Part 1: User research respondents recruitment - How to find respondents for user research?

In part 1 let you learn how to prepare respondent recruitment properly, what to look out for and what is a useful approach.

Part 1 - Preparing the recruitment, read on: Part 2 | Deel 3 | Deel 4

Start recruiting respondents for qualitative user research

Qualitative user research provides valuable insights that benefit a product, service, concept and/or process. However, recruiting the right respondents for user research* is often underestimated in terms of time and energy. Especially for the first time. This can be at the expense of planning, resulting in missed deadlines in some cases.

Many times this is because:

• Finding (suitable) respondents is proving more difficult than expected.

• A lot of people are expected to respond. A common problem is that the surveys often take place during office hours, making it inconvenient for many people to take part because they are at work.

• Scheduling of respondents often gets squeezed because a respondent is already scheduled at the time another respondent can and/or because respondents cancel.

• Respondents are provided with incomplete instructions and therefore get confused.

• It is too easily assumed that respondents will turn up.

With the tips in this series, you will reduce the chances of wasting valuable time, stress and frustration.

* Moderated user research is a form of user research in which a test supervisor is present. An 'unmoderated user study' does not.

1. Required data

Before you start recruiting respondents, it is wise to check whether recruitment for the user survey is feasible/realistic in terms of time and/or budget. Therefore, we recommend starting by surveying the following data:

A. Length of sessions

Is the estimate that each session will take around 60 minutes? Then you can quickly calculate how many sessions you can do in a day.

B. Number of respondents

The number of respondents needed depends on the purpose of the user survey. When you multiply the duration of the session by the number of respondents, you know how much time (and therefore how many days) you need for the survey.

TIP: Remember to also schedule time to process your interviews with respondents.

How many respondents do you need?

The number of respondents required depends on the approach of the user survey:

• Inspire - Qualitative, not a tight protocol and intended to detect insights and hunches for follow-up research: 12-20 respondents

• Evaluate - To test whether expectations match reality and to identify bottlenecks: 5-10 respondents

• Validate (qualitative) - To provide evidence of a particular pattern: Minimum 30 respondents, desirable is 40 or more.

C. Number of examination days (required)

If you do the following calculation, you will know how many research days you need: (session duration × number of respondents) ÷ number of hours you have to spend per day.

Example:
A session lasts 60 minutes, and you need 16 respondents. That means you need at least 2 days to cover all the respondents.

D. Examination date(s)

If you do not (yet) know exactly how many days are needed to conduct the user research, you can calculate it using the information above.

Should one day have been factored in for user research and it turns out from the above that several research days are needed, you know you have a problem.

E. Research site

The research location should have a space with all the necessary facilities. For example, you can organise the survey at the office, or at an external location that might be more accessible to respondents. We always ensure that there is a space with the following facilities:

• Table with chairs

• Internet (connection)

• Power points

• If less able-bodied respondents come; accessible for wheelchair, for example

By external locations, you can think of:

• A professional UX research lab

• Meeting rooms

• External workspaces

• At the client's location

Tip 1: Spend a maximum of 6 hours in a day on research

It is recommended to spend a maximum of 6 hours in a day on (moderated) user research. Such days are intensive and require a lot of (mental) energy! Also, the chance of framing (read; influencing) increases after these 6 hours, in both the research supervisor and the observer(s), so it is wiser to continue the research at a later time (e.g. the next day).

Tip 2: Better too many respondents than too few

Provide some spare/extra time slots, that is; more respondents than needed. It frequently happens that people do not show up or are unable to attend anyway. Another common cause of no-shows is that such a survey is seen as optional. So rather too many respondents than too few!

Tip 3: Don't forget your lunch, calculate a buffer time

Factor in buffer time every so many respondents with a break. And don't forget your lunch! Should you run late due to latecomers or technical glitches, you can make up for it with this buffer time.

Tip 4: Don't underestimate how long it takes to recruit respondents

Provide sufficient time for recruitment. The time you need depends, among other things, on the number of people you will approach (or plan to approach) and the complexity of your target audience. Starting recruitment a week in advance is an extreme minimum. Two weeks is also pretty tight. Don't underestimate this and start recruitment on time.

2. Remuneration and travel expenses

On the one hand, you want to avoid respondents doing something only because there is a fee attached. On the other hand, you will find that it is actually easier to recruit respondents by having a. A fee also shows that you value participants' input more.

Think about the compensation(s) (incentive) you will offer respondents before you start recruiting. For example, there is a difference in what you ask of your respondents. Physically testing a product on location is very different from asking someone to come to your office for an interview.

To arrive at the right compensation, it is good to think about the form of remuneration, travel allowance and who provides the incentives.