You can create studies in Ballpark two ways: let our AI Coach help you build one, or start from scratch. Both get you to the same place—a study ready to share with participants.
Option 1: Create with AI Coach
The fastest way to get started. Coach will help you clarify your goals and generate a complete study draft.
1: Start a new study
From your dashboard, click Create study and select Using AI.
2: Describe your research
Tell Coach what type of study you're creating: a survey, live interview, prototype test, or something else. Paste any questions you already have, or ask Coach for suggestions.
3: Refine with Coach
Coach will ask questions to clarify your goals, then create a preview of your study. Ask for any changes you need.
4: Create your study
When you're happy with the draft, click Create study. You can always make more changes afterward.
Option 2: Create from scratch
Full control over every detail from the start.
1: Start a new study
From your dashboard, click Create study and select Start from scratch
2: Set your study goal
Enter what you're trying to learn. This helps our analysis features work better for you.
3: Add steps
Click Add step to choose from questions and tasks. Click on the title or description to edit. Depending on what you add, you'll see extra options like uploading images or connecting prototypes.
4: Preview your study
Click Preview to see exactly what participants will experience.
Adding video guides
Video guides let you add pre-recorded instructions to any step, giving participants context and improving response quality.
Go to any step in your project
Click the Add video guide button
Allow camera and microphone access when prompted
Click Start recording, record your instructions, then Stop recording
Review by clicking Play, then click Add to step
Recording participants
Ballpark can record participants' webcams and screens as they complete your study, with no plugins or installs needed. Everything works directly in the browser.
To enable recording, click on any step, select Participant Media, and choose what you want to capture.
Share your study
When you're ready:
Click Share to generate your participant link
Choose how to recruit:
Your own participants — Send the link to your users, customers, or mailing list (free)
Ballpark panel — Purchase credits to recruit from our participant pool
Third-party panels — Use Rally or User Interviews integration
Start small: For your first study, aim for 5-10 steps and 10-20 responses. You can always run follow-up studies once you see what works.