# User Recruitment for Design Sprints

Recruiting the right participants for Friday's interviews is one of the most important and most underestimated parts of the design sprint. Test with the wrong people and you get misleading feedback. Test with nobody and you wasted the week. Start recruiting at least two weeks before the sprint begins.


## Table of Contents
1. [Recruitment Timeline](#recruitment-timeline)
2. [Defining the Target Participant](#defining-the-target-participant)
3. [Screener Survey](#screener-survey)
4. [Where to Find Participants](#where-to-find-participants)
5. [Incentive Guidelines](#incentive-guidelines)
6. [Scheduling Logistics](#scheduling-logistics)
7. [No-Show Prevention](#no-show-prevention)
8. [Diverse Participant Selection](#diverse-participant-selection)
9. [Legal Considerations](#legal-considerations)
10. [Recruitment Checklist](#recruitment-checklist)

---

## Recruitment Timeline

| When | Action | Owner |
|------|--------|-------|
| Sprint minus 3 weeks | Define target participant profile with the team | Sprint Master + Decider |
| Sprint minus 2.5 weeks | Write screener survey | Sprint Master or Recruiter |
| Sprint minus 2 weeks | Post screener to recruitment channels | Recruiter |
| Sprint minus 10 days | Review screener responses, shortlist candidates | Recruiter |
| Sprint minus 8 days | Invite 8 candidates (6 primary + 2 backup) | Recruiter |
| Sprint minus 5 days | Confirm 6 participants, send calendar invitations | Recruiter |
| Sprint minus 2 days | Send reminder email with logistics (time, location, parking, contact) | Recruiter |
| Sprint minus 1 day | Send SMS reminder | Recruiter |
| Friday 8:00 AM | Send final "See you at [time]" text | Recruiter |

### Why 6 Participants for 5 Slots

Expect a 10-20% no-show rate even with the best recruitment process. Scheduling 6 ensures you hit 5 interviews. If all 6 show up, run the extra interview or pay the backup participant and thank them.

## Defining the Target Participant

### Start with the Sprint Target

The participant profile should match the customer type identified on Monday. Ask:

- Who is the target customer for the part of the journey we are testing?
- What demographics, behaviors, or roles define this person?
- What experience level should they have with the problem space?
- What experience level should they have with your product (if any)?

### Participant Profile Template

```
TARGET PARTICIPANT PROFILE

Role/Title: [e.g., Marketing manager at a company with 50-200 employees]
Experience: [e.g., Has used at least 2 project management tools in the past year]
Behavior: [e.g., Currently manages 3+ active projects simultaneously]
Excluded: [e.g., Not a current customer, not a competitor employee, not in the tech industry]
Nice to have: [e.g., Mix of genders, age 25-55, different company sizes]
```

### Common Participant Types

| Sprint Focus | Ideal Participant |
|-------------|-------------------|
| Consumer app onboarding | People who match the target demographic and have never seen the product |
| B2B SaaS feature | Professionals in the target role who currently use a competitor |
| E-commerce redesign | People who have purchased similar products online in the past 90 days |
| Healthcare product | Patients with the target condition or caregivers who manage it |
| Internal tool | Employees in the target department who would use the tool daily |

## Screener Survey

### Purpose

A screener survey filters applicants so you interview only people who match your target profile. It should take 2-3 minutes to complete and disqualify people who do not fit.

### Screener Survey Template

```
SCREENER SURVEY: [Sprint Name]

Thank you for your interest in participating in a product feedback session.
This survey takes about 2 minutes.

1. What is your current job title?
   [Open text]

2. How many people work at your company?
   ( ) 1-10
   ( ) 11-50
   ( ) 51-200
   ( ) 201-1000
   ( ) 1000+

3. Which of the following tools do you currently use? (Select all that apply)
   [ ] Tool A
   [ ] Tool B
   [ ] Tool C
   [ ] None of the above

4. How often do you [target behavior]?
   ( ) Daily
   ( ) Weekly
   ( ) Monthly
   ( ) Rarely
   ( ) Never

5. Have you used [your product name] before?
   ( ) Yes, currently use it
   ( ) Yes, used it in the past
   ( ) No, never used it
   ( ) I have heard of it but never tried it

6. On a scale of 1-5, how frustrated are you with your current solution for [problem]?
   ( ) 1 - Not at all frustrated
   ( ) 2
   ( ) 3
   ( ) 4
   ( ) 5 - Extremely frustrated

7. Are you available on [Friday date] between [time range] for a 45-minute in-person/video session?
   ( ) Yes
   ( ) No

8. What is the best email address to reach you?
   [Open text]

9. What is your phone number? (for scheduling confirmation only)
   [Open text]
```

