Hiring the right individuals is crucial for conducting high-quality qualitative user research. We have received feedback from forward-thinking consumers regarding potential ideas and prototypes. Their input is valuable for improving existing and new products and promoting innovation. However, recruiting these consumers requires significant time and effort.
The Context
An FMCG company wanted to create a consumer community with around 10 – 15 leading-edge Japanese consumers who can objectively and creatively characterize their user experience of beauty care products.
The Challenge
Recruiting “leading-edge” consumers in the limited time
At first, the definition of “leading-edge” consumers was broad. It could include people interested in beauty, like beauty enthusiasts or semi-professional beauty editors. So, we had to explore different definitions to find the best one. But since we only had one month to build the community, we had to develop recruitment criteria quickly to start recruiting.
The Solution Approaches
#1. Translating”leading edge” into recruitment criteria
Based on understanding the client’s needs, we translated the meaning of “leading-edge” consumers into specific consumer habits and attitudes and set the selection criteria for the respondents’ selections. Finally, we confirmed the recruitment criteria with the client before moving on.
#2. Chain-Referral Recruitment
Of several research agencies for consumer recruitment, we partnered with a recruitment agency specialized in qualitative research. They recruited consumers by chain referrals (or snowball sampling), a time-effective approach to recruiting respondents in stringent criteria in a limited time.
#3. Multiple Selection Criteria
After the recruitment, we further screened the candidates by selecting people who described their products’ user experience in clear writing. Then, we interviewed them to check how they could objectively speak about their user experiences. We checked their open-minded, committed, and learning attitudes, too.
The Outcome
In just one month, we established a cutting-edge consumer community that has been operating smoothly, thanks to the active participation of its members.
