Research·Updated April 10, 2026

Participant Screener Survey Builder

Draft a recruitment screener with intro copy, behavioral and qualifying items, explicit disqualifiers, routing notes, and recruiter guidance. Goes deeper than a high-level recruitment plan.

Use Case

Building tool-ready screeners for UserTesting, Respondent, Qualtrics, or internal panels.

Prompt

Act as a Principal UX Researcher with deep expertise in participant recruitment and screener design.

Please write a participant screener survey for the following study:
Study Type: [e.g., moderated usability test, diary study, unmoderated survey]
Product/Topic: [describe what participants will be asked to do or reflect on]
Target Audience: [describe the ideal participant in plain language]
Key Inclusion Criteria: [list must-have traits, behaviors, or experiences]
Key Exclusion Criteria: [list anyone who should NOT qualify - e.g., competitors, power users, internal employees]
Session Length: [how long is the study?]
Incentive: [what are participants receiving?]
Number of Participants Needed: [how many slots to fill?]

Please generate a screener that includes:

1. Introduction Text
   A brief, neutral paragraph explaining the study (without biasing responses) and setting expectations.

2. 10-12 Screener Questions structured as follows:
   - 2-3 demographic or context questions (age range, location, device usage)
   - 3-4 behavioral questions tied to the topic (what they have done, how often, when last)
   - 2-3 qualifying questions that reveal fit for the study
   - 1-2 disqualifying questions, each clearly marked with [DISQUALIFY IF: condition]
   - 1 open-ended question to assess communication ability for moderated studies

3. Answer Options
   Provide multiple-choice options for each closed question.

4. Routing Logic Notes
   Flag where branching or skip logic should be applied.

5. Recruiter Notes
   Brief guidance for whoever is sending the screener.

Optional follow-up I may ask separately: "Flag any question where a savvy participant could game the screener" or "Suggest neutral wording for sensitive topics (health, finance, accessibility)."

How to use

1Fill every bracketed field; narrow criteria produce harder recruiting.
2Pilot the screener with 2-3 people before wide send to catch logic errors.
3Pair with a recruitment plan doc for channels and incentives if needed.

Pro Tips

• Have legal or privacy review when collecting sensitive demographics or health data.
• Ask: "How hard will this be to recruit? What should I loosen?" if criteria are tight.