Step 2: Recruit participants
How to find and recruit the ideal participants for your interviews
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Principles
Finding and recruiting participants
The focus of your research project determines who you recruit, and how many people you recruit. Additionally, your recruitment effort should aim to capture a wide range of perspectives on the issue you’re researching. Consider recruiting people of different service branches, ages, ethnicities, genders, and life circumstances to capture a breadth of experience and perspectives
Partnerships
Partner with the facility, union(s), and/or organization you’re studying. Find a point of contact who can help you recruit research participants. Be clear with them about your needs. Regularly communicate with your partners to ensure that they understand who you’re researching, and what you need to complete your research.
Qualitative research and HCD
People familiar with quantitative research look for statistical significance, but qualitative research is different. Acknowledge this difference with partners, and discuss with them how qualitative insights lend color and humanity to related quantitative data. While quantitative data informs service effectiveness quite well, qualitative data leads to services that are easy, effective, and emotionally resonant. Qualitative feedback can come from any individual, and you don’t need a huge sample size to discover usable insights.
