The effect of active choice screens on users' choice of default web browser

Last registered on August 10, 2023

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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title

The effect of active choice screens on users' choice of default web browser

RCT ID

AEARCTR-0011870

Initial registration date

August 01, 2023

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published

August 10, 2023, 12:54 PM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country

Germany

Region

Country

Spain

Region

Country

Poland

Region

Primary Investigator

Name

Jesper Akesson

Affiliation

The Behaviouralist

Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status

Completed

Start date

2023-07-28

End date

2023-08-08

Keywords

Behavior, Firms & Productivity

Additional Keywords

Competition policy, active choice, information provision, survey experiment

JEL code(s)

Secondary IDs

Prior work

This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.

Abstract

This experiment studies how different interventions influence users’ choice of default browser as they are setting up their Windows computer or Android smartphone for the first time. The experiment will take place within an online survey (coded in Qualtrics), and participants will be recruited via panel providers. Upon entering the survey, participants will be asked a series of screening questions (e.g., age, region) and will then be presented with a set of instructions and a comprehension question. The instructions will explain that the participants will need to set up a virtual Windows computer or Android smartphone (depending on the device that they are responding to the survey with) and that they should set up the device in a way that is reflective of what they would do in real-life. Participants will be randomly allocated to different groups as they are completing the device set-up process. More specifically, some participants will be shown an “active choice screen” which prompts participants to choose a default internet browser for their device, and some will not be shown any choice screen (i.e., those in the control group). Those who are randomly allocated to one of the treatment groups (i.e., the groups that are shown an active choice screen) will be allocated to conditions that are shown one of the following:

T1: An active choice screen with 12 browser options (with drop-downs with brief descriptions) – presented midway through the browser set-up process

T2: An active choice screen with 12 browser options, additional information about the browser options (brief descriptions, star ratings and number of reviews), and an additional information screen that explains what default browsers are – presented midway through the browser set-up process

T3: An active choice screen with 5 browser options, additional information about the browser options (brief descriptions, star ratings and number of reviews), and an additional information screen that explains what default browsers are – presented midway through the browser set-up process

T4: An active choice screen with 5 browser options, additional information about the browser options (brief descriptions, star ratings and number of reviews), and an additional information screen that explains what default browsers are – presented after the device has been set up, when participants open their browser for the first time

The main research question that this study seeks to answer is how the different active choice screens influence browser choice. The study will also explore how the active choice screens influence other factors, such as user satisfaction and the time it takes to complete the device set-up process.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation

Akesson, Jesper. 2023. "The effect of active choice screens on users' choice of default web browser." AEA RCT Registry. August 10. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.11870-1.0

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)

T1: An active choice screen with 12 browser options (with drop-downs with brief descriptions) – presented midway through the browser set-up process

T2: An active choice screen with 12 browser options, additional information about the browser options (brief descriptions, star ratings and number of reviews), and an additional information screen that explains what default browsers are – presented midway through the browser set-up process

T3: An active choice screen with 5 browser options, additional information about the browser options (brief descriptions, star ratings and number of reviews), and an additional information screen that explains what default browsers are – presented midway through the browser set-up process

T4: An active choice screen with 5 browser options, additional information about the browser options (brief descriptions, star ratings and number of reviews), and an additional information screen that explains what default browsers are – presented after the device has been set up, when participants open their browser for the first time

In addition, we will also randomise the order of the browsers presented to participants. Treatment groups 1 and 2 have 12 browsers, which are divided into two blocks: the top 5 browsers (in terms of popularity) and the top 7-12. The order of the browsers will be randomised within those blocks. Treatment groups 3 and 4 are shown 5 browsers: the top 4 browsers and a randomly selected browser from the remaining top 8. The fifth (randomly selected) browser is always presented at the bottom of the screen, while the order of the top 4 browsers is randomised.

The set of browsers that participants are shown varies slightly between the Android and Windows journeys. Moreover, the browsers shown also vary by country. In each case, when deciding which browsers to include, the top 12 browsers (in terms of downloads by July 2023) were chosen for that particular device and country.

Intervention Start Date

2023-07-28

Intervention End Date

2023-08-08

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)

The browsers that participants choose during device set-up

Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)

Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Participants will be randomised into one of the five experimental groups with equal probability, with no stratification or clustering. They are exposed to the treatment during the set-up of their virtual device, and the main outcome of interest is the browser they choose when setting up their device.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Qualtrics built-in randomiser

Randomization Unit

Individual participant

Was the treatment clustered?

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

No clusters

Sample size: planned number of observations

12,000 survey responses

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

2,400 per arm

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)

If we assume that: - The main outcome is the share of participants that choose an incumbent browser (or Google Chrome), and that 50% of participants choose such a browser in the comparison group (T1) - We have 2,4000 participants per condition - 5% error rate We have 79% power to detect an effect size of 4pp or more.

Supporting Documents and Materials

IRB