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Recruiting Testers for Research Studies

Last updated on May 27, 2025

Recruiting the right testers is critical to the success of your research studies in Crowd. This guide outlines four distinct methods to invite participants, enabling you to gather valuable user insights tailored to your project needs. Additionally, it covers customizable recruitment settings and provides tools to monitor tester performance across these methods.

Overview of Tester Recruitment

Crowd offers flexible recruitment options to suit various research requirements, from sharing direct links to leveraging a diverse participant pool. Each method can be configured with additional settings to enhance the testing experience, and performance metrics are available to track participation effectiveness.

Methods of Recruiting Testers

1. Inviting via Sharing Link

  • Process: After configuring your research study, click "Publish" and then "Go Live" in the modal to publish the test. A unique invitation link is automatically generated and copied to your clipboard.

  • Sharing: At any time, navigate to the "Recruit" page and click the "Share via Link" button to copy the link for distribution via email, social media, or other channels.

    *Note: This method is ideal for quick, targeted recruitment and allows flexibility in reaching specific audiences. *

2. Publishing on Website

  • Process: Publish the research study on your website where the Crowd tracking script is installed. This embeds the test directly into your site, making it accessible to visitors. If you haven't integrated Crowd into your website, click here.

  • Use Case: Suitable for engaging your existing website users or conducting on-site usability tests.

  • Reference: For detailed instructions, see the Website Publishing Help Document (artifact_id to be provided).

3. Hiring from Participant Pool

  • Process: Access Crowd’s pool of over 140,000 testers with diverse demographics (e.g., age, location, device usage) and select participants that match your study criteria.

  • Use Case: Ideal for reaching a broad or specific audience when you need representative feedback.

  • Reference: For setup guidance, refer to the Participant Pool Recruitment Help Document (artifact_id to be provided).

4. Inviting via Email

  • Process: Send personalized invitations to a list of email addresses through the "Recruit" page, allowing you to target specific individuals or groups.

  • Use Case: Effective for engaging existing customers or stakeholders with tailored invitations.

  • Reference: For detailed steps, consult the Email Invitation Help Document

Customizing Recruitment Settings

On the "Recruit" page, you can enhance your study with the following customizable settings:

  • Redirect on Completion: Enter a URL (e.g., "https://www.example.com/thankyou") where testers will be redirected after completing the test.

  • Record Screen Activity: Toggle this option on or off to enable or disable session recording of tester interactions.

  • Remove Crowd Branding: Activate this setting to remove the "Powered by Crowd" branding from the test interface.

    These settings allow you to tailor the testing environment to your preferences and brand requirements.

Monitoring Tester Performance

1. Understanding Recruitment Performance Insights

The "Recruit" page includes a dedicated section to track the performance of each recruitment method. This area displays the following columns:

  • Sent: The number of invitations sent to testers.

  • Started: The number of testers who began the test.

  • Completed: The number of testers who finished the test. This data helps you assess the effectiveness of each recruitment source and optimize future studies.

2. Analyzing Performance

  • Compare completion rates across methods to identify the most effective recruitment strategy.

  • Adjust participant targeting or incentives if completion rates are low.

Best Practices for Recruiting Testers

  • Targeted Selection: Use screeners or demographic filters to ensure participants align with your study goals.

  • Clear Communication: Provide concise instructions in invitations or on-site prompts to encourage participation.

  • Incentive Alignment: Offer appropriate rewards based on the effort required (e.g., gift cards for longer tests).

  • Performance Review: Regularly monitor performance metrics to refine recruitment strategies.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

  • Link Not Generated: Ensure the study is published; reattempt "Go Live" if necessary.

  • Low Participation: Verify invitation delivery and consider increasing incentives or adjusting settings.

  • Recording Issues: Confirm "Record Screen Activity" is enabled and compatible with participant
    devices.

Next Steps

Explore advanced recruitment options or integrate with other Crowd features. For further assistance, contact support via in-app chat or email support@crowdapp.io.