Campaign setup friction study: study protocol

Define the decision

This page is a proposed research protocol, not a completed study or a report of findings. The decision is: Where do first-time operators lose the information needed to prepare a safe campaign? The observation unit is one participant completing a scripted preparation task. Define the population and owner before collecting records; do not substitute an available convenience dataset without documenting the change.

Work through the procedure

1. Prepare fictional leads, an owned test mailbox and a task ending at review rather than activation. Record experience level.
2. Observe without coaching initially. Log hesitation, errors, help requests and whether the participant notices suppression and stop rules.
3. Before collection, write the primary outcome, observation window, exclusion rules and stopping conditions. Preserve excluded observations with a reason rather than quietly removing them.
4. Pilot the procedure with fictional or owned test data, resolve ambiguous fields, and freeze a dated protocol version before the main run.

Worked example

The following is a synthetic example for this procedure, not a customer result or performance benchmark.

task: prepare a two-step draft; obstacle: participant cannot tell whether the second step stops after a reply
Suggested record fields: observation_id, condition, evidence_reference, outcome, exclusion_reason, reviewer, protocol_version
Status: illustrative record only; no study has been run for this page.

Read the result

Use observed behaviors to prioritize fixes. Completion time alone cannot distinguish careful review from confusion. Keep the numerator, denominator and missing evidence visible. If the available observations cannot answer the registered question, report that limitation rather than selecting a more favorable metric after collection.

Collect the evidence

Observation unit: participant-task.

Consenting first-time operators, fictional leads and a task that ends before activation.

Use the same task; record any coaching or interruptions rather than hiding them.

Analysis: Task completion, errors and help requests; elapsed time needs interpretation.

Download the JSON collection template under Source references. Set an owner, eligibility rules, outcome definition, observation window and sample justification before collecting records. Templates contain no participant data or results; keep original private records outside the public website.

Check before moving on

1. Name the person responsible for collection and review.
2. Check that the evidence can be inspected without exposing private messages or credentials.
3. Record deviations from the protocol and analyze their possible effect.
4. Retain a dated, redacted evidence worksheet with the final interpretation.

Limits and next action

Do not make participants send to real prospects. Participation and recording require informed agreement. Publish results only after the evidence, method and limitations have been reviewed. This protocol provides no benchmark, expected lift or completed-study claim.

Source: Method or workflow reference