down arrow
Illustration of charts and graphs - top 5 takeaways from the 2023 User Interviews Research Participant Panel report

Top 5 Takeaways from the 2023 User Interviews Research Panel Report

The data’s in. Here’s what to know about the depth, reliability, and scalability of our proprietary UX research participant panel.

ICYMI, we recently published the inaugural User Interviews Research Panel Report

The report provides a ✨ data deep-dive ✨ into the population of participants who’ve signed up for Recruit, our on-demand research panel: who they are, how we source and vet them, and what both researchers and participants have to say about their experience with User Interviews. 

By making this data available, we hoped to set a new level of transparency around who’s represented in our growing participant panel, so researchers can better evaluate our panel’s suitability for their specific needs. (Yet, it only scratches the surface—the best way to gauge the feasibility for your specific needs is to launch a project!) 

Here are the report’s top takeaways about the User Interviews participant panel: 

  1. Our panel includes 3 million participants from 7 countries, all 50 U.S. states, and 73,000 occupations.
  2. 98% of sessions result in positive researcher feedback (and our no-show rate is up to 60% lower than the industry average!).
  3. On average, our panel grows by 5% each month.
  4. High referral rates and positive testimonials indicate a positive participant experience.
  5. With a 4.7 rating on G2, User Interviews is one of the most well-loved recruiting tools on the market.
🙋 Read why people like participating on User Interviews.

1. Our panel includes 3 million participants from 7 countries, all 50 U.S. states, and 73,000 occupations. 

The User Interviews research participant panel includes: More than 3 million total participantsParticipants in 7 countries (with new markets opening up in the future!)U.S. participants from all 50 states73,000 professional occupations represented across 140 industries

From ethics to accuracy, representation matters.

That’s why it’s important to recruit from a deep participant pool with a wide range of demographic, psychographic, professional, and technical attributes.

As the 2023 Panel Report shows, User Interviews has focused on growing a broad, diverse  panel to connect researchers with the audiences they need for effective research. 

When you choose User Interviews as your preferred recruitment tool, you get access to:

  • More than 3 million total participants
  • Participants in 7 countries (with new markets opening up in the future!)
  • U.S. participants from all 50 states
  • 73,000 professional occupations represented across 140 industries

You can target specific audiences using attributes like location, household income, the age range of participants’ children, device operating systems, job titles, skills, industry, and more. 

Plus, if our pre-set attributes don’t include the attributes you’re looking for, you can add additional custom criteria or narrow down qualified applicants using our screener survey tools. 

The takeaway: With the broad User Interviews panel, you can recruit a truly representative sample of your target audience. 

2. 98% of sessions result in positive researcher feedback (and our no-show rate is up to 60% lower than the industry average!).

Researchers are overwhelmingly satisfied with the quality of participants they recruit from the User Interviews research panel, with 98.3% of sessions resulting in positive feedback and only 1.7% of sessions resulting in negative feedback for any reason.

Recruiting the right people helps you protect the validity of your research (while saving time and money by avoiding unqualified or fraudulent recruits). 

Unfortunately, not all recruitment channels give you the tools to reliably and accurately verify your recruit. For example, DIY recruiting options like Craigslist don’t give you much control over who applies to your studies, and they definitely don’t give you your money (or time) back if an unqualified or fraudulent participant accidentally slips through your screener survey

But as the 2023 Panel Report shows, User Interviews verifies participants and monitors for fraud for you, resulting in a low incidence of fraud, fewer no-shows compared to the industry average, and fast recruitment workflow that increases your speed-to-insights: 

  • 98% of sessions result in positive feedback
  • Less than 1 hour median time to first matched participant
  • Only 0.3% active participants ever flagged as suspicious 
  • <8% no-show rate for moderated sessions (that’s low compared to the industry standards of approximately 11%20%)
User Interviews's research participant no-show rate is less than 8 for moderated sessions (that’s low compared to the industry standards of approximately 11%–20%).
The takeaway: Recruiting from a reliable panel like User Interviews is key to avoiding fraud, reducing no-shows, and feeling confident in your data.

3. On average, our panel grows by 5% each month. 

On average, the User Interviews research participant panel grow about 5% each month. We have 3 million participants today and are projected to reach 7.9 participants by 2025.

You can’t keep recruiting the same participants forever. Panel fatigue is a real phenomenon that can cause a downward spiral in the quality of your data. 

That’s why User Interviews is constantly working on attracting new participants to our panel. As our 2023 Panel Report demonstrated, Recruit is well-positioned to grow with your recruiting needs as your research scales, with:

  • 4.92% average monthly growth rate
  • 79% panel acquisition from word-of-mouth and social channels
  • Powerful network effects continuously improve and speed up matching

Because most of our panel growth is coming from word-of-mouth and social channels (a sign of great participant experiences and high referral rates!), we can direct our focused acquisition strategy toward recruiting niche audiences. We prioritize our acquisition efforts based on researcher demand, so we’re always growing to support our customers

The takeaway: User Interviews enables you to continue recruiting fresh faces, even as your research scales. 

