for the collection of rep data (Replication or Repetition). Reps can occur one after the other, or at set dates and times. For presenting different reps on different dates and times, use the Partial Present feature .

The term sample set will be used throughout the topic. A sample set combines the number of samples and an order from the design to determine what each panelist is evaluating across all reps.


Add Reps

  1. In your test, go to the Samples & design tab.

  2. If you have not added your sample sets and samples yet, add them now, and save the changes.

  3. Still in the Samples & design tab, click Edit design.


  4. Toggle the Advanced option to Yes .


  5. Choose a design that meets your testing needs, select the number of reps and click Save and edit reps .
    The Shuffle sample sets option should be used with caution. If any of the shuffling options other than No are used, they will change the order of sample sets seen in the base design.

  6. If the order you see in the Define reps screen does not meet your needs, use one of the options in the Assign order menu. By default, Order shuffle is applied. Clicking on each of the other options will reveal to you what they did to the reps.


    If none of the options meet your needs, you can always export the current order, modify it in Excel, and import back in by using the corresponding options from the menu.

    Alternatively, you can manually type the sample set numbers into the boxes, making sure that you use the numbers within the total number of sample sets in your base design. For example, if the design you selected has 16 orders in it, when manually updating your reps, the software will not let you save changes if you enter a sample set larger than 16 in any of the boxes.


    Manual update is efficient only if dealing with a few sample sets and reps. For larger number of sample sets and reps we recommend using built in options or file import.

  7. Click the Position counts tab to review how balanced the sample distribution is positionally, across reps or within individual reps.


  8. Click Save reps to save the changes and return to the Samples & design tab.

  9. Go to the Logistics tab to generate and review the Serve report to see if the randomization meets your needs in each rep.
    You can split the tables by rep at this stage if you wish, but if you choose to use the Partial Present feature later on, it will be more beneficial to split by Partial Present.


  10. If the sample order meets your serving needs for each rep, and if you are planning to present reps on different dates and times, you can set up Partial Present blocks .
    Once done with with this step, you can add panelists , preview and run your test .

    If, however, the sample order is not quite what you wanted, go to the next portion of this workflow to edit reps.


Edit Reps

Once you are happy with your design, if you want to change how sample sets are distributed in reps, you can update that. For example, if you want all or a subset of panelists to receive the same order in the rep 1, but rep two should be different order than in the rep 1, yet all or a subset of panelists should receive the same order in that rep, follow the steps below. Please note that this example is not the only scenario where modifying reps can be used.
  1. Still in the Samples & design tab, on the right side of the screen, click Edit reps . You will see columns, which represent reps, and you will see numbers, which represent sample sets (the numbers are not samples).


  2. If the order you see in the  Define reps screen does not meet your needs, use one of the options in the Assign order menu. By default, Order shuffle is applied. Clicking on each of the other options will reveal to you what they did to the reps.



    If none of the options meet your needs, you can always export the current order, modify it in Excel, and import back in by using the corresponding options from the menu.

    Alternatively, you can manually type the sample set numbers into the boxes, making sure that you use the numbers within the total number of sample sets in your base design. For example, if the design you selected has 16 orders in it, when manually updating your reps the software will not let you save changes if you enter a sample set larger than 16 in any of the boxes.


    Manual update is efficient only if dealing with a few sample sets and reps. For larger number of sample sets and reps we recommend using built in options or file import.

  3. Click Save reps to save the changes and return to the Samples & design tab.

  4. Go to the Logistics tab to generate and review the Serve report to see if the randomization meets your needs in each rep.
    You can split the tables by rep at this stage if you wish, but if you choose to use the Partial Present feature later on, it will be more beneficial to split by Partial Present.


  5. If the sample order meets your serving needs for each rep, and if you are planning to present reps on different dates and times, you can set up Partial Present blocks .
    Once done with with this step, you can add panelists , preview and run your test .

    6. If, however, the sample order is still not quite what you wanted, repeat the steps to edit reps. For further assistance with this or any other topic, please contact our Support Team .