User research allows designers to understand users’ needs, goals, and frustrations, which helps them design products that users will love. However, user research is only as good as the participants you recruit. How you approach recruiting participants for your study is extremely important, as it will affect the entire research study and, as a result, your development process as a whole.
If you want to get accurate and valuable insights from your user research, it’s important to recruit participants who represent your target audience. You need to consider their interests, skills, and demographics.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the steps of recruiting participants for your user research study so you can get the most out of your research.
Recruiting participants for a User Research Study
Before you start recruiting participants, it’s essential to plan your research study.
Set your research goals. Establish your research questions. Define your target audience. In short, develop your research plan.
Once you have a good understanding of what you want to achieve with your research, you can start to look for participants who can help you get there.
In another article, we’ll provide a detailed guide on how to plan your user research study. For now, here are a few key things to keep in mind:
Set your research goals: What do you want to learn from your user research? What questions do you need to answer?
Define your target audience: Who are you trying to reach with your user research? What are their demographics, needs, and interests?
Develop a research plan: What methods will you use to collect data from your participants? How will you analyze the data?
Only once you have a plan in place, you can start recruiting participants for your user research study.
1. Review your research goals
Research goals shape the entire study.
They help researchers to realize what methods they should use, how to use them, and who should be participants in their study.
Before you conduct your user research study, it’s essential to review your research goals. What do you want to learn from your research? What questions do you need to answer?
Once you have a clear understanding of your research goals, you can start to think about who can help you answer your questions.
Example
Let’s say you’re designing a new mobile app for food delivery. Your research goal is to understand the features most important to users and how they want to use the app.
Based on your research goal, you might develop the following research questions:
What are users’ most significant pain points when ordering food delivery?
What features are most important to users when choosing a food delivery app?
How do users want to browse and order food from a food delivery app?
To answer these research questions, recruit participants who use food delivery apps regularly. To get multiple perspectives on this problem, you must recruit participants from various backgrounds and with different needs. That means parents, students, busy professionals – people representing different types of users likely to use your product.
By doing so, you can get a variety of perspectives on what features are the most important and how users want to use the app. Designers will use these insights to create a food delivery app that is both user-friendly and meets the needs of your target audience.
2. Who you should be recruiting?
As mentioned earlier, you must recruit people who can help answer your research questions.
What does that mean, exactly?
There are a few things to consider when deciding who to recruit for your user research study:
Target audience: Who are you trying to reach with your product or service? What are their demographics, needs, and interests?
Skills and knowledge: Do your participants need specific skills, knowledge, or experience to participate in your study?
Availability: Depending on your research method, participating in your study may require a long-time commitment. Can your participants commit the time and effort needed to participate in your study?
It is worth mentioning that if you’re working on a launched product, you can also recruit participants from your existing customer base. This way, you can get great feedback from real users and learn how they use your product.
Here are a few tips for recruiting participants from your existing customer base:
Send out a recruitment email or survey to your customers.
Offer incentives to participate, such as a discount on their next purchase or a chance to win a prize.
Promote your user research study on social media.
Partner with customer support to recruit participants.
By recruiting the right participants for your user research study, you can get the data you need to make informed decisions about your product or service.
3. Determine how many participants you need
The number of participants you need for your user research study will vary depending on the type of study you’re conducting. Here are some general guidelines:
Interviews: For interviews, you typically need around 5-10 participants. Interviews are focused on understanding users’ needs, pain points, and motivations. By interviewing a larger number of participants, you can get a more representative view of your target audience.
Surveys: for any quantitative research, you need a statistically significant number of participants. It will vary depending on the size of your target audience and the effect size you’re expecting. However, a good rule of thumb is to have at least 100 participants.
Here are some additional tips for determining how many participants you need:
Consider the complexity of your study. If your study is complex and requires a lot of time from participants, you may need to recruit more participants.
Consider the budget you have available. Recruiting and interviewing participants can be expensive, so you may need to limit the number of participants you recruit.
