Strella docs
GuidesDeveloper
Strella docs
GuidesDeveloper
Welcome to StrellaChangelog
Run your first studyHow AI helps you in StrellaGlossary
The Build screenStart with the study setup chatSet up your study detailsWrite research objectivesBuild your screenerBuild your question guideBest practicesAdd survey questions to your interviewAdd a stimulus to your interviewHost a prototype and add it to your interviewAdd a card sortAdd a tree testRandomize sections (A/B variants)Conditional sectionsVersion historyUse the build assistantPreview your interviewUpload an existing discussion guideImport from another study
How the AI moderator worksVoice, language & behaviorRecording modesCustom dictionary & pronunciationCustomize the participant experienceWhat the AI moderator can't do
How recruitment worksSchedule moderated interviewsHire from a participant panelBring your own participantsManage share links & redirectsPass data with URL parametersControl access & schedulingSet quotasApprove, reject & invitePay participants you recruitedReport a participantWatch the funnel
Publish your studyEdit a study after launch
Get oriented in ResultsBring in interviews you ran elsewhereReview a single interviewBrowse analysisCode responsesSee how participants complete on-screen tasksSee how participants sorted your cardsSee how participants use your Figma prototypeUse Strella's AI chatAI chat best practices
Build & share a reportCreate & share a highlight reel
Teammates, organizations & workspacesDelete projectsProject defaultsBilling & creditsConnect FigmaAPI, MCP & AI assistantsParticipant data accessMedia links and who can open themActivity logs
Step typesScreener question typesRecording settingsParticipant statuses & funnel stagesSupported languagesVoice optionsBrowser & device requirements
MCP serverConnect an AI clientTools & skills referenceUse cases & example promptsWhat's newSecurity & privacyFAQ & troubleshooting
Recruit participantsControl access & scheduling
Recruit participants

Control access & scheduling

Open and close your study. Cap participant counts, schedule a close date, and disqualify off-target answers automatically.

The Access & scheduling settings tab controls who can join your study and when it closes. Most teams set these once early in a study and forget about them.

Settings → Access & scheduling: toggles to close the project, schedule a close date, set a participant limit, add a custom closed message, and auto-disqualify by quota.

Auto-invite, the screener requirement, and email/name collection are set per share link, not study-wide. See Manage share links. For panel recruitment, auto-invite is set on each panel order.

Steps

  1. Open Settings → Access & scheduling

    Click the gear icon in any study page.

  2. Decide when to close to new participants

    Three independent toggles end recruitment automatically:

    • Close project to new participants: flip this immediately to block all new arrivals. The study stays open for existing in-flight participants.
    • Schedule a close date: pick a date and time; the study closes automatically at that point.
    • Set a participant limit: the study closes automatically once N participants have completed.

    Use any combination. First condition that's met closes the study.

  3. Set quota auto-disqualify rules (if you have quotas)

    Two toggles work alongside your quotas:

    • Auto-disqualify when quota filled: when a quota fills, any further participants matching it are auto-disqualified instead of sitting in Qualified waiting for review.
    • Auto-disqualify when no quota matches: participants whose answers don't fit any active quota are auto-disqualified. (No effect when you have no quotas.)

    Use these to keep the Participants tab clean when you have tight segment caps.

  4. Set the custom closed message (optional)

    When the study is closed (manually or via schedule/limit), participants who click your share link see a default "study closed" page.

    Turn on Custom closed message to write your own, usually a thank-you plus a link to your next study, your site, or a wait-list signup.

Whatever combination you've configured runs in the background. You can re-open the study anytime by flipping Close project back off, provided your scheduled close date hasn't passed and you're under the participant limit.

You can also close or reopen a study straight from its project-list row on the dashboard: click its status and pick Close project or Reopen project. Reopen there is disabled (with the reason) when a scheduled close date or participant limit is what's keeping the study closed.

Tips

  • A participant limit is safer than a panel order limit. An order limit caps how many candidates the panel sources. A participant limit caps how many complete the interview, which is what most teams care about. When your study reaches its participant limit or closes, Strella pauses its panel orders, so the panel stops sending people. Raise the limit or reopen the study within 5 business days and the orders resume. Otherwise, Strella closes each order and refunds the spots you didn't use. While the study is full or closed, you can't add participants to a panel order.
  • Strella releases panel participants who arrive too late. If someone from a panel order opens the study after it filled or closed, Strella releases them back to the panel. They move to the Disqualified tab with a note that the study was full or closed when they arrived.

Related

Set quotas

The quotas that drive the auto-disqualify rules.

Approve, reject & invite

What happens when auto-invite is off.

Customize the participant experience

The closed-message branding lives here.

Pass data with URL parameters

Add parameters to any share link to tag participants with custom fields, pre-fill their details, set their language, and send your own IDs back to your tools.

Set quotas

Quotas cap how many participants of a given segment can complete the study. Set them per screener answer.

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StepsTipsRelated