Show an image for a few seconds, then ask what participants remember

A pack on a shelf gets a second or two of attention. In most interviews the participant can look at the stimulus for as long as the conversation runs, so the answers describe a design they had time to study. With timed image exposure, you decide how many seconds the image stays on screen. Participants get one look, the image disappears, and the AI research assistant asks what they remember.

A silent walkthrough, from the toggle to the first answers.

How it works

• Turn it on for an image stimulus. On a single image or randomized images, switch on "Show image briefly, then hide it".

• Set the time. Choose how many seconds the image stays visible.

• The participant opens it once. They see a short note that they get one look, click Show image, and a 3-2-1 countdown starts.

• The image disappears. A small timer counts down on the image. When it hits zero, the image is gone and can't be shown again.

• Then the question. The AI research assistant stays quiet while the image is up, then asks your question and probes on the answer.

Hear what stuck after one look

Because nobody can scroll back to the image, the answer comes from memory: the color, the claim, the character or the logo that made it through a few seconds of attention. In a video conversation you also see the hesitation, the guess and the certainty, which a checkbox can't capture.

Research teams asked for it in five situations

These come from teams we work with in food and drink, personal care, household goods and advertising, and from research agencies. We kept them anonymous.

• The pack or point-of-sale glance. Show the visual for a few seconds and ask what people remember, to see what grabs attention.

• The flash test. Check cut-through and stand-out first, then show the design again later in the interview for a closer read.

• Brand recognition in ads. Find out whether people can name the brand after a short look, and whether the brand gets the credit.

• Distinctive brand assets. Isolate a mascot, color or shape and see whether people still link it to the brand.

• One visual moment, then questions. Expose people once to a brand world or concept board and build the questions around that moment.

What this means for your research

You can run glance, stand-out and recall questions inside the same video conversation as the rest of your study, with the same follow-up probing. Ask the open recall question first and keep prompts for later, so the answer reflects what people actually took in.

Timed exposure works with single-image and randomized-image stimuli. It isn't available on screener questions.

Timed image exposure in under three minutes

A narrated walkthrough of the setup, the participant view and the five situations.

Watch the builder set it up

Read the stimuli guide to add your first timed image.