Whenever I heard the word ‘recruit’, it was met with a shiver down my spine. “Recruiting? Me? I’d rather walk the plank.” Let’s admit it, it can be a daunting task to call your family doctor – never mind recruiting participants over the phone for a Usability Test.
Though, as intimidating as it might seem, I’m here to tell you that recruiting people for a Usability Test doesn’t have to be so daunting. It can even be an easy process. Here are some of my top tips for ensuring a successful recruitment process for a Usability Test for both online and over the phone!
1. Create a Sign-Up Form
User profiles for testing products can be extremely dynamic. This means you need a database of diverse participants that you can contact. How do you get that? Through Sign-Up forms.
Sign-Up forms that circulate information back to a database are crucial for recruiting participants for a test. You can weave in specific questions to ensure people are eligible to partake in future tests.
I recommend using Google Forms to create your sign-up form. It has a quick and easy function that will send the submissions back to a spreadsheet on your Google Drive, thus acting as the database! No code or tech skills involved.
2. Offer a Reward
This may seem super obvious, but sometimes people fail to establish a reward early in the participant recruitment process. Not knowing if there is a reward makes it hard for us to attract a possible participant. If you’re working with a client, make sure to come to an agreement early in the process as to what you will be offering participants in return for their precious time.
3. Write a Script for Calling and Emailing Participants
So you’ve got people signing-up through your form, but now what? Now you have to call them and see if they would like to take part in your Usability Test. I recommend writing a concise script – reminding them who your organisation is, why you’re calling and some details about the test such as the time and place. It’s good to always be ready, and have information in front of you that answers any question posed.
After you’ve secured participants through a call, send them a well written follow-up email. Thank them for accepting the call and ask them to confirm the time and date which suits them. It is important to give them contact information and a link to where their test will take place through Google Maps.
4. Social Media Adverts
Sometimes, a reward and a snazzy sign-up form just aren’t enough to recruit the right participants. Using Social Media can allow you to promote your sign-up form through various platforms. Creating engaging copy here is key!
Start off with the offer of the reward, followed by details and the sign-up form. If you’re creative, then design some visuals to go with your advert. Make sure to review with peers before posting AND don’t forget to boost that post!
5. Use Facebook Groups to Your Advantage
As well as posting through your company’s business page or your own, why not post on local run Facebook groups? Facebook has allowed users to create engaging communities which help people get jobs, sell things or just chat about everything and anything. Take advantage of these groups and post there. Just make sure to ask before posting that advert!
6. Call Local Businesses in the Area
Lastly, research and contact local businesses in the area via phone. This is great because we can source businesses that may have flexible hours or a large number of people working for them. Don’t forget about writing a script (like in Step 3) as it’s important once more!
You need to be able to calmly ask businesses if they could circulate an email regarding your recruitment within their company – avoid sounding like you are cold calling or spamming them and remember, hook them in with that promise of a reward!
That’s it for my top tips, I hope you enjoyed it. Don’t forget that Graphic Mint have a database with hundreds of Participants who are waiting to test one of your products. Call us on +353 1 478 8444 or send us an email (info@graphicmint.com) and let us help you recruit participants today. Happy Recruiting!
