User-Interviews

 Review of User Interviews from 2023: $100 per hour for your thoughts? Please, yes!

The goal of Side Hustle Nation is to increase your individual financial success. We often collaborate with businesses that share that objective to achieve this. We could get compensated if you register or make a purchase via one of our partners' links—at no additional cost to you. Study more

Being a User Interviews survey responder is one of my most recent side business endeavors.

(I have so far received $105 in return for an hour and a half.)

       

Summary of User Interviews

A reputable facilitator of online and in-person consumer research studies is User Interviews. Participants may be compensated for their opinions, which can help to develop new goods and services. Even while it will not replace your regular salary, this may be a good side source of cash.

One of the best options for online surveys that I have discovered pays well is user interviews

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The table of contents 

How do user interviews work?

A consumer research firm called User Interviews assists in matching businesses with questions and people with opinions. Those are you!

These businesses often seek to acquire honest consumer feedback before introducing a new product or testing a new website or app design. To date, they have assisted over 4,500 businesses, including well-known brands like:

Adobe

Pinterest Wayfair

Spotify

Amazon plus others

These businesses are willing to invest some money up front to help get it right since launching the incorrect product or having a confused website may be a very costly error.

User Interviews: Are They Real?

User interviews are a valid tool for facilitating consumer research studies, yes. Over 72,000 participants received payment last year, and the website adds about 2,000 new studies each month.

The business has given out nearly $25 million in incentives since 2016.

Over 400,000 sessions have been completed in total by User Interviews participants across more than 80,000 research.

User Interviews acquired an extra $27.5M in venture capital financing in late 2022 to support their expansion.

What Happens During User Interviews?

You may see all of the open projects after you #sign up# for User Interviews. For instance, here is how it appears for me after logging in:

For each research you are interested in, you will be asked to complete a quick screener survey. If you are chosen, you will then get a text or email with instructions on what to do next.

You get compensated when the research is finished using PayPal, an Amazon gift card, a Visa gift card, or another kind of digital gift card.

Within 24 hours of signing up, the typical participant is eligible for their first research!

User interviews provide cash compensation?

A voucher? WTF? Let me see the cash!

The compensation choices were the main criticism that most individuals had of user interviews. Almost all studies used to only accept Amazon gift cards as payment. (That did not really concern me since I knew we would soon be spending money at Amazon.)

However, they increased their reward choices to include PayPal, Visa gift cards, and gift cards for several more retailers in response to participant feedback. However, they do differ from study to research, so make sure you are comfortable with the payment mechanism before you apply.

Registration Process

It is simple to register for user interviews.

User Consultations Build A Profile

You may then register with one of these choices from there.:

An email address, phone number, and password are required to join up for LinkedIn and Facebook.

You will get a text message to confirm your phone number if you use the email option while creating your User Interviews account.

The system will then lead you through a brief sequence of forms asking for information about your professional, demographic, and technical background.

Include Professional Information

As an example, on the Professional page, you will enter your:

Employment Situation Job Title (some studies only include certain job roles)

Employer email Industry user interviews Professional information intake form Company size

Include demographic information

Additionally, you will be questioned during user interviews about certain fundamental demographic details such your:

Initials and last name

Birthdate City Gender Ethnicity

Family income Level of education attained

Relational status

Living circumstances

Why do they need this data? 

Companies may need to get input from a wide audience or wish to focus their research on a particular community.

Add Technical Information

You'll then provide some details about your computer, tablet, and phone. Some studies may wish to video chat with the interviewer or record your response when you use a new website or online tool.

technical information from user interviews

Fill out your profile as completely and truthfully as you can for the best results.

If you provided an email address while registering, you will be urged to link your Facebook and LinkedIn accounts so that you may be considered for further studies. This assists researchers in confirming your identity and, if appropriate, your professional qualifications.

Who Qualifies to Participate in User Interviews?

Participants from all countries who are at least 18 years old may participate in User Interviews.

However, there is undoubtedly a US-focused and English-speaking concentration since the corporation is situated in the US. According to a User Interviews support document

We now seek [participants] in South Africa, the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.

