Test Pilot

Help us make Firefox better by joining our structured user studies! No need to download this add-on if you are running Firefox 4 beta, - you are already a part of the team!

Test Pilot is privacy sensitive user research program run by Mozilla Labs. As a Test Pilot, you'll be joining a global community helping us to improve Mozilla products, both existing ones like Firefox and those that are still in development.

Our goal is to provide the wider community with access to data that is traditionally unavailable outside of large companies, and to grow knowledge on how people use the Web in the interest of empowering developers to build better products and services, and all in a way that protects the privacy and security of participants.

What do I need to do after I become a Test Pilot?

Once or twice a month you will receive a new test case - either a study, a survey, or both - through Test Pilot. Each one of these test cases explores one interesting topic or tests one new prototype idea for Firefox or another Mozilla product.

Studies automatically log data while you use Firefox. At the end of the study, you will be prompted to submit your log data and/or survey answers. Before you submit anything, you will always have the chance to view exactly what data has been collected.

You can choose not to submit the data if you are not comfortable. Also, you can quit a study anytime before you submit the data. You will also be able to see the list of studies and surveys you have participated in, as well as results and all anonymous data in a aggregated form for the study when it is complete.

If the test requires you to install a new feature or product, or would make any changes to your user interface, the platform will ask for your permission first.

What's the time commitment?

These studies will need almost no extra time from you. Mostly you'll just keep using Firefox as you normally do, while Test Pilot logs data. You may want to spend a couple of minutes to review your data before submission. But you can also skip this step. It's up to you.

In the case of a survey, answering all questions should never take more than 15 minutes and will usually take much less time than that.