Ethical participant recruitment

How teams find and invite research participants directly affects who gets represented in product decisions. Recruiting only through professional networks, social media, or existing user bases creates echo chambers that exclude people outside those circles.^[1] Communities with less digital access, non-English speakers, and those without industry connections remain invisible in research that claims to represent broader populations.

Ethical recruitment starts with honest communication about what participation involves. People deserve to know how much time they'll invest, what topics will be discussed, how their information will be used, and what compensation they'll receive. Misleading people about study length or purpose to boost participation rates is manipulative, even if unintentional.

Recruitment channels matter as much as messaging. Partnering with community organizations, posting in diverse online spaces, and using multiple languages expands who sees opportunities to participate. Screening criteria should be examined carefully. Requirements that seem neutral often have biased effects. For example, asking for corporate email addresses excludes freelancers and unemployed people. Requiring specific technology excludes lower-income participants.