Participant recruitment

Defra user researchers recruit a diverse and representative range of users to help make sure services work for all users.

Participant recruitment process

When recruiting participants for user research, you should follow these steps:

1. Define your users and the participants you need.
2. Set screening criteria that represent your target users.
3. Choose recruitment channels and incentives, if needed.
4. Screen participants to confirm they meet your criteria.
5. Get informed consent before the session.
6. Schedule your sessions with your participants.
7. Consider accessibility at every stage.

Defra guidance and templates

• Define and profile your users
• Recruitment channels
• Incentives
• Recruitment screener design and guidance
• Research invitation design and guidance
• Informed consent and privacy notices
• Informed consent template (Word)
• Informed consent template (Qualtrics)

Get support

Contact the user research operations team for further support.

• Email: DefraDDTSUserResearchOperations@defra.gov.uk