About Contributors

Table of Contents

Who makes up the UserTesting Contributor Network?

Where do contributors come from?

How do I recruit people from the Contributor Network?

How do we know that a UserTesting Network contributor is qualified to participate in our tests?

Is there anything we can do to ensure that a contributor generates quality feedback?

What if we like the feedback from certain UserTesting Contributor Network members and want to use these individuals for future tests?

The UserTesting Contributor Network (formerly known as the "UserTesting Panel") is an ever-growing, worldwide pool of contributors (formerly called "participants") from which UserTesting customers can recruit when looking to have experienced, qualified users test their products and services.

Who makes up the UserTesting Contributor Network?

The Network consists of contributors representing a range of ages, industries, and incomes, and possess varying degrees of technical knowledge and computer expertise.

Where do contributors come from?

Network contributors are located throughout the world—we have contributors from more than 40 countries. For more information on becoming a contributor, please visit this link. 

How do I recruit people from the Contributor Network?

The two primary ways to recruit Network members are...

1) Using demographic filters 

2) Creating screener questions when building your test plan in the UserTesting Platform.    

These features will help you narrow your audience so that you are able to recruit contributors who best match your targeted audience.

How do we know that a UserTesting Network contributor is qualified to participate in our tests?

When applying to be members of the Network, applicants will take a test that is reviewed and scored by our Operations team. During this review process, the Operations team will consider as contributors those who meet the following criteria:

1. The potential contributor possesses a satisfactory level of technical knowledge/computer skills.
2. They show that they are able to follow task instructions.
3. They demonstrate the ability to speak aloud their thoughts.

Having been approved by the Operations team, a contributor can begin taking tests. The team also reviews the first test a new contributor works on and provides feedback, pointing out areas for improvement.

Is there anything we can do to ensure that a contributor generates quality feedback?

UserTesting encourages customers to play a proactive part in the quality-control process by rating (on a 1–5 scale) any video feedback they receive from the contributor. Doing so reinforces to the contributors that you place a premium on being provided thoughtful, actionable insights.

What if we like the feedback from certain UserTesting Contributor Network members and want to use these individuals for future tests?

In that situation, you have a few options when using the Contributor Network to define your test audience:

• Designate specific contributors you want from the Contributor Network via Specific contributors.
• Add Network contributors you like to Favorite contributors. This option functions similarly to “Specified…,” but spares you from having to designate the contributor each time you want to use them for a new test.

You also have the option to invite contributors from outside the UserTesting Contributor Network:

• Use the Custom Network (formerly “My Panel”) option to build your own group of contributors. This option is useful for customers who want to use the same group of preferred contributors again and again.
• Establish an Invite Network (formerly “My Recruit”). This option differs from the Custom Network service in that the contributor is not added to a network, and that you, the customer, are responsible for communicating with and paying the contributors. This option is primarily used to recruit contributors for a single study. 

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