Optimal Reviews & Product Details

The depth of customization features per study. From Card Sorting to Tree testing, I can custom almost everything possible. I love the ability to create pre/post questions per study, also how can I cover qualifier questions to improve the sampling of my research, eliminating people that should not be answering our studies. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

As more as we can customize a lot, we cannot update overall layout of the study pages. This is the one of the things I would say they need to focus on new releases so we can have pages more aligned with customer's branding guidelines. Also, the ability to have a REST API layer, so I can automate my study creation manually via CLI, or even connecting an AI agent to help me setup it properly, since the performance on using the UI sometimes is cumbersome, and take too much time to create. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What I love most about Optimal is that even if I haven’t used it for a while, when I come back to it I don’t need time to relearn anything. It’s all so clear and intuitive that I can just pick up where I left off. And I honestly love how it basically does the heavy lifting on the analysis side, it takes a huge weight off my shoulders. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Honestly, when I think about it, there’s nothing I dislike about Optimal or anything that makes me say “I wish this worked differently.” I genuinely mean it, so far, it’s given me everything I’ve needed. Maybe the only thing I can think of is that if we had the option to run unmoderated usability tests there as well, I’d probably do that through Optimal too, and then I’d be able to cover all my research needs in one single tool. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like that setting up the tasks and paths in Optimal is really straightforward and easy to use without any training. I also like that it allows us to get a link to share with audiences or use with other user testing platforms. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I found adding the navigation/sitemap really frustrating. It took a few tries to copy/paste my first nav into the system. When I tried to further modify it to add the utility bar I forgot, it got all messed up (lost some of the dropdowns) and then it wouldn't let me delete one element of it or add things back the way I wanted them. I had to delete and start over, which caused all the task pathways to be deleted. I basically had to restart the setup to get it working correctly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The most positive aspect of Optimal is that a Card Sorting or Tree Test can be quickly configured. Whereas in the past, I would do this on paper or very untidy excel sheets, it is now very easy. I only need to forward a link to my team or users and they complete the job within minutes.

The analysis section is also quite good. I do not need to spend hours planning charts; the software provides me with Dendrograms and Matrix views automatically which present themselves as very professional by the time I present them to my manager. It will make me appear to be an expert even when I have simply pressed some few buttons. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The largest issue to me is the Price. It is very costly, particularly when you are a small team, or a startup in India. I would like them to have a cheaper Pay as you go scheme on one of the projects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I have been researching with Optimal ever since last year. The most ideal is the Tree Testing and Card Sorting features. We have been using Optimal to understand whether people can find locate the menu items without any problems before we launch any new page in our site. the recruiting of the participant is quite quick. We require users in other countries such as USA and UK, and we acquire them very fast out of their panel of 100 million users around the world. The AI option is also worthwhile since it can create short highlight video out of lengthy interviews, so that I would not have to open the 1-hour video all the time. It makes my day a lot easier. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Very small projects are sometimes a bit priced too high. In addition, on occasions when I am developing very complicated surveys, the interface is somewhat heavy and slow. Another thing is the AI summary - it is also useful, but sometimes contains small points that have been left out during the conversation, so I still have to go through each time by hand to be sure with 100 percent. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I have used Optimal a bit for simple user testing and it works fine for basic needs. It is fairly easy to get started and the interface is mostly clean. I like that it is pretty straightforward to use as a tester. I can focus on the task and giving feedback instead of figuring out how the platform works. It feels simple and does not get in the way much. I also like that the tasks are usually clear, so I don't feel confused about what I am supposed to do. It makes it easier to focus on giving proper feedback instead of second-guessing the instructions. I do like that the tasks on Optimal feel a bit more straightforward and less overwhelming sometimes, so it's easier to just focus on the tasks and give feedback. The initial setup was very simple, as I just signed up with Google, verified my email, and filled all the profile details. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sometimes the navigation is not very clear, so I have to spend a bit of time figuring out where certain things are. Also, a bit more guidance for first-time users would help, especially at the start of the task. For example, in one of the tasks, I was not immediately sure where to go next after finishing a step, and I had to click around a bit to find the next action. A simple prompt indicator would help in that situation. Also for first-time users, a short walkthrough at the beginning of a task explaining how the flow works would make things smoother. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I find Optimal really easy to set up, taking me maybe an hour and a half to get everything ready. The insights it provides are great, especially the feedback on information architecture and card sorting. My students learn quickly how to use its insights, and the feedback from them and my clients is excellent. Optimal gives really quick feedback and insights, which helps in making key decisions almost instantly. It's a game changer for me, as analyzing information manually would take days, but Optimal provides it instantly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I find the interface for user tests setup not as convenient as other tools I've seen. There was technical feedback from users about having to install an application for mobile tests, which was complex for some participants. During prototype tests with Figma, some participants and clients didn't open their microphones, although they did write down their answers. That being said, I often encounter technical issues with participants even in moderated tests, especially when remote. It would be tough for Optimal to do better but great if they do. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The pie tree and first-click features in the analysis are very helpful and insightful for seeing which paths members took to reach their destination. Overall, I’m very pleased with the analysis, including the AI insights for the open-ended questions.

Our team was also very pleased by the managed recruitment and the depth of demographics we were able to target. Our members are specific to the NYC metropolitan area and they were able to fine tune the participants to get us those voices specifically. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The change this year to limiting the number of studies—especially counting pilot sessions as part of the official study total—was really frustrating. It would be much better if we could run pilot sessions that don’t count as an official study, so we can get feedback from the team before launching, instead of having to rely solely on draft mode. We were fine with having fewer seats in exchange for more study opportunities. Obviously, the new model is better for Optimal to make money, but it’s less useful for analysis.

The managed recruitment was great, but the process to pay for the participants was misleading. We asked what needed to happen and never was payment brought up. We thought it would just be billed through to our contract, but requiring to have payment prior to recruitment slowed down our process by 3 weeks. That length of delay was not Optimal's process fault, but not knowing they required payment up front was their fault. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like that Optimal has a really great and pretty complete set of tools, so I can do nearly all of my user testing and research activities in the same platform. Optimal also gives me a really great amount of insight into the experiences of participants, making it quite easy to crunch the data and see all of the various thoughts users are contributing. Plus, the initial setup was super easy to get going. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

A few software bugs in some of Optimal's modules make it difficult or impossible to use certain browsers or devices for observing participants. Extending the live site testing capability into mobile would be a great improvement. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I love how easy Optimal is to set up tests and for customers to use it. The mini tutorials really help, as they assist me in fully understanding the methods or explaining them to others. The ease of setup means that I can quickly spin up a test and get it launched to help meet project deadlines. The initial setup of Optimal was very easy, making the process smooth from the start. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The live site testing was a struggle for me to use and I ended up not being able to use it at all. There is a link below the thumbnails that users want to click on instead of starting the task. Also, the first task is repeated, and for the subsequent questions, it's not intuitive for a participant to see both the live site and Likert questions simultaneously. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.