Although you may not be eligible for many studies if you reside outside of certain nations, you are still invited to enroll. Perhaps it's time to think about an other side business concept.

Filtering and Choosing Paid User Interview Studies

Use the helpful filters in the UI to browse the User Interviews listings for paid research studies:

Paid user interview research projects

You may choose just online or phone interviews as a filter. Or, if you prefer, in-person classes.

You can also use the system to filter results based on a few "popular professions"—mostly in the IT industry—like product manager, data analyst, and IT.

The studies are automatically arranged by when they were most recently uploaded to the site. Scroll through a little to see which ones you could be eligible for, then submit an application to those.

Types of User Interview Studies

User Interviews is an expert in doing online market research. This indicates that phone calls or webcam video chats are the primary way of communication.

(If you need to have webcam capability, it will be stated in the description or in the screening questions.)

The website seems to have a stronger business-to-business emphasis. By that, I mean that specialist job software, skills, or experience studies tend to be more prevalent than generic consumer research.

Despite this, there is still a sizable selection of projects on User Interviews that non-techies may apply for.

The four primary categories of research are:

1-on-1 interview

The focus groups

Multi- day studies

Unmoderated Tasks

I'll provide a succinct explanation of each in this section.

 1-on-1 interview

This is a one-on-one video or phone contact with the researcher, as the name implies. While you share your screen with them, they will either ask you questions, to which you will respond, or they will give you directions to follow.

(In the interview when I tested the company's new software and discussed my video editing process, it was 1-on-1.)

focus group

To gain input on a business, product, or service, online focus groups often bring together 3–8 participants in a Zoom meeting (or equivalent online meeting software). The discussion will be moderated, and you are welcome to contribute.

Multi- day studies

Multi-day studies may pay pretty well depending on the specialization, but I try to steer clear of them since my schedule isn't always ideal. I like to enter and leave all at once, but that's just me.

These are most often used for product studies when the researcher wants your input on the product over the course of a few days or weeks.

Unmoderated Tasks

"Unmoderated Tasks" are, in my opinion, the simplest to do since you don't have to arrange timetables with the researchers.

Examples comprise:

engaging with a new website or piece of software and completing an online survey to provide your feedback

Task Screening

You'll probably start off by responding to a few "screener surveys" as you go through the various User Interviews research.

These should just take a few minutes and assist businesses in creating a research sample of their intended clients.

You could be questioned about the software you use, the size of your business, your position there, or—as in the case of my "men's fashion study"—about the way I style my hair.

Everything depends on the study topic and the target audience. Use these inquiries to determine whether or not you are the appropriate candidate.

Avoid attempting to pressure yourself into answering questions you have no business responding. Just be truthful; there are always more studies on the way, so don't waste anyone's time,

including the researcher's.

Look for studies with the "Quick Apply" symbol if you're short on time. These will leverage data from your profile to go around a few of the standard screening inquiries.

What are User Interviews Worth?

The average pay rate of the studies that are now accessible on my homescreen is $115 per hour.

(Some had hourly rates as high as $200.)

However, in general, $1 per minute for this kind of work is a relatively good hourly fee. It's far better than what you'd get from using Survey Junkie or Swagbucks, two popular online survey programs.

As you can expect, the corporation will pay more for those who are more specialized in what they do. Studies that are more broadly aimed at consumers usually pay a bit less.

Useful Techniques for User Interviews

How can you qualify for more User Interview studies? Although perseverance and patience are likely the best options, there are certain particular actions you may take.

Examine your email

In addition to sending out emails about new survey possibilities, User Interviews recommends visiting the web interface daily or weekly to see if there are any new research you could be eligible for. Make sure those emails are sent to your inbox.

Update Your Profile Frequently

Keep your profile up to date and add as many specifics as you can since many studies focus on workers in certain job categories.

