Customer research
Draft research screening questions for a real audience
Choose screening criteria tied to the people and behavior the study needs to understand. Ask neutral questions that let participants describe their experience without signaling a preferred answer. Give accurate information about the research and collect only the details needed to decide whether someone is a suitable participant.
A text to start with
I am studying how people [task or behavior] and want to recruit [number] participants. The people I need have [recent behavior or situation]. The people I should exclude are [exclusions]. Draft screening questions with neutral wording. For each, give the reason I am asking it and the answer that would exclude someone. Avoid signaling which answer qualifies someone. Include a brief, accurate description of the study; do not conceal the information participants need to decide whether to take part.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Screener worksheet
Study topic: [ ] People who should take part: [ ] People who should be excluded, and why: [ ] Screening question, neutral wording: [ ] Reason for asking: [ ] Answer that qualifies: [ ] Answer that excludes: [ ] Does it signal the qualifying answer? [ ] Accurate study information provided: [ ] Is it sensitive, and is it needed? [ ] Recent time frame used for behavior questions: [ ] Who can see screener answers: [ ] How answers are stored and deleted: [ ]
Questions that do not earn their place
For each question, ask what you would do differently depending on the answer. If nothing changes, remove it. Ask about sensitive topics such as age, health, income or ethnicity only when the study truly depends on them. Check that questions ask about recent, specific actions, like what someone did last month, so people cannot qualify by wishing. Watch for leading wording and yes or no questions where the qualifying answer is obvious. Make sure exclusion rules do not filter out the people most likely to struggle with the task.
Ask another agent to check the result
Review these screening questions. Remove any that ask for sensitive information the study does not need, and name criteria unrelated to the task being studied. Flag leading wording and questions where the qualifying answer is obvious. Say whether any exclusion rule could screen out relevant participants.
Test the screener, then recruit
Try the screener with someone unfamiliar with the study. Ask which wording is confusing or makes a qualifying answer obvious, and revise those parts. Provide the information participants need about the research and consent process. Confirm how responses will be stored, who can see them and when they will be removed.