### Scoring the Screener

Create a scoring rubric before reviewing responses:

| Question | Ideal Answer | Points |
|----------|-------------|--------|
| Job title | Matches target role | 2 |
| Company size | Matches target segment | 1 |
| Tools used | Uses competitor (not your product) | 2 |
| Behavior frequency | Daily or weekly | 2 |
| Prior product experience | Never used or heard of it | 2 |
| Frustration level | 3 or higher | 1 |
| Availability | Yes | Required (disqualify if no) |

**Threshold:** Invite participants who score 7+ out of 10.

## Where to Find Participants

### B2C Products

| Channel | Pros | Cons | Cost |
|---------|------|------|------|
| Social media ads (Instagram, Facebook) | Fast, targetable | Lower quality, may attract "professional testers" | $50-200 in ad spend |
| Craigslist / local classifieds | Cheap, fast | Unpredictable quality | Free + incentive |
| Community groups (Reddit, Discord, Facebook Groups) | Engaged, relevant | May skew toward power users | Free + incentive |
| Intercept at physical locations (coffee shops, stores) | Real people in natural context | Time-consuming, limited volume | Free + incentive |
| Customer email list (non-current-users segment) | Pre-qualified interest | May bias toward people already favorable | Free + incentive |

### B2B Products

| Channel | Pros | Cons | Cost |
|---------|------|------|------|
| LinkedIn outreach | Highly targetable by role and company | Low response rate (5-10%) | Free + incentive |
| Industry events and meetups | Engaged professionals | Timing dependent | Free + incentive |
| Professional associations | Quality participants | Slow process | Varies |
| Recruitment platforms (see below) | Reliable, pre-screened panels | Expensive | $150-300 per participant |
| Partner introductions | Warm leads, high quality | Favors existing relationships | Free + incentive |
| Sales team referrals (non-customers) | Know the persona well | May introduce bias | Free + incentive |

### Recruitment Platforms

| Platform | Best For | Cost Per Participant | Turnaround |
|----------|----------|---------------------|------------|
| UserTesting | Quick unmoderated studies; also supports moderated | $30-100 (unmoderated), $150+ (moderated) | 1-3 days |
| Respondent.io | B2B and niche audiences | $100-300 (B2B), $50-100 (B2C) | 3-7 days |
| User Interviews | Broad consumer and B2B panels | $50-150 | 2-5 days |
| Ethnio | Intercept recruiting from your own website | $50-100 + subscription | 1-7 days |
| Prolific | Academic-quality panels, diverse demographics | $10-30 | 1-2 days |

## Incentive Guidelines

### How Much to Pay

| Participant Type | Recommended Incentive | Format |
|-----------------|----------------------|--------|
| General consumer | $50-75 for 45 minutes | Gift card (Amazon, Visa) |
| Professional (B2B, mid-level) | $100-150 for 45 minutes | Gift card or direct payment |
| Senior executive (VP+) | $200-300 for 45 minutes | Donation to charity of choice or gift card |
| Medical professional | $200-400 for 45 minutes | Direct payment |
| Hard-to-reach niche | $150-300+ for 45 minutes | Whatever the market demands |

### Incentive Principles

- Pay enough to attract quality participants, not so much that people lie on the screener to qualify
- Pay immediately after the session (do not make them wait for a check in the mail)
- Digital gift cards are the easiest to distribute
- For B2B executives, offering a "donation to the charity of your choice" can be more effective than a personal payment
- Always pay no-shows if they gave 24-hour notice of cancellation (it maintains your reputation)