Consider your research goals. If you’re trying to get a general understanding of your target audience, you may need to recruit more participants than if you’re trying to find specific usability problems.
4. Create an incentive plan for recruiting participants.
It would help if you created an incentive plan. It is a reward system for participating in your study.
Providing incentives for your research encourages users to sign up, motivates them to participate, and rewards them for helping the researcher gather all that valuable data.
When creating an incentive plan, you need to consider your budget. Additionally, think about what type of incentives will most motivate your participants.
There are generally two types of incentives:
Monetary incentives: Cash or gift cards are always a popular choice for incentives. However, since they can be expensive, you must consider whether your research budget can endure that.
Non-monetary incentives: Non-monetary incentives can be just as motivating as monetary incentives. Some examples of non-monetary incentives include:
A free copy of your product or service
A discount on their next purchase
An early access to a new feature
When choosing incentives for your user research study, it’s essential to consider your budget and the needs of your participants.
It’s important to note that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating an incentive plan. The best incentive plan for your user research study will depend on your budget and the needs of your participants.
5. How can you find participants?
In this day and age, researchers have many, many different methods of finding participants for their study. The challenge is to know which one should you choose.
Using a user research recruiting platform
There are many user research recruiting platforms that can help you find participants for your study.
These platforms typically have a large pool of pre-screened participants, saving time and effort.
When choosing a user research recruiting platform, consider your budget and the specific needs of your study. Some platforms offer a variety of features, such as the ability to screen participants based on their demographics, interests, and skills.
Work with a recruitment agency or panel company.
If you have a large budget and need to find a large number of participants for your user research study, you may want to consider working with a recruitment agency or panel company.
These companies have a large pool of pre-screened participants, and they can help you recruit participants from specific demographics and with particular skills or knowledge.
To maximize the benefits coming from working with a recruitment agency or panel company, here are a few things you need to do:
Provide clear instructions. The recruitment agency or panel company will need to know your specific requirements, such as the demographics of your target audience, the number of participants you need, and the type of study you are conducting.
Set a budget. Recruitment agencies and panel companies can be expensive, so it is crucial to set a budget before you start working with them.
Review participant profiles. Once the recruitment agency or panel company has identified potential participants, you should review their profiles to make sure they are a good fit for your study.
Provide participant characteristics for screening. While working with a recruitment agency, you need to provide them with a clear description of who your ideal participant is. This will help the agency ensure they are a good fit for your study.
Popular recruitment agencies:
User Interviews – UserInterviews is a user research platform that helps you quickly recruit and interview participants from all over the world. UserInterviews has a large pool of pre-screened participants, so you can be sure you are recruiting the right participants for your study. You can also use UserInterviews to conduct asynchronous video interviews, saving you time and money.
UserTesting – UserTesting is a user research platform that allows you to recruit participants from all over the world. UserTesting has a large pool of pre-screened participants, so you can be sure you are recruiting the right participants for your study.
Respondent – Respondent is a user research platform that allows you to recruit participants from various sources, including social media, email lists, and paid advertising. Respondent also has a large pool of pre-screened participants.
dscout – dscout is a user research platform that allows you to collect rich and detailed feedback from your users in their natural environment. dscout enables you to send participants tasks and surveys to complete on their own devices. dscout also allows you to record participants’ screens and audio to see and hear how they use your product or service.
When choosing a recruitment agency, compare their services and prices. It would be best to read reviews from other researchers to get an idea of their quality of service.
Working with a recruitment agency or panel company can be a great way to find participants for your user research study. Still, be aware of the costs and carefully screen participants yourself.
User testing software companies that specialize in recruiting participants
In addition to working with general recruitment agencies and panel companies, you can also work with user-testing software companies specializing in recruiting. These companies have a deep understanding of the user research process and can help you recruit the right participants for your study.
