Frequently Asked Questions

Add a Brands, some Users, and set up your first panel! Most quality control programs will run Description Tests first to build panelist vocabulary and set target descriptions for product release. Once you have a target description for a brand, you can move on to True to Target tests and start to flag samples.

Brands are anything you will be evaluating on a sensory panel. Go to the Brands page and hit the + button to add a new brand. Set the brand name, logo, and if applicable set a Flavor Map to allow for Description Tests.

A Flavor Map is a set of terms and attributes that can be used to describe a product. DraughtLab has built-in lexicons that you can use, or you can build your own in the enterprise tier of the software.

Anyone participating in a sensory panel must be invited to join your system, which can be done on the Users page of the web or mobile app.

When a user is added to the system on the Users page, a registration link is sent to their email with instructions on how to get logged in. An email address is required to register, and the software is free for participants.

Yes, multi-site operations will often have multiple licenses and a single user can belong to all of them. You can switch between licenses by clicking on your name in the menu bar and choosing amongst your organizations.

You will want to download the DraughtLab Pro app from the app store on your device. The app can be used on any iOS or Android device that has access to the App Store (phone or tablet).

The free DraughtLab: Describe Your Beer is not compatible with Pro.

No, you can access the system from a computer using the Web App.

Active panels can be seen by all users in your system and will be available during the configured start and end times.

This is intended to encourage a more consistent and larger tasting group, which will significantly add to the power of your data, save time for administrators, and allow you to segment the results to smaller groups afterward.

Description Tests will ask your panel to describe a given sample using attributes in the Flavor Map. Using the CATA sensory method, the results of this test can be used to identify attributes, generate a written description of the sample, or set the Target Description of the brand.

True to Targets ask if a sample is accurate to the description provided. As opposed to asking if a sample is “different,” the TTTs ask if a sample is within a specification, which is ideal for most Quality Control programs.

Hedonic Tests are intended to measure the overall liking of a sample. This test is made to mimic a consumer reaction to a product.

Brand Target Descriptions can be entered manually by going to the Brand page, or they can be generated by using the Description Builder.

In the Description Builder, the system will auto-select and order the most significant results, and give you the option to generate and save the written description.

NOTE: The system will not auto-select Aroma attributes. We recommend that an administrator review these attributes and make sure they best represent the sample. For example, if tasters choose Grapefruit, Orange, Lemon, and Lime… you may want to only include the parent category Citrus, as opposed to listing all of them individually.

As many as possible, but for the statistics to best function in the Quality Control tier, you will want no less than 6 participants.

Nothing should stop you from running a TTT after a single Describe Test. It can provide useful feedback on your Target Description as part of the refining process.

Product Release Charts (aka P-Charts or Control Charts) are a great way to visualize True to Target data and get a feel for the consistency of the product. For a more in-depth discussion, reference Batch-to-Batch Variation: Let P-Charts Do the Work

Removing a User or Brand from the system will hide the user or brand, but will not delete any of the data associated with it, and results will remain searchable.

Although this is a feature that we plan to add, the best chances for success are typically when panel is held at a consistent time and place.

You can switch between the Basic and Quality Control tiers by going to your Organization Page. If you are interested in trialing the Enterprise tier, contact us at info@draughtlab.com and we’ll get you set up!

Billing Administrators can access and download all invoices and receipts from the bottom of the Organization Page.