Setting up your screener

If you're using dscout Recruit to find participants for your mission, you'll need to build a screener.

First, create a project, then either create a new screener or copy one from a previous project. Then, there are three major steps to building a screener:

1. Set scout expectations using the Details tab
2. Identify your audience with the Participants tab
3. Write your question script in the Questions tab
4. Submit your screener for review and implement your Research Advisor's feedback

1. Set expectations with the Details tab

On the Details tab, you'll see several fields to fill out:

Appearance

• Image: First, select an amazing Hero Image to show off the topic of your research.
• Company Branding: If you want to brand your screener, toggle this on! Otherwise, scouts will be blind to your company name.

Mission Details

• Mission Openings: The number of scouts you're looking for.
• Mission Duration: How long is your mission(s) going to last? Let scouts know here.
• Mission Start date: This is the date that you plan to launch your mission, the actual research part of your project.
• Mission Reward: Be sure to specify the incentive scouts can expect for completing their mission requirements. Most dscout projects pay between $20-$200, depending on how much time and effort is required, and how niche the recruit is.

Overview

• Teaser: Write up a fun and engaging teaser statement to encourage scouts to apply. Let scouts know what to expect if they're selected, but don't give too many details away! See some examples for inspiration.
• Open For: If you'd like your screener to automatically close itself, adjust this number to fit the timeframe between screener launch and your mission start date.
• Internal Name: If it's helpful for your business purposes, give this screener an internal name. This field is hidden from scouts.

2. Identify your audience with the Participants tab

On the Participants tab, you can specify the demographic information scouts need to fit to prequalify for your screener.

Demographics

You'll be able to set gender, age, and country requirements, as well as iPhone vs. Android operating system requirements. Most scouts live in the USA. If you don't have requirements for these demographics, leave them open. Your screener will only be visible to scouts who fit the demographic criteria you specify in this section.

Participant Controls

Choose whether or not to recruit scouts who have participated in a mission within your account or project. You can also choose to turn on the Balance feature, and customize even further by specifying ethnicity balance. 

3. Write your question script

Now it's time to write some questions!

You can ask scouts up to 20 unique questions, including up to 1 photo and 1 video question. The rest of your questions can be open ended, multiple select, single select, scale, or number questions. 

You can also include 6 standard, pre-written demographic questions (education, employment status, household composition, household income, industry, and research industry) that don't count against your 20 question limit. All scouts have already provided their age, gender, location, mobile device OS, and a profile photo by signing up for a dscout account.

Be sure to include up to 3 knockout questions (questions with termination/disqualifying options) at the beginning of your screener to make sure you exclude scouts who wouldn't be a good fit under any circumstances.

If you'd like to change the order of your questions, ensure you're not in "editing mode" for the question you'd like to move, then tap + hold on the question and drag + drop to your preferred position.

It's a best practice to include a video or picture prompt if your mission will include one, and single select questions that allow you to filter applicants by segment, behavior, sentiment, etc.

As a last step, define your skip and knockout logic as necessary.

4. Submit for review

Once you have created your screener and mission, click the "Submit for Review" button in the bottom right corner of the screener Setup page. Your Research Advisor will review your project and provide feedback within two business days.

After you make adjustments based on your Research Advisor's feedback, they'll launch your screener for you! There will often be hundreds of applications to sort through within a few days — which is what you'll do next.