Guidance for recruiting your users
Quick surveys
For guerilla testing or quick surveys where it doesn't matter too much who takes part, try University cafes, social areas and the talking-allowed sections of libraries, but never interrupt someone's studies. You could also set up pop-up research stations in these areas.
In-depth research
For more in-depth research and to recruit people for longer research sessions, target your actual or intended user groups via email lists, forums, newsletters, well-placed posters and strategic word-of-mouth. Offering an incentive REALLY helps - more on that below.
1. MyGlasgow User Panel
A self-selected community of willing research participants - including around 440 students and staff - managed through the MyGlasgow User Panel Moodle for the purpose of improving UofG websites and systems. If you'd like to seek research participants from the MyGlasgow User Panel, contact WanTing Wu for posting your first recruitment.
2. Incentives
For students: The UofG UX Project found the most effective way to attract students is to offer vouchers, University swag (especially hoodies) or pizza! Be sure to get your participants to sign receipts for any cash or cash-equivalent incentives. You can combine the receipt with the consent form.
For staff: The complexities of income tax law mean the only incentive you can offer staff is nice catering at the research session itself. The best way to attract them, then, is to appeal to their areas of interest. Think about which staff groups most use - or would be most affected by changes to - the thing you are doing research on, and target them in your recruitment. You can still recruit more widely too - eg through the MyGlasgow User Panel - as you never know who else might be interested.
3. Consent & privacy notice
If you are recording a research session, you must provide the participant with a privacy notice and get their explicit consent before you begin.
- Template privacy notices from Data Protection & Freedom of Information Office (DP&FOI Office)
- Consent form for research participants(68KB.docx)
Anonymity: It helps to reassure people upfront that all data will be anonymised, so plan in advance how you're going to achieve that - eg by using participant numbers rather than names, by blurring out sensitive data in screen recordings, or by simply not collecting personal data in the first place.