4. High referral rates and positive testimonials indicate a positive participant experience.

The majority (79%) of our panel acquisition is coming through word-of-mouth channels. These high referral rates (plus positive testimonials) indicate a positive participant experience.

When you're conducting research with real customers (or potential customers), the participant experience is paramount. 💎

If you're not intentional about providing a positive experience—from recruitment outreach to incentives distribution (because, unless your industry or company prohibits incentives, you really  should pay your participants for their time)—then you run the risk of frustrating or confusing participants, causing them to drop out of the study and potentially damaging your research team’s reputation. 

User Interviews is committed to providing a positive experience to both researchers and participants. Our automated recruiting tools help streamline every touchpoint you have with participants, from initial sign up and approval through redeeming incentives. 

The 2023 Panel Report highlights this positive participant experience with our high word-of-mouth referral rates and positive testimonials from real participants. 

Here’s what Amber S., VP of Operations for a national healthcare company and featured Recruit panelist, says about her experience using User Interviews:

“I LOVE getting to participate in surveys through User Interviews. As a full-time healthcare worker, mom, wife, volunteer, etc., I often need some time to be alone and unwind and these studies help me do that, while making extra income on the side!” – Amber S. 

The report also includes a great review from Jason Barash, a SaaS product manager and featured User Interviews participant:

“As a software Product Manager by day, I love utilizing User Interviews to help me learn from other UX and Product Manager experts. Participating in these sessions allows me to become a better PM and hopefully provide some great feedback for the community.” – Jason Barash
The takeaway: You can provide a top-notch participant experience by streamlining the recruiting workflow with User Interviews.  

5. With a 4.7 G2 rating, User Interviews is one of the most well-loved recruiting tools on the market.

User Interviews has a 4.7 rating on G2, the world’s largest tech software review website, making UI one of the most well-loved and widely-recommended recruiting tools on the market.

Your options for participant recruitment channels are vast—but not all recruitment channels are equal. 

Some recruitment channels are more feasible for specialized recruits, while others are better for recruiting from the general population. Some have dedicated strategies for building and managing diverse, reliable panels, while others cast a wide net and hope for the best. 

There’s a lot to consider when deciding which panel is right for you, but one way to weigh your options is to ask your fellow researchers for their reviews and recommendations. 

User Interviews has a 4.7 rating on G2, the world’s largest tech software review website, making UI one of the most well-loved and widely-recommended recruiting tools on the market. As our 2023 Panel Report shows, researchers have completed more than 500,000 sessions with consumers and professionals from our panel—and of those, 98% of sessions have resulted in positive feedback.

Beyond the numbers, here’s featured testimonial from Zoey L., a service designer and User Interviews customer: 

“User Interviews finds research participants as fast as within a day, the many screening options are excellent and I'm able to find the right participants that meet my research criteria. This platform is plug and play and I can set up a study quickly without having to talk to a sales rep to start using the platform. I appreciate that the payment options are extremely clear on what I can get at what price points, there are no hidden fees or questions about what I get.” – Zoey L. on G2

The report also includes this great review from User Interviews customer Alec L:

“I work in B2B SaaS and have struggled for years to get good interviewees with niche experience that aren't already customers. I've tried everything from approaching randoms on Linkedin, running all sorts of ads, offering cash, free products, and have barely received more than an acknowledgement from my targets.

Two weeks on [User Interviews] and I have had 4 interviews with people with outstanding experience (i.e. one interviewee had 20+ years working in our target role in an ICP enterprise business). I'm honestly blown away.

I don't know how they get these people to talk to me, but I will continue paying them for as long as they are able to work this magic.” – Alec L. on Trustpilot
The takeaway: Choosing the right tools for your UX research toolbox can be stressful—why not use a top-rated recruiting tool that researchers already love?

Get the full report for more insights 

Recruiting from a deep, reliable, trusted participant panel ultimately elevates the insights you discover and the products your team ships. 

Explore the data supporting these key takeaways by downloading the 2023 UI Panel Report, with:

  • More participant stats and a full demographic data breakdown
  • A data deep-dive into our consumer and professional audiences
  • Details on how User Interviews sources and vets participants to ensure their fit and credibility
  • Examples of real recruitment requests filled through User Interviews
  • Testimonials from both researchers and participants

The report gives you a good idea of who’s represented in our 3,000,000+ participant panel—but remember, it only scratches the surface. The best way to determine whether or not the User Interviews panel can meet your recruitment needs is to sign up for a free account and launch your first project. 

Lizzy Burnam
Product Education Manager

Marketer, writer, poet. Lizzy likes hiking, people-watching, thrift shopping, learning and sharing ideas. Her happiest memory is sitting on the shore of Lake Champlain in the summer of 2020, eating a clementine.

Subscribe to the UX research newsletter that keeps it fresh
illustration of a stack of mail
[X]
Table of contents
down arrow
Latest posts from
Inside UIhand-drawn arrow that is curved and pointing right