HOK Research and UX Testing Recruitment
Mid 2023, we began collaborating with a Usability and UX Design Agency to recruit medical experts for training on a new med-tech device, followed by feedback sessions. The training was conducted online, while testing was onsite. This recruitment project was highly successful, leading the client to award us three additional projects and request several quotes. Our reputation has grown, and we now serve two more UX design firms in the US and Italy.
Recruiting experts for qualitative research has been our forte since 2019 in Berlin and since 1986 in London. We've adapted our proven methods to UX recruitment, resulting in notably higher quality participants compared to previous providers. This success stems from our direct recruitment approach—engaging experts at their workplaces or via telephone—rather than relying on panels. We meticulously vet participants to ensure they have the expertise to complete UX testing effectively and are willing to provide valuable feedback.
While our core focus remains on B2B, Healthcare, and Biotech Recruitment, we occasionally recruit consumers and patients, depending on project needs.
What distinguishes UX testing recruitment from traditional B2B expert recruitment for market research?
Recruiting participants for UX testing sessions and recruiting B2B, healthcare, and biotech experts for industry-specific research or consultations have distinct objectives, participant expertise requirements, and methodologies. Here’s a detailed comparison of the two:
Objective and Focus:
UX Testing: The goal is to evaluate the usability and user experience of a product, typically software or a digital interface. It focuses on how actual users interact with the product, identifying usability issues, and improving design.
B2B, Healthcare, and Biotech Recruitment: This recruitment targets industry experts for in-depth knowledge sharing, consultation, or feedback on specific industry products, technologies, or practices. The focus is often on gaining insights from experienced professionals who can provide deep, technical, and often strategic insights.
Expertise of Participants:
UX Testing: Participants are generally users who represent the product’s target audience. Their expertise is in using the product or similar products, and their feedback is crucial for improving user interface and interactions.
B2B, Healthcare, and Biotech: Participants are highly specialized experts within their fields. For example, a recruitment effort might target medical doctors, biotech researchers, or executives in B2B companies who can provide expert opinions on market trends, clinical outcomes, or product feasibility.
Recruitment Methodologies:
Both UX Testing and B2B, Healthcare, and Biotech recruitment share several core strategies, despite their differing focuses. For UX Testing, recruitment is user-centric, aimed at finding individuals who reflect the actual or intended user base of the product. Common techniques include screening for familiarity with similar technologies, specific professional roles, or demographic criteria relevant to the product's market.
Similarly, recruitment in the B2B, Healthcare, and Biotech sectors, while specialized, often follows parallel methodologies. We leverage professional networks, industry contacts, academic institutions, and our proprietary panels of experts in biotech and healthcare. Like UX Testing, we select participants based on stringent criteria such as professional qualifications, published work, or established expertise in a specific area.
Additionally, particularly in consumer or patient recruitment, clients often emphasize the inclusion of lay participants to ensure that the perspectives of everyday users are captured. This focus enhances the relevance and applicability of the insights gathered, bridging the gap between expert knowledge and consumer experience.
The methodologies in both sectors prioritize a deep understanding of the participant's background and abilities, ensuring that recruited individuals are precisely matched to the project's requirements. This alignment highlights a common goal across different fields: to gather the most relevant and insightful data from well-qualified individuals.
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