Here are a few tips for working with user testing software companies that specialize in recruiting:
Look for companies that have experience recruiting participants for your target audience. For example, if you are recruiting participants for a study on a new mobile app for teenagers, you should look for a company with experience recruiting teenagers.
Ask about the company’s screening process. Make sure that the company screens participants carefully to ensure that they are a good fit for your study.
Get quotes from multiple companies before you make a decision. The cost of user testing software companies that specialize in recruiting can vary, so it is vital to get quotes from multiple companies before you make a decision.
Software companies for recruiting participants
Lyssna – Lyssna is a user research platform that helps you understand how people talk about your brand and products online. Lyssna collects and analyzes social media posts, customer reviews, and other online conversations to help you identify key insights and trends. Lyssna can also help you track the sentiment of online conversations to see how people feel about your brand and products over time.
Lookback – Lookback is a user research platform that allows you to recruit participants from various sources, including social media, email lists, and paid advertising. Lookback also has a large pool of pre-screened participants.
PlaybookUX – PlaybookUX is a user research platform that allows you to recruit participants from various sources, including social media, email lists, and paid advertising. PlaybookUX also has a large pool of pre-screened participants.
Working with a user testing software company that specializes in recruiting can be a great way to find participants for your user research study, especially if you need to recruit a large number of participants or if you need to recruit participants from a specific demographic.
Accessing a database of your own product customers.
If you find yourself working for a company with a launched product, you may have an existing customer base, which you can use to find participants for your user research study. It is a fantastic opportunity to get feedback from real users and to understand how they are using your product.
To access a database of your own product customers, you can use your customer relationship management (CRM) system or your email marketing platform. You can also use a third-party tool, such as User Interviews or Respondent, to access a database of pre-screened participants.
Once you have accessed a database of your own product customers, you can filter the list to find participants who meet your target audience criteria. You could filter the list by demographics, product usage patterns, or purchase history.
While recruiting participants from your product customer base, there are a few things to keep in mind:
Be transparent about the purpose of your study. Explain to participants why you recruited them and what you hope to learn from their feedback.
Offer incentives for participation. Offering incentives, such as a discount on their next purchase or a chance to win a prize, can encourage customers to participate in your study.
Make it easy for customers to participate. Send participants a clear and concise email or survey with instructions on participating in your study.
Follow up with participants. Thank participants for their time, and let them know what you learned from their feedback.
Recruiting participants from your own product customer base can be a great way to get feedback from real users and improve your product. However, it is essential to be respectful of customers’ time and to offer them an incentive for participation.
By using your own product customer database, you can save time and money on recruiting participants for your user research study. You can also get feedback from real users already familiar with your product.
Utilizing Analytics Software for User Testing
Analytics software can be a valuable tool for recruiting participants for user research studies. By analyzing your website traffic, app usage data, or customer support tickets, you can identify users who are most likely to be interested in participating in your study.
Here are a few ways to utilize analytics software for user testing:
Segment your users by demographics, interests, and behaviors. Identify the users who are most relevant to your study.
Identify users who have visited specific pages on your website or used particular features in your app. This way, you can recruit participants who are already familiar with the topic of your study.
Identify users who have submitted customer support tickets or left negative reviews. This approach will allow you to recruit participants with specific pain points or problems you can address in your study.
Once you have identified a list of potential participants, you can use analytics software to contact them directly or send them a recruitment survey.
Here are a few examples of analytics software that you can use for participant recruitment:
Google Analytics
Hotjar
Mixpanel
Amplitude
Pendo
When choosing an analytics software platform for user testing, it is worth remembering that some platforms offer more features than others, and some are more expensive than others.
Utilizing analytics software can be a great way to recruit participants who are relevant to your study and who are likely to be interested in participating. However, it is essential to use analytics software ethically and to respect the privacy of your users.
Here are some tips for using analytics software ethically for user testing:
Obtain consent from users before collecting their data.
Be transparent about how you are using users’ data.
Do not sell users’ data to third-party companies.
