Especially in the wake of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused universities across the globe to suspend in-person classes, online alternatives for laboratory activities are needed. Here, we report a choose-your-own-adventure (CYOA)-style activity, in which undergraduate general chemistry students influence the observed outcome of a prerecorded electrochemistry lab experiment. During the activity, students decide how to build an electrochemical cell by varying experimental parameters including electrode charge, power source voltage, and salt addition. We show evidence that students’ understanding of electrochemistry concepts improved after completing the CYOA-style activity. We propose that CYOA-style activities strike a good balance between the demand for instructor time and student opportunity to develop laboratory decision-making skills. We suggest the use of CYOA-style activities as a better alternative to simply having students watch prerecorded videos of laboratory experiments when a traditional in-laboratory activity is impossible.