This is the second part in a series on how to run a usability test on Dscout. This article walks through completing the Recruit/Invite tab of a usability test.
Note: continuous recording options for mobile Usability tests are not yet available—please check back in January 2025!
Contents
Recruit tab – Auto-recruit missions
Recruit tab – Add from screeners missions
Invite tab – Invite your own participants
Additional Recruit settings
Recruit/Invite Tab
The Recruit /Invite tab is where you will target and screen your potential participants and set up your mission details. If you use auto-recruit or add from a screener, this tab will display as Recruit. This tab will display as Invite if you use a share link to invite external participants.
Recruit tab – Auto-recruit missions
Auto-recruit Express missions recruit scouts directly through the Dscout panel. You’ll target your ideal participants through screening questions, targeting attributes, and quotas. Any scout who is eligible based on the screening criteria will move directly into the mission. The mission will automatically close once you have received your desired sample size of eligible recruits.
- Participant Limit: Set your desired sample size of eligible entries. Once the mission has reached that sample size, it will automatically close, and you can view the submissions from the eligible participants. Usability tests can include up to 100 participants.
- Incentive (visible to participants): Select the incentive participants will receive upon mission completion. Auto-recruit missions pay participants automatically after a 7-day payment hold. Incentives should be determined by the types of questions and level of effort required to complete your Express mission. If you have questions about determining incentive amounts, reach out to your Research Advisor. Choose from a range of incentive amounts between $2 - $200.
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Description (visible to participants): Describe the general objective of your usability test and what the participant will do during it. Keep your teaser general, and do your best to avoid revealing your knockout logic here to encourage unbiased and honest responses. The description is the ideal place to communicate any instructions that are important for participants to know before beginning the mission, such as whether they need to be at home to successfully complete the test.
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Targeting attributes: Targeting attributes can be used to better target your participant audience; upon launch, the test will only be seen by participants who meet the criteria you've specified in your targeting attributes. If you don’t include targeting attributes, the mission will be available to all participants to apply. Learn more about Targeting Attributes.
To include targeting attributes, select the Targeting Attributes menu item and select the desired attributes to target from the Targeting Attributes menu on the right-hand side. Select the criteria you want to include in your test. For example, this education attribute will only target people with the highest education level of some high school or high school graduate.
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Screener questions (visible to participants): Auto-recruit missions include the option to include up to 10 unique close-ended screening questions to determine participant eligibility. Each screener question must include termination logic (knockout or must-select). Single-select Screening questions can also include quotas. You must include at least one screening question.
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Exclude Recent Participants: Exclude participants who have participated in any paid activity at the project level or at the account level within the last 90 days. This can be toggled off after launch. Find this setting in the Settings menu of the Targeting Attributes area.
- Balance Participant Demographics: Ensure your participant pool is a good mix of scouts. No segment within demographics of Age, Ethnicity, and Gender will exceed 65%. This can be toggled off after launch. This feature is only supported for US-based participants. Find this setting in the Settings menu of the Targeting Attributes area.
Recruit tab – Add from screeners missions
With the "Add from screeners" option, you can bring participants into the usability test from a screener run through Dscout’s Recruit tool. This approach allows you to leverage Express while giving you the ability to hand-pick your participants.
- Incentive (visible to participants): Select the incentive that scouts will receive upon completion of the mission. Participants will automatically receive payment after a 7-day hold. Incentives should be determined by the types of questions and level of effort required to complete your Express mission. If you have questions about determining incentive amounts, reach out to your Research Advisor. Choose from a range of incentive amounts between $1 - $200.
- Participants: Select the participants you would like to complete the mission following these steps: Adding scouts from a screener ("manual recruit") to Express
Invite tab – Invite your own participants
If you’d like to work with participants outside of the Dscout panel, you can bring your own participants to the Dscout platform using a share link. There will be no screener questions or targeting attributes in BYO Express missions, so you should only invite pre-screened participants to your mission. You will also be responsible for paying your participants outside of the Dscout platform. Learn more: Bring Your Own (BYO) Participants to Express
- Description(visible to participants): Describe the general objective of your Express mission and what the participant will have to complete in the mission. The description is the ideal place to communicate any important instructions for participants to know before beginning the mission, i.e., if they need to be at home to successfully complete the mission.
- Share link: The shareable URL becomes active once the mission is launched. Copy the URL provided and share it directly with your participants.
- Incentive (visible to participants if enabled): You can choose if you’d like to display an incentive amount. Communicate what your participants will receive for completing your mission. Dscout is not able to process payments for this recruitment type, so you will be responsible for paying them directly.
Additional Recruit settings
- Hero Image (visible to participants): Pick something relevant and fun! If you have multiple similar missions within the same project, different hero images can help you distinguish between them.
- Company branding (visible to participants if enabled): Let participants know who they're working with by enabling company branding. Learn more: Company Branding
Your next step is design your usability using the Create tab.