UX screener questions are essential for user research, as they help identify suitable participants before testing begins.Â
User research helps you understand your product’s users, guiding better design and development decisions. However, finding right participants can be challenging, and the quality of your research depends on engaging individuals who reflect your target audience.
Screener questions act as gatekeepers. They help identify the suitable participants by filtering for relevant demographics, experience levels, and behaviours that align with your research objectives.
This guide covers how to create effective UX screeners, when to use them, best practices, and practical examples for your research studies.
Why use UX screener questions?Â
Screener questions are crucial for recruitment and research. They help identify suitable participants and filter out those who don’t meet the criteria, ensuring we don’t waste time on candidates irrelevant to our study.
Here’s why UX screening questions are essential for your research:
- Identify candidates who meet specific demographic or behavioral criteria.
- Reduce the costs linked to interviewing unqualified candidates.
- Find the right participants. This leads to better data quality for the hiring process.
Traditional recruitment can be slow for targeting specific audiences, like Japanese individuals fluent in English. Use external user panels like UXArmy to quickly identify and screen qualified participants.
When should you use UX screener questions?
As we know, screeners can help ensure participants meet criteria across all research methods, such as surveys, unmoderated tests and interviews.
Here are situations where they are especially helpful:
- Targeted research: When targeting a specific audience with unique backgrounds or experiences.
- Sensitive research: When dealing with personal or sensitive topics, participants need to feel comfortable discussing them.
- Specialized knowledge: When seeking participants with expertise or experience in using specific tools or software.
- Brand research: To ensure participants are familiar with your brand.
- Product testing: To select participants based on prior experience or usage habits.
- Market segmentation: To segment your market according to preferences, behaviours, or purchasing habits.
- Usability testing: To identify participants with different levels of technical expertise.
- Concept testing: To recruit participants with relevant backgrounds to evaluate new ideas effectively.
Best Practices for Writing UX Screener Questions
Finding participants who genuinely align with your research objectives can be challenging. While nearly any user can provide some level of insight, recruiting participants who closely resemble your actual users in terms of behavior, interests, and familiarity with your product or domain will yield significantly more valuable data.Â
As the Nielsen Norman Group points out, recruiting representative users is essential for collecting meaningful results.
Now that we understand the importance of screener questions and when to use them, let’s look at how to craft them effectively to find the right participants.
Define clear research goals.
A clear goal is vital because it helps you identify what to learn and guides you in writing the questions. For example, if you’re researching a food delivery app, your screener may include:
- How often did you order takeaway in a month?
- Almost every day
- 2–3 times a week
- Once a week
- 2–3 times a month
- Once a month or less
- None at all
- Which food delivery apps do you use regularly? (Select all that apply.)
Uber Eats, Grab Food, Deliveroo, Foodpanda, Instacart, etc.
Identify your ideal participants.
Define your target participants’ age, location, lifestyle, habits, and behaviors. This will help you design questions that yield relevant data. For instance, if you’re testing a fitness app, you may want to find participants who work out daily at home or the gym.
Don’t ask leading questions.
Leading questions may result in biased answers. Steer clear of suggestive phrases such as “Isn’t it true that…” or “Don’t you think…”. Rather, ensure that questions remain neutral.
Don’t give too much information.
Provide context for participants to understand requirements without revealing details that may influence responses. For example, instead of saying, “We’re researching preferences for our new fitness app,” say, “We’re conducting a study on health and wellness apps.”
Arrange your screener questions logically.
Begin with general questions about demographics, followed by more detailed inquiries regarding product experience. This approach reduces wasted time with unqualified participants.
Keep your screener brief.
No one enjoys lengthy surveys; participants are more inclined to complete a brief screener. Therefore, ask the most critical questions early and strive to limit the survey to a maximum of five questions when possible.
Avoid jargon, acronyms, or vague terms.
Write clear questions by using concrete language and specific ranges. For example, instead of “rarely” or “often,” use “2–3 times a week” or “once a month.” Ensure answer options don’t overlap (e.g. 18–24, 25–34).
Provide “other” options.
Always offer responses like “Other,” “None of the above,” or “Prefer not to say” so participants can answer honestly.
Dry run your screener.
Test your screener internally before launching. Invite your team to review it to ensure clarity and alignment with your research goals.
Confirm consent if recording.
Always ask for participants’ consent beforehand if you will be recording the session.
Tip: Need help finding the right participants? Check out our full guide to participant recruitment for step-by-step strategies.
Pitfalls to Avoid with UX Screener Questions
Here are common mistakes and how to avoid them:
Mistake: Don’t over-rely on demographics, which don’t give you the whole picture.