Allow users to opt out of data collection.
Utilize social media for recruiting participants.
Posting on social media platforms can be a great way to find participants for your user research study. They have a large user base, and you can target your recruitment posts to specific demographics and interests.
Choose the right social media platform. Different social media platforms have different user bases.
Craft a clear and concise post. Your post should explain the purpose of your study, what you are looking for in participants, and how to participate.
Use relevant hashtags. Hashtags can help people to find your post. For example, if you are recruiting participants for a user research study on a new mobile app, you could use hashtags like #usertesting, #mobileapp, and #newapp.
Target your post to specific demographics and interests. Many social media platforms allow you to target your posts to particular demographics and interests. For example, you could target your post to people who live in a specific city or have expressed interest in a particular topic.
When posting on social media outlets to recruit participants for user research studies, it is essential to be respectful of users’ time and to offer them an incentive for participation. You should also carefully screen participants to ensure they are a good fit for your study.
Here are some additional tips for posting on social media outlets to recruit participants for user research studies:
Use eye-catching visuals. A well-designed image or video can help your post stand out.
Use a call to action. Tell people what you want them to do, such as “Click here to sign up for our study” or “Send us a message to learn more.”
Respond to comments and questions. Show potential participants that you are interested in their feedback.
Promote your post. You can promote your post by sharing it on your own social media accounts or by paying for social media advertising.
Recruiting participants internally within your company.
Recruiting internally within your company can be a great way to find participants for user research studies. Your colleagues are already familiar with your products and services, and they can provide valuable feedback on new features, usability problems, and overall customer satisfaction.
You can recruit internally within your company for user research studies using some of these methods:
Send out a company-wide email. Explain the purpose of your study and invite employees to participate.
Post a message on your company’s intranet. You can also include a link to a sign-up form.
Reach out to specific departments or teams. If you need to recruit participants from specific departments or teams, you can contact their managers directly.
Hold a brown bag lunch or workshop. This can be a great way to get feedback from a group of colleagues simultaneously.
At the same time, you should always respect people’s time and offer an incentive for participation.
Recruiting family and friends
Recruiting family and friends for user research studies can be a convenient and cost-effective way to get feedback. However, it comes with potential biases that can provide you with tainted data.
For recruiting your friends or family, try this approach:
Choose participants who are representative of your target audience. Even though your family and friends may not be a perfectly representative sample of your target audience, try to choose participants similar to your ideal users regarding demographics, interests, and skills.
Provide clear instructions. Before you begin the study, provide your family and friends with clear instructions on what to do. Researchers should always adhere to this rule in research, but you may forget or underestimate its relevance while talking to a familiar face. It will help to ensure that the data you collect is consistent and comparable.
Be objective when analyzing the data. When analyzing the data from your study, it is vital to be accurate and objective to avoid giving preferential treatment to the feedback from your family and friends.
By following these tips, you can recruit family and friends for user research studies in a way that is effective, respectful, and ethical.
6. Create a screener survey.
After you define who is the perfect candidate for your study, you need to make sure that people with these characteristics will be recruited for your study. To do that, you need to create a screener survey.
A screener survey is a short survey that you can use to ask potential participants questions about their demographics, interests, and experiences. This will help you to determine whether or not they are a good fit for your study.
For example, if you are conducting a user research study on a new mobile app, you might include the following questions in your screener survey:
What is your age?
What type of smartphone do you have?
How often do you use social media apps?
What are some of your favorite social media apps?
You can then use the responses to these questions to filter out potential participants who are not a good fit for your study. For example, you might only want to recruit participants who use social media apps regularly.
7. Schedule participants for a mutually convenient time
You completed all of the previous steps, published information that you are looking for study participants, and some people signed up. Great job! Thanks to screener surveys, you have a pool of participants that meet your criteria. Good, but your work is not over yet.
The next step is to schedule them for a mutually convenient time. It may become a problem, especially if you are recruiting participants from different time zones or with different availability.
