People for Research have been recruiting participants for research since 1989. For the last six years, we have been serving the user experience (UX) community and have gained precious knowledge and experience when it comes to recruiting for a range of clients doing UX testing: the list includes weird and wonderful briefs and participants of all ages.

Whatever participants you are looking for, if you follow these top five tips then you won’t go too wrong when recruiting for a usability study.

🧭 You’re only as good as your brief

Make sure you fully understand who you want to test with. Have a clear brief and, if using an external recruiter like People for Research, let them know what you know and want. The more they understand about what you are looking for, the more precise and successful the recruitment process will be.

🧭 Give yourself some time

Build in plenty of time for the recruitment process into your UX testing schedule. Participants cannot be plucked out of the ether in 24 hours, so give yourself at least two weeks in which to recruit. Chances are you’ll hit your quota before the testing date, but if any of the segments are challenging, you’ll have plenty of time to launch a plan B.

🧭 A good incentive goes a long way in UX testing

Make sure the incentive has enough clout to attract the right participants and that the amount offered compensates not only for the duration of the test, but for the time they need to take out of their day to attend. A poor incentive tends to lead to poor attendance.

🧭 Work hard on your screener

Ensure your screener (qualifying questionnaire) is watertight and covers all the bases. Think about your personas and the type of participants you want to take part in the UX testing session, plus the criteria they need to meet (if you are not sure what to include, a recruitment partner will be able to create this document for you).

🧭 Keep your participants warm

Once you’ve got the participants screened and scheduled, administer your confirmation process properly. Ensure they receive confirmation within 24 hours (we prefer email). In the confirmation email, supply the participant with as much detail about the session as possible: include the date and time of testing, a full address, directions (pictures if necessary), access instructions, transport instructions, homework instructions (if required), incentive amount, plus anything else you think may be useful!

Always include a contact number in case the participant needs to get hold of you. If the venue is tough to find, make sure your instructions are easy to follow; a participant will probably only remain lost for about 10 minutes before giving up and going home.

Follow up with a reminder the day or evening before the testing (again, we prefer email) and give each participant a call on the day (we try and get hold of everyone as early as we can) to check they are good to go and that life hasn’t thrown any surprises at them.

Every brief has its own unique challenges, but if you follow these five tips, you’ll be off to a good start!

If you would like to find out more about our in-house participant recruitment service for user testing or market research get in touch on 0117 921 0008 or info@peopleforresearch.co.uk.

At People for Research, we recruit participants for UX and usability testing and market research. We work with award winning UX agencies across the UK and partner up with a number of end clients who are leading the way with in-house user experience and insight.