A screener is the short questionnaire that filters who takes part in user research. It asks about recent behaviour rather than opinion, mixes the right criteria with others so the answer is not obvious, and marks which answers continue and which screen out. A good screener avoids selection bias: interviewing only people who are easy to find, who like the product or who know research from the inside.
How to use
- Describe the profile you want to hear from and the topic that will appear in the invitation.
- Write the target behaviour so it completes "When did you last...".
- List the must-have and exclusion criteria, in the first person.
- Set quotas, the number of participants, session length, format and incentive.
- Copy the questions into your form, shuffle the options and use the ready-made invitation.
What each field asks for
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Profile you want to hear from | Who the right people for the research are. |
| Invitation topic | How the subject appears to participants, without revealing the criteria. |
| Target behaviour | What the person must have done: it completes "When did you last...". |
| Must-have criteria | First-person statements the person would recognise. All of them must be ticked. |
| Exclusion criteria (optional) | Who should not take part. They also help disguise the right answer. |
| Group | E.g. I use a spreadsheet for my finances |
| People | |
| Participants | How many interviews you want to run. Five to eight per profile are usually enough. |
| Session length | Choose the length |
| Format | Choose the format |
| Incentive (optional) | The thank-you offered to participants. |
Example
A team wants to interview 8 store leads who build the team rota, in 45-minute video calls. The screener has 8 questions: security (anyone working in research or marketing is screened out), recency ("When did you last build a shift rota for a team?", screened out if more than 3 months ago), frequency, criteria mixed with exclusions, quotas (4 who use a spreadsheet or paper, 2 who use an app, 2 who share the rota), recent paid research, one open question and availability. The plan recommends scheduling 10 people (a 25% buffer for no-shows), 7.5 hours of fieldwork.
When to use
- Before a round of interviews, to recruit the right people and not just the easiest to reach.
- For prototype tests, when the profile must have done the task recently.
- When you recruit from a panel, a customer list or social media and need to filter.
- To balance the group with quotas, such as occasional and frequent users.
Frequently asked questions
What is a research screener?
It is a screening questionnaire that decides who takes part in an interview or test. It confirms, through behavioural questions, that the person has the profile and recent experience the research needs.
Why ask about behaviour rather than opinion?
Because what someone did recently can be checked and is hard to invent; opinions shift with the way a question is phrased. "When did you last..." filters far better than "are you interested in...?".
How do I stop people guessing the right answer?
Do not reveal the criteria in the invitation, mix the must-have criteria with exclusions and other options, and shuffle the order in the form. Multiple-choice questions work better than yes/no ones.
How many participants should I recruit?
For interviews, five to eight per profile usually reveal the main patterns. Schedule around 25% more to cover no-shows and rescheduling.
What is the security question for?
It removes people who work in research, marketing or design, who tend to answer as experts rather than as users. It also keeps out professional panellists who take part in studies all the time.
Do I need to offer an incentive?
It is not mandatory, but an incentive reduces no-shows and raises the response rate. Pay the same amount to everyone who attends and check the rules with your organisation’s legal or privacy team.