Services :: Recruiting

Finding the appropriate people to take part in a study is often the most difficult activity in planning a usability test, focus group, or field study. I'll help you develop a screening script and identify the mix of types of participants you want for a study. My group will work with you to find the right  sources of participants, do the screening and recommend candidates. Then we will schedule participants and follow up with them and with you to make sure your expectations are met. 

Collaborative Recruiting for User Research:

Recruiters who are expert consultants

What about our approach is better? We

• have recruiters who are expert consultants

• will help you write more effective screening questionnaires

• will test the screener before we propose a final price

• will make sure you have the number of participants you requested

How do we recruit user research participants?

The professional recruiter will be on the research project as an expert consultant (working remotely)

•  using a professional, tested method for finding, screening, and scheduling participants

•  coaching you to develop more effective, efficient screening questionnaires

•  pilot-testing screening scripts before starting the recruiting

•  working with you to find the right sources of participants for your study

The method:

1. Talk with you on the phone about your recruiting requirements.
   
2. Meet with you to determine (or refine) the characteristics of the users you're targeting.
   
3. Create a (or refine your) screening questionnaire that includes a script for every touch point with the participant.
   
4. Work with you to identify sources of participants.
   
5. Pilot test the screening questionnaire with people who are like those you want to be in your study to identify problem wording, additional selection criteria, or to change the order of questions to create a more efficient interaction with candidates. We'll use the method of contact that best suits the target users: phone, email, or other options based on your advice and our experience.
   
6. Revise the questionnaire as appropriate. 
   
7. Using the sources we have agreed on and the final questionnaire, our people contact your people. If there's a question about eligibility of a candidate, the recruiter will ask you what to do.
   
8. The recruiter will report progress at the end of each day (or on whatever schedule you and the recruiter agree on). We will present lists of people who meet your criteria -- you get to pick candidates who look the best to you.
   
9. When you approve the list of participants, the recruiter will contact the participants with appointment reminders, instructions, directions, maps, etc.
   
10. The recruiter will phone participants the night before their appointments to remind them of the sessions.
    
11. The recruiter will be on call to deal with emergency cancellations and replacements.
    
12. The recruiter will contact you after the study is complete to get feedback on the service and the participants.

Where do we get participants?

We work with you to identify the best source of participants for each study. That might be a customer list, a list of members, personal contacts, online sources such as Craigslist or bulletin boards, or we will place media ads, look at directories, or make contact with professional societies and associations, and so on. We may buy lists from demographics companies, if that seems like the right thing to do.

We don't maintain a database of potential participants because we are concerned about maintaining the privacy of study participants and we don't want to use the same people over and over again. We will track who has taken part in studies so we can make sure that you're not getting "professional usability testers" (unless you want them).

Who are the recruiters?

They come from backgrounds as varied as adventure travel agent to IBM business analyst.  Our recruiters are

• trained in usability and user research methods
• professionals with excellent communication and organization skills
• experts at advising on the creation of non-leading, well-defined screening scripts
• resourceful and creative about finding the right people for each study

What are the prices?  

Most recruiting firms price their services by the head – a set amount for each person recruited who actually completes a scheduled session.

We will charge this way, too. In general, the ranges start at $150 per head. The top end could be as high as $500 per head. Most recruiting will come in around $200 per head. The amount usually depends on the characteristics of the participant. For example, general consumers for a shopping site would be easier to find and schedule than CEOs, doctors, or sales people, so we charge less for the consumers than for the professionals.

What happens in between depends on how specific your criteria are. The more specific, the higher the price. The more general, the lower the price.

Soon we will develop a pricing matrix that we will share with clients that will relate the number of questions in the screening script, along with the type of participant, the type of study, and other factors explicitly to the price per participant.