Here are a few tips for making this process a little easier:
Use a scheduling tool. There are several scheduling tools available, such as Calendly, Doodle, and ScheduleOnce. These tools help you to find a time that works for both you and the participant.
Be flexible. Be willing to work around participants’ schedules. If a participant is only available at a specific time, try accommodating them.
Offer multiple time slots. If you are recruiting multiple participants, offer them multiple time slots. It should increase the chances of finding a time that works for everyone.
Here is an example of a confirmation email:
Subject: Confirmation for user research study
Dear [Participant Name],
This email is to confirm your participation in my user research study on [date] at [time]. The study will be held at [location].
Please arrive 15 minutes early so that you have time to check in and get settled. The study will last approximately [duration].
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your participation.
Sincerely, [Your Name]
By following these tips, you can schedule participants for your user research studies in a way that is efficient and respectful of their time.
8. Communicate with recruited participants to reduce no-shows
In every study, there will be a small group of participants that will not turn up for the study. NNgroup estimates that it is always around 11% of every recruitment process.
No-shows can be a significant pain point for user research studies. They waste time and resources, making it difficult to get reliable data.
To ensure this number will not increase, you need to make participation in your study as easy as possible. Here are some tips for that:
Communicate regularly with participants. Send them reminders about the study and keep them updated on any changes. You can communicate with participants via email, phone calls, or text messages.
Make it easy for participants to cancel or reschedule. If a participant needs to cancel or reschedule, give them plenty of notice and make it easy for them to do so. You can create a cancellation form online or allow participants to email or call you to cancel or reschedule.
Offer incentives. Offering participants an incentive to participate can reduce the number of no-shows — another argument for including incentives in your research plan.
Remind participants of the importance of their participation. Let participants know how important their feedback is and how it will be used to improve your product or service. Help participants to feel more invested in the study and make them more likely to show up.
Here is an example of a reminder email that you can send to participants:
Subject: Reminder: User research study on [date] at [time]
Dear [Participant Name],
This is a friendly reminder about your participation in my user research study on [date] at [time]. The study will be held at [location].
Your feedback is vital to this study, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on [topic of study].
If you need to cancel or reschedule, please let me know as soon as possible.
Thank you for your participation.
Sincerely, [Your Name]
9. After recruiting participants, conduct the study
After all that hard work, all that is left is to conduct the study.
There are a few additional pointers in the context of participant recruitment. You, as a researcher, need to make study participants feel comfortable. This way, it is more likely that they will return and participate in future research you may need to conduct. It may reduce the risk of participant burnout occurring.
Here are a few tips for conducting a user research study:
Be prepared. Make sure you have all of the necessary materials and equipment before you begin the study. Make sure you prepare things like a moderator’s guide, consent forms, and recording equipment.
Welcome participants and make them feel comfortable. Start by welcoming participants and thanking them for their time. Explain the purpose of the study and what participants will do.
Be respectful of participants’ time. Keep the study moving and avoid asking unnecessary questions.
Thank the participants for their feedback. At the end of the study, thank participants for their time and feedback. Let them know how their feedback will be used.
Key Elements for Recruiting Participants
User research is essential for creating products and services that people love. By recruiting the right participants and conducting your studies effectively, you can gain valuable insights into your users’ needs, wants, and pain points.
Here are a few things to remember:
Recruit the right participants. Make sure to recruit participants who are representative of your target audience and have the necessary characteristics to participate in your study.
Use a variety of recruiting channels. To avoid burning out your user base, recruit participants from various channels, such as user research recruiting tools, social media, and your own user base.
Conduct your studies effectively. Be prepared, respectful of participants’ time, and objective when asking questions.
Analyze your data carefully. Take the time to analyze your data carefully and identify any key themes or insights.
Use your findings to improve your products and services. Share your findings with your team and use them to improve your products and services.
By following these tips, you can conduct user research studies that are effective, informative, and respectful of your participants.
