📖 Getting Started With Labfront Guide for Researchers
- Part 1: Learn About Labfront
- Part 2: Build Your First Labfront Project
- Part 3: Onboard Participants and Track Adherence
- Part 4: View and Analyze Your Data
1. Account activation
To begin, create your free researcher account at app.labfront.com.
Check your inbox for a verification email and enter the activation code.
Learn more about creating a Labfront account→
2. Create your project
Once signed in, you’ll enter your Workspace. This is your central hub for managing collaborators and multiple research projects.
From your Workspace, click the + Create New Project button.
This will take you directly into the App Builder, where you’ll design the experience your participants see on their smartphones.
3. Build your research app
The App Builder allows you to customize the Labfront Companion App. As you design your protocol, a live preview on the right side of the screen shows exactly what your participants will see.
3.1 Enter project details
Provide a brief overview of your study. This helps participants understand the purpose of the research and what is expected of them.
3.2 Select your research devices
Choose the hardware that will power your physiological data collection. Click + Add Device(s) to see our supported integrations:
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Garmin: Choose between collecting data from either or both Garmin Connect (standard data) and Labfront Companion (high-resolution, granular data). We recommend reading our article on choosing your Garmin data source to find the best fit for your study.
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Movesense: Best for high-frequency ECG or IMU data. This requires a specific Movesense Task to trigger recording.
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Dexcom: Integration for continuous glucose monitoring. (Requires prior approval—learn more here).
3.3 Set up participant tasks + schedules (for EMA)
Scheduled tasks
Use scheduled tasks for activities that need to occur at specific times. Our scheduling engine is highly flexible, making it ideal for ecological momentary assessment (EMA):
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Fixed: Tasks appear at specific, consistent times, ensuring a predictable routine.
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Semi-Randomized: Tasks appear around specific intervals.
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Fully Randomized: Tasks appear at completely random times, but you can set a minimum interval between occurrences.
Learn more about creating scheduled tasks→
Event tracking
Perfect for capturing unscheduled or spontaneous occurrences. These tasks remain pinned to the bottom of the participant's app, allowing them to log events (like caffeine intake or a stress episode) as they happen.
Task types
For both event tracking and scheduled tasks, you can select from Questionnaire, To-Do, and Timer Tasks:
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To-Do Tasks: To-do tasks are simple instructions or activities for participants, such as "Take your medication" or "Complete 10 minutes of meditation."
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Questionnaires: A questionnaire task is useful when you need surveys for mood, sleep, symptoms, and more. Labfront questionnaires also support skip and display logic.
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Timer Tasks: A timer task lets you track the exact duration of an activity, such as a timed walk or breathing exercise, using the app’s built-in timer.
3.4 Add instructions and contact information
Provide clear study instructions and contact information so participants can reach your team if they encounter issues.
4. Publish your app
When you're satisfied with your setup, click Finish Setup. Your project is now "Live" and ready for participants to be invited.
💡 Pro Tip : Add Collaborators
Need a second pair of eyes? You can add Collaborators to your workspace to help manage the project or monitor incoming data. Learn more→