book

233 Tips and Tricks for Recruiting Users as Participants in Usability Studies

by Nielsen Norman Group

February 2010

Beginner

146 pages

5h 10m

English

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State of the Art for RecruitingSpecialized Recruiting AgenciesIncentives Provided to Test ParticipantsNo-Show RatesHow to Get Started with Systematic Recruiting
Who Should Read This ReportWhat You Will Find in this ReportSources for the Recruiting TipsOverlapping TipsShare Your Own Tips
The Cardinal Rule for RecruitingDeveloping Recruiting CriteriaLearning About the UsersCase Study ExampleDeciding How Many Participants to RecruitDrafting the Screening CriteriaDetermining the Appropriate IncentivesMonetary IncentivesSurvey Responses on Monetary IncentivesBy user groupBy geographical regionDispersing Monetary Incentives in Cash vs. by CheckPaying in cashPaying by checkNon-Monetary IncentivesSurvey Responses on Non-monetary IncentivesBy user groupBy geographical regionHow Incentives May Affect Participant BehaviorHow and When to Provide IncentivesConsidering the Study LocaleWhen Participants Come to YouWhen You Must Go to the ParticipantsPlanning for Training and OrientationPreparing the Screening Script and QuestionnaireCover Page and Opening ScriptSample Script for Preliminary Contact by Study SponsorScreening QuestionsSample Questions for Eliciting Web ExperienceInvitation and ScheduleSample Participant Screening Script and QuestionnaireOpening ScriptScreening QuestionsInvitationScheduleReconfirmation
Working With an Outside Recruiting AgencyWhen to Outsource RecruitingFinding A Recruiting AgencyWhat to Expect From A Recruiting AgencyChoosing A Recruiting AgencyManaging A Recruiting Agency to Your Best BenefitDoing Your Own RecruitingInternal vs. External StudiesFinding Participants for Internal StudiesFinding Participants for External StudiesMaking the Calls and Tracking Recruitment ProgressGetting OrganizedSpeaking With PeopleFollowing Up With ParticipantsSample Confirmation Message for Email, Fax, or LetterCommunicating With the TeamScheduling BackupsReusing ParticipantsWhen It Is Okay to Reuse ParticipantsWhen to Avoid Reusing Participants
Background QuestionnaireSample Background QuestionnaireBackground Questionnaire for [study name]Consent FormsSample Minor Consent FormPermission for Participation in After-School Software Evaluation StudySample Participation Consent FormUnderstanding Your ParticipationPlease read this page carefully before you sign itIncentive Receipt and VoucherSample ReceiptReceipt for [Monetary or Non-monetary]Sample Incentive VoucherVoucher for [name of incentive, such as software package name]Nondisclosure FormSample Nondisclosure AgreementNondisclosure Agreement for [name of study]Tax Forms
Treating Participants as Human BeingsSample Thank-You NoteAttending to Participants’ Physical ComfortEnsuring Participants’ SafetyEnsuring Participants’ PrivacyDealing With Unqualified Participants
Building and Maintaining a Participant DatabaseBuilding and Managing a Recruiting StaffAssessing Recruiting SkillsInterviewing Potential RecruitersManaging Recruiters
About the SurveyBackgroundContentsNielsen Norman Group—Participant Recruiting SurveySurvey QuestionsPrivacy StatementResponsesWorld ResponsesUnited States ResponsesSurvey ResultsGeographical Areas From Which Participants are RecruitedResults for Participant Geographical AreasGeographical Areas from which Participants are RecruitedWho Recruits ParticipantsResults for Who RecruitsRecruiter tablesInternal Time Spent Recruiting ParticipantsResults for Internal Time Spent RecruitingAgency Lead Time Required and Fees ChargedResults for Agency Lead TimeResults for Agency FeesParticipant User Groups, Incentives, and Session LengthUser Group and Incentive DescriptionsInternal User GroupsExternal User GroupsIncentives ProvidedResults for Participant User Groups CitedInternal dry-run / pilot participantsActual internal participantsExternal participantsResults for Incentives ProvidedMonetary IncentivesNon-monetary IncentivesNo-Show RatesResults for No-Show RatesNo-show rates by who recruitsPre-Session InteractionResults for Pre-session InteractionParticipant Session DocumentsResults for Documents Provided to ParticipantsParticipant Follow-UpResults for Participant Follow-Up

Background QuestionnaireBackground Questionnaire for [study name]Confirmation Message[Sample Confirmation Message for Email, Fax, or Letter]Dealing With Unqualified ParticipantsEliciting Sensitive Information – Sample QuestionsEliciting Web Experience - Sample QuestionsInterview Topics for Meeting With the System TeamInterview Questions for the System TeamMinor Consent FormPermission for Participation in After-School Software Evaluation StudyNondisclosure AgreementNondisclosure Agreement for [name of study]Participation Consent FormUnderstanding Your ParticipationPlease read this page carefully before you sign itParticipant Database Information to TrackParticipant Screening Script and QuestionnaireOpening ScriptScreening QuestionsInvitationScheduleReconfirmationParticipant Summary TablePreliminary Contact By Study Sponsor – Sample ScriptReceipt FormReceipt for [Monetary or Non-monetary]Voucher FormVoucher for [name of incentive, such as software package name]Thank-You Note
People and OrganizationsAnecdote ContributorsContent Reviewers
Usability TestingParticipant RecruitingEthicsNeeds of Specialized User GroupsQuestionnaire DesignInternational StudiesStatistics
The User Experience 2007 ConferenceKnowledge, Directly from the SourceNetworking OpportunitiesThis Year’s Plenary SessionsFull-Day TutorialsIntroductionFundamentalsAdvancedSpecialized Topics

Overview

Participant recruiting for usability studies is the unglamorous foundation for all user testing. Having a systematic recruiting program in place will make a huge difference in the amount of usability testing conducted in your organization and the quality of your recruits with an immediate impact on the quality of the test results. This report from the Nielsen Norman Group tells you how to set up and manage a recruiting program, how to get the right users for specific tests, and how to deal with the users you have recruited. It also presents advice on when to outsource to a recruiting agency (for a fee) and when to use in-house recruiting.