User Testing Exam User Testing Participant Recruitment and Screening 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary purpose of a participant screener in usability testing?
- To test participants' knowledge of the product before the session
- To qualify or disqualify candidates based on target audience criteria (Correct answer)
- To measure participants' technical skill level during the session
- To collect demographic data for marketing purposes only
Correct answer: To qualify or disqualify candidates based on target audience criteria
A screener ensures recruited participants match the target user profile, so findings are relevant to the intended audience.
Question 2: Why should screeners avoid leading questions that reveal the 'right' answers?
- To keep the screener short and inexpensive
- To prevent applicants from gaming the screener to qualify when they shouldn't (Correct answer)
- To comply with US labor laws on questionnaire design
- To reduce the time needed to analyze screener results
Correct answer: To prevent applicants from gaming the screener to qualify when they shouldn't
Leading questions allow applicants to guess the desired profile and falsely qualify, resulting in mismatched participants that skew findings.
Question 3: What does 'participant no-show rate' affect in a usability study?
- The visual design of the test prototype
- The timeline and sample size of the study (Correct answer)
- The choice of usability metrics collected
- The reporting format delivered to stakeholders
Correct answer: The timeline and sample size of the study
High no-show rates reduce the number of completed sessions, potentially leaving the study underpowered and delaying findings.
Question 4: Which of the following is a common strategy to reduce participant no-shows?
- Scheduling all participants on the same day
- Sending reminder emails or texts 24–48 hours before the session (Correct answer)
- Removing participant compensation to filter uncommitted candidates
- Shortening sessions to under 10 minutes
Correct answer: Sending reminder emails or texts 24–48 hours before the session
Timely reminders keep appointments top-of-mind and significantly reduce no-show rates in usability studies.
Question 5: What is 'purposive sampling' in usability testing recruitment?
- Randomly selecting participants from the general population
- Deliberately selecting participants who meet specific characteristics relevant to the study (Correct answer)
- Sampling participants based solely on geographic location
- Inviting participants who have previously tested similar products
Correct answer: Deliberately selecting participants who meet specific characteristics relevant to the study
Purposive sampling involves intentionally recruiting participants who possess the attributes that make their feedback most relevant to the research goals.
Question 6: When recruiting for an accessibility-focused study, which participant group should be prioritized?
- Power users of the product
- Users with disabilities who represent the target assistive technology audience (Correct answer)
- IT professionals familiar with accessibility standards
- Marketing team members who understand the product
Correct answer: Users with disabilities who represent the target assistive technology audience
Recruiting users with relevant disabilities ensures findings reflect actual barriers faced by the intended accessible audience.
User Testing Exam User Testing Participant Recruitment and Screening 1
What is the primary purpose of a participant screener in usability testing?