Conduct research

Recruiting participants

Note

Default rule: always start with UserInterviews.com. Only move to secondary or tertiary channels when UserInterviews is not a good fit for your study.

1. Primary: UserInterviews.com

   Our annual subscription supports up to 150 sessions per year and handles everything in one place: recruitment, screening, scheduling, communication, and compensation.

   • Use screening criteria when setting up the platform
   • Communicate with participants within the platform to verify their fit for the study

2. Secondary: State connections

   Use when working with a very specific group already engaged with the State — for example, disability advocacy organizations, LGBTQIA+ organizations, community-based organizations, or state program mailing lists.

   Working with partners can be time-intensive, so plan ahead. Coordinate screening calls through research@innovation.nj.gov.

3. Tertiary: Independent and manual methods

   Use sparingly and with intention. Options include:

   • Targeted Facebook groups (always contact moderators first)
   • The business.nj.gov newsletter
   • LinkedIn ads (with C+E Lab support)
   • Multilingual partners or services for non-English speakers

   Caution

   Manual recruitment often attracts participants more motivated by incentives than topic relevance. Screening phone calls are strongly encouraged before any interview.

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Communicating with participants

All communication with participants should happen through UserInterviews.com — including screeners, scheduling, and compensation.

Required after every session

Mark the participant as “Completed” in UserInterviews. This step is required for their incentive payment to be disbursed. If an interaction makes you uncomfortable, end the session, contact UserInterviews support, and do not mark it complete until after investigation.

Informed consent

Participants must complete a consent form before research begins. All consent forms should:

• Explain the purpose and format of the research
• Clarify confidentiality (PII will remain private)
• Request consent to record, with an option to participate without recording
• Remind participants they can withdraw or change consent at any time

Informed Consent Form Template ↗

Duplicate this form and move it to your project’s Sensitive Documents folder before publishing.

Special consent required for

• Minors — parent or guardian signature required
• Public-facing quotes — for example, use in a press release

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Collecting and managing data

PII must always be stored securely

All personally identifiable information must be saved in the project’s Sensitive Documents folder in Google Drive, with access restricted to the immediate research team only.

1. Store sensitive data

   All PII — names, contact details, recordings, transcripts — must go in the project’s Sensitive Documents folder. Never store participant data in general project folders, personal drives, or open shared spaces.

2. Record sessions

   • Remote sessions: Record through Zoom or Teams, integrated via UserInterviews.
   • In-person sessions: Migrate recordings from the recording device to the Sensitive Documents folder promptly.

   Always remind participants not to enter, display, or say PII during the session.

3. Handle accidental PII capture

   If PII is accidentally captured in a recording:

   • Sanitize the file by removing the PII
   • Destroy the original recording containing raw PII
   • Retain only the sanitized version

4. Prepare recordings for synthesis

   Remove all PII before uploading to Dovetail. Useful tools:

   • Clipchamp — Microsoft’s web-based video editor for trimming audio and video
   • Windows Voice Recorder — built-in tool for recording and trimming audio

5. Share findings responsibly

   Share themes, insights, and anonymized quotes only. Never share full recordings, transcripts, or participant names outside the research team.

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Conducting interviews

Before the session

Begin every session by setting expectations and building trust:

• Introduce yourself and your role
• Explain the purpose of the session in plain language
• Confirm consent (recording or notes-only)
• Reassure participants they can skip any question or stop at any time
• Ask if they need any accommodations

When observers are present

Acknowledge that others may be on the call, then reassure the participant: *“You may notice some other names on the call. They’re here to quietly observe or take notes — today’s session is really just between you and me.”

Asking good questions

One question at a time

Avoid double-barreled questions. Ask about one thing, get a response, then move on.

Stay neutral

Don’t lead participants toward a particular answer. Use language that leaves the door open.

Keep it open-ended

Encourage richer responses. Avoid yes/no questions wherever possible.

Use their language

Mirror the terms participants use instead of imposing jargon or internal terminology.

Observer ground rules

Note

• Stay off camera and on mute at all times
• Do not use chat during the session
• Change your display name to Notetaker or Observer
• Your role is to listen — let the facilitator lead

Ending the session

• Ask if participants have any final thoughts
• Thank them sincerely for their time and input
• Remind them how compensation will be handled (via UserInterviews)
• Ask if they’d be open to participating in future research
• Share next steps — how findings may be used or when they might hear from you