## Scheduling Logistics

### Time Slot Structure

| Slot | Time | Purpose |
|------|------|---------|
| 1 | 9:45 - 10:30 | Interview 1 |
| Buffer | 10:30 - 11:00 | Team discussion, notes |
| 2 | 11:00 - 11:45 | Interview 2 |
| Buffer | 11:45 - 12:15 | Team discussion, notes |
| 3 | 12:15 - 1:00 | Interview 3 |
| Lunch | 1:00 - 1:45 | Break |
| 4 | 1:45 - 2:30 | Interview 4 |
| Buffer | 2:30 - 3:00 | Team discussion, notes |
| 5 | 3:00 - 3:45 | Interview 5 |
| 6 (backup) | 4:00 - 4:45 | Backup slot if a morning participant no-showed |

### Confirmation Messages

**Initial invitation email:** Thank the participant for completing the survey. Include the date, time, location (or video link), duration (45 minutes), incentive amount, and a request to confirm by reply.

**Reminder (2 days before):** Restate date, time, location, duration, and incentive. Include your phone number. Ask them to let you know if they can no longer make it so you can offer their spot to someone else.

## No-Show Prevention

### Tactics That Reduce No-Shows

| Tactic | Impact |
|--------|--------|
| Require confirmation reply (not just calendar accept) | High |
| Send 3 reminders (confirmation, 2-day, morning-of) | High |
| Include your personal phone number in communications | Medium |
| Offer to reschedule if they have a conflict | Medium |
| Over-recruit by 1-2 participants | High (mitigates no-shows) |
| Ask for their phone number and text the morning of | High |
| Make the incentive attractive enough | Medium |

### What to Do When Someone No-Shows

1. Wait 10 minutes past the scheduled time
2. Send a text: "Hi [Name], we are ready for you at [location]. Are you on your way?"
3. If no response after 5 more minutes, move on
4. Shift the schedule: pull the backup participant into the empty slot
5. If no backup is available, run 4 interviews instead of 5 (still produces patterns)

## Diverse Participant Selection

### Why Diversity Matters

If all 5 participants are 30-year-old tech workers in San Francisco, you are testing with a narrow slice of your potential customer base. Diverse participants reveal a wider range of reactions, accessibility issues, and cultural considerations.

### Diversity Dimensions to Consider

- Age range (not all 25-35)
- Gender balance
- Technical proficiency (mix of tech-savvy and less technical)
- Geographic location (if testing remotely)
- Company size and industry (for B2B)
- Accessibility needs (include at least one participant who uses assistive technology, if relevant)

### Practical Approach

You only have 5 participants, so you cannot represent every dimension. Pick 2-3 diversity factors that are most relevant to your product and ensure variation across those factors.

## Legal Considerations

### Recording Consent

Before recording any interview:

1. Inform the participant that the session will be recorded (audio and video)
2. Explain how the recording will be used (internal review only)
3. Get verbal consent on camera: "Do I have your permission to record this session?"
4. If using a written consent form, have them sign before the interview begins

### Key Legal Points

- **Consent form:** Cover audio/video recording, internal-only use of recordings, right to stop the session at any time, and guaranteed incentive regardless of completion. Have participants sign before the interview begins.
- **NDAs:** Use a simple one-page NDA for pre-launch products. Do not require one for public products. If a participant refuses, pay them and do not show the prototype.
- **Data privacy:** Collect only what is needed, store securely, delete recordings within 30 days, and comply with GDPR/CCPA or relevant local regulations.

## Recruitment Checklist

### 3 Weeks Before Sprint

- [ ] Target participant profile defined
- [ ] Screener survey written and tested
- [ ] Recruitment channels identified
- [ ] Budget approved for incentives and recruitment platform fees

### 2 Weeks Before Sprint

- [ ] Screener posted to recruitment channels
- [ ] Responses are being reviewed daily
- [ ] Shortlist of candidates created

### 1 Week Before Sprint

- [ ] 6 participants confirmed (5 primary + 1 backup)
- [ ] Calendar invitations sent with all logistics
- [ ] Consent forms prepared
- [ ] Incentives purchased (gift cards, etc.)

### 2 Days Before Sprint

- [ ] Reminder emails sent to all participants
- [ ] Backup participant confirmed

### Friday Morning

- [ ] Morning-of text messages sent
- [ ] Interview room set up
- [ ] Consent forms printed
- [ ] Incentives ready to distribute
- [ ] Backup plan in place for no-shows
