Practice UX research participant vocabulary: recruitment criteria, screener surveys, incentives, NDAs, and observational note-taking during research sessions.
0 / 10 completed
1 / 10
A UX researcher says 'participant recruitment criteria'. What do recruitment criteria define?
Recruitment criteria define who is the right participant for a specific study. Criteria might include: 'uses the product at least weekly', 'manages a team of 5+ people', 'age 25-45', 'has made an online purchase in the last month'. Without clear criteria, you may end up with participants who don't represent your actual users, making the research findings invalid.
2 / 10
'The screener survey filters out unqualified participants.' What is a screener?
A screener is typically a short survey (5-10 questions) sent to a large pool of potential participants. Responses reveal whether each person meets the recruitment criteria. Questions may be direct ('how often do you use X?') or indirect (to avoid 'right answers'). The screener filters the pool down to qualified participants, saving everyone's time.
3 / 10
'Incentive for participants ($50 gift card).' Why are incentives important in UX research?
Incentives serve multiple purposes: they respect participants' time by compensating them fairly, they improve recruitment success rates (especially for hard-to-reach segments), and they reduce no-show rates. Without incentives, you tend to recruit only highly motivated participants (fans or critics), which biases your sample. Typical incentives range from $25-$100+ depending on session length and participant scarcity.
4 / 10
'Participant NDA.' In what research context is an NDA required from participants?
NDAs are used in UX research specifically when participants will see confidential or unreleased product information — pre-launch features, competitive positioning materials, or strategic roadmap concepts. The NDA is signed before the session begins. For research on existing publicly available features, an NDA is usually not required — a consent form for recording is typically sufficient.
5 / 10
'The participant was confused by the flow — note that.' What is the researcher's role when observing this confusion?
In usability testing, the researcher's job is to observe, not to help. When a participant is confused, the researcher notes what happened (where they looked, what they tried, what they said) without guiding them to the correct path. Helping defeats the purpose — you want to observe the natural failure to understand what is unclear, so the product team can fix it. The researcher can probe ('what were you expecting to happen?') but shouldn't guide.
6 / 10
During a code review of the user onboarding flow, Sarah (the UX Researcher) comments: 'I'm seeing some inconsistent responses regarding the initial data entry. Participants are frequently skipping step 3 – providing their demographic information.' What does this comment primarily indicate about the research participant group?
This comment isn't about the code itself; it focuses on participant behavior. 'Inconsistent responses' and 'skipping steps' suggest participants aren't following the research protocol or experiencing difficulties with a specific task, indicating a problem with the design or instructions rather than a bug in the system. Option C is too drastic—a redesign might be needed later, but initial feedback suggests a process issue.
7 / 10
You're drafting a pull request description for a new feature that allows participants to upload screenshots. Mark (the Research Lead) asks you to include a sentence about 'session recordings'. What should you add to the description?
Session recordings capture the entire user interaction, providing vital context beyond just the screenshots themselves. Simply uploading screenshots doesn't tell you *how* a participant used them or encountered any difficulties. Mark is asking for information that helps interpret the data; session recordings offer this crucial observational element.
8 / 10
A Slack message from Emily (the Research Assistant) reads: 'Just sent out reminder emails to participants about their upcoming usability testing session. Also, the screener survey is showing a low completion rate – only 60% have finished.' What is a 'screener' in this context?
The message explicitly refers to a 'screener survey', which is designed to *filter* participants. This means the screener is the questionnaire itself – the tool used to assess whether potential participants meet the criteria for inclusion in the study. A low completion rate indicates issues with the screener's design or clarity.
9 / 10
During a standup update, David (the Research Analyst) says: 'We're seeing some drop-off rates in the post-task survey. I'm considering offering an additional incentive to encourage completion.' What is the primary reason for providing incentives like gift cards in UX research?
Incentives are primarily used to overcome self-selection bias – where only those motivated to participate (and complete the study) respond. Offering rewards directly addresses this motivation issue and improves response rates, particularly in tasks that might be perceived as tedious or lengthy.
10 / 10
Maria (the Senior Researcher) informs the team: 'We've implemented a participant Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) for this project.' In what research context is an NDA typically required from participants?
An NDA protects the confidentiality of sensitive information shared by participants. This is crucial when research involves proprietary software, services, or data that could be disclosed if made public. The context of testing something confidential necessitates legal protection for both the participant and the company.
This exercise, "Research Participant Vocabulary", tests your understanding of ux research vocabulary and phrasing through 10 multiple-choice questions drawn from real workplace scenarios.
Is this exercise free to use?
Yes. Every exercise on CoderSlingo, including this one, is completely free — no account, sign-up, or payment required.
How many questions does this exercise have?
This exercise has 10 questions. Each one presents a realistic sentence or scenario with multiple-choice options and an explanation once you answer.
What happens after I answer a question?
You'll see immediate feedback showing whether your answer was correct, along with a short explanation of why — then a button to move to the next question.
Can I retry the exercise if I get questions wrong?
Yes. Once you reach the results screen, click "Try again" to reset your answers and go through the exercise from the start as many times as you like.
Do I need to create an account to take this exercise?
No account is needed. Your answers are scored in your browser during the session — nothing is saved to a server, so you can jump straight in.
Is my progress saved if I leave the page?
No — progress within an exercise resets if you navigate away or reload. Each exercise is short enough to complete in a few minutes in one sitting.
Who is this UX Research exercise for?
It's designed for IT professionals and learners who want to sound natural discussing ux research topics in English — useful for meetings, documentation, interviews, and day-to-day communication with English-speaking teams.
How is this different from reading a glossary or blog article?
Exercises like this one are active recall drills — you have to choose the correct term or phrasing yourself, which builds retention faster than passively reading a definition.
Where can I find more UX Research exercises?
Browse the full UX Research exercises hub for more practice, or explore other exercise categories covering vocabulary, grammar, interviews, and workplace communication.