Solution: Tailor screening questions to the demographic profile relevant to the survey’s objectives for precise data collection.
Mistake: Too many screening questions.
Solution: Restrict to essential questions. Target a maximum of 5 questions.
Mistake: Not including behavioral questions.
Solution: Use frequency-based questions to understand recent habits and routines.
Mistake: Some participants might exploit the system for incentives.
Solution: Make the questions harder for participants to guess qualifying answers.
UX Screener Question Examples
Here are examples of screener questions sorted by category:
Demographic
- What’s your annual household income?
- Below $25,000
- $25,001–$50,000
- $50,001–$75,000
- $75,001–$100,000
- Above $100,000
- What is your marital status?
- Single, Married, Divorced, Widowed, Prefer not to say
Psychographic
- Which best describes your typical weekend?
- Outdoor activities, Socializing, Relaxing at home, Other
- How do you unwind after a stressful day?
- Exercise, Mindfulness, Family time, Hobbies (e.g. painting), Other
Product knowledge
- On a scale of 1 to 5, how familiar are you with [product/service]?
- 1 (Not familiar) to 5 (Extremely familiar)
- Which features have you used in [product/service]?
- Feature A, B, C, D, None of the above
Frequency of use
- How often did you use [product/service] in the past month?
- Daily, 2–3 times a week, Once a week, Twice a month, Once a month, Never
Task frequency
- How often do you exercise?
- Every day, 2–3 times a week, once a week, Never
- How often do you shop online?
- Multiple times a week, once a week, once a month, never.
Technical know-how
- How comfortable are you using a smartphone?
- 1 (Very uncomfortable) to 5 (Extremely comfortable)
- How familiar are you with using a smartwatch?
- 1 (Not familiar) to 5 (Extremely familiar)
Experience with software
- How comfortable are you using Figma?
- 1 (Very uncomfortable) to 5 (Extremely comfortable)
- How proficient are you with Google Analytics?
- 1 (Not familiar) to 5 (Extremely familiar)
Industry or occupation
- Which industry do you work in?
- Retail, IT, Healthcare, Education, Finance, Marketing, etc.
- Which best describes your job function
- Marketing, Sales, Customer Service, Finance, HR, Operations, etc.
Comfort with sharing personal info
- Are you comfortable sharing your health history?
- Yes / No
- How comfortable are you sharing your household income in this study?
- 1 (Very uncomfortable) to 5 (Extremely comfortable)
Looking to streamline your recruitment and feedback analysis? Check out UXArmy’s free research tools.
- 1 (Very uncomfortable) to 5 (Extremely comfortable)
Maximize Your Research Impact with UXArmy
Incorporating screener questions into your research can significantly improve the quality of your data and insights. Whether you’re targeting niche participants or sensitive subjects, screeners enable precise participant selection.
Remember, research is iterative. Experiment with different question formats and strategies to continually improve your screening process. We hope these tips and examples help you craft effective screener questions for your next study.
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Frequently asked questions
How many screener questions should I include and what types?
Keep it short. Ideally no more than 5 questions. Focus only on what’s essential to qualify or disqualify participants without overwhelming them.
Key types to include:
Demographics: Age, location, gender, income level, education
Behavioral: Usage patterns, purchasing habits, frequency of actions
Attitudinal: Opinions, preferences, motivations
Experience-based: Past interactions with products/services, expertise level
Qualifying: Decision-making authority, willingness to participate
When should I use screener questions in UX research?
Use screener questions to find participants with specific traits or experiences, such as product familiarity or tech proficiency, especially for usability tests and interviews.
What are UX screener questions, and why are they important?
UX screener questions are targeted questions used in participant recruitment to filter out those who don’t meet the research criteria. This screening exercise helps engage the right users, improving data quality and saving time.
You can learn more about screener questions on this completed guide.
How can I prevent participants from faking responses to qualify?
Use scenario-based or behavioral questions that are harder to manipulate. Avoid revealing qualifications and review responses for patterns.
How do I use screening questions to select the right participants?
To use screening questions effectively:
Define clear research goals to identify the specific traits or behaviors you need to evaluate.
Create targeted, unbiased questions that filter based on demographics, experience, or usage habits.
Avoid leading or overly detailed questions that hint at the “right” answer.
Start with broad criteria such as age or location, then narrow down to specifics like product familiarity.
Test your screener before launch to ensure clarity and alignment with your study.
This approach helps recruit participants who truly represent your target audience, improving your research’s effectiveness.