The "Edit Profile" option in the drop-down menu next to your name allows you to accomplish that:

Interviews with users Edit profile

For instance, with regards to job titles, my contact with User Interviews sent to me the following advice:

For the best matching, provide your level of seniority and any supporting information:

Teacher 9th Grade Science Teacher GM Restaurant General Manager

Business operations consultant, freelance graphic designer, and freelancer

Doctor of oncology Certified Public Accountant, Resident Physician Accounting

I altered mine from the rather cheeky "Chief Side Hustler" to the presumably more search engine-friendly "Content Marketer" for the purpose of comparison.

For identification verification, I also linked my account to Facebook and LinkedIn.

Quickly react

Studies with a broad population fill up rapidly. The earlier you apply, the better your chances of getting chosen are.

Be sincere.

Be accurate while filling up your profile and when responding to the screening questions.

Why take a chance on missing out on all those upcoming chances for User Interviews by trying to earn a fast money when there are hundreds of new studies launched each month?

Share with family, friends, and coworkers

The ability to be compensated even if you don't meet the criteria for a research is a nice feature of user interviews.

How?

by suggesting a capable individual!

The website is now providing a $30 reward to assist in recruiting volunteers for certain studies:

user consultations referral scheme

Therefore, as you go through, keep your local network in mind. The study may not be a good match for you, but you may know someone who is.

Alternatives to User Interviews

Don't worry if you dislike user interviews or are having problems being chosen for projects.

Even though User Interviews is one of the best survey sites for earning money, there are other opportunities to do so.

The closest comparable service I've discovered to user interviews is respondent respondent. The business mostly conducts one-on-one market research interviews over the phone or online.

participant respondent homepage

The site claims that the typical hourly payment is above $100. For further information, see our complete Respondent evaluation.

(I received $190 for participating in a 2-hour in-person focus group where we played with Legos.)

uncommon patient voice

Rare Patient Voice is a prestigious source of medical research that pays participants $100 per hour. You may read the whole list of accessible studies on their website. The majority of the research include phone or webcam interviews.

homepage for a rare patient voice

This one is worth a look if you have any kind of medical ailment (even if it's not really uncommon).

FocusGroup.com

Sago, a reputable market research firm, operates FocusGroup.com. They provide possibilities for countrywide phone or webcam research that pay between $75 and $200.

focus session

Fieldwork

Fieldwork is a business that conducts focus groups in-person, typically. I participated in one of their studies in San Francisco, where I was paid $150 for a 2-hour focus group as well as a $50 early arrival incentive.

They are spread widely over the US.

Focus groups for fieldwork typically run 1-2 hours and start around $75.

For more information on ways to get money online, see my comprehensive guide to online focus groups.

Alternatives to Online Surveys

Although the hourly fees for the majority of the consumer-facing survey choices below won't be nearly as high as those for User Interviews' more sector-specific research, they may still build up and be completed in your free time.

Here are some of the top selections from Side Hustle Nation:

With the wildly popular app Swagbucks, you can make up to $35 each survey and get a $10 incentive just for signing up!

Earn up to $40 every month with Survey Junkie, where pay outs start at only $5.

Get a $5 bonus just for joining up with InboxDollars!

YouGov: An established survey panel whose findings are often quoted in the media.

One of the top-rated survey sites, Branded Surveys has paid out millions of dollars.

Earn $3 for very 15 minute survey with Pinecone Research. After your first one, they'll mail you a $3 check.

Join the millions of free members on American Consumer Opinion to earn up to $50 every survey.

Are User Interviews Valuable?

Are user interviews time well spent? Even though it's not a passive source of money, the pay rate is reasonable considering the amount of effort required. (Typically, $50 to $200 per hour.)

The benefit of remote research projects over certain other side jobs is that there is no commute time or expense.

There are a few negatives to consider

The time you spend completing screener surveys is not compensated. These are often brief (less than 5 minutes), but if you don't get chosen, they might build up and become irritating.

There is a ceiling on how much money you can really generate from user interviews. This side business is not going to replace your day job's income due to its nature.

Most studies only accept gift cards as payment. Again, in our family, Amazon credit is nearly as valuable as cash, so for me, it is irrelevant.

However, doing user interviews is a fascinating and practical way to earn some additional cash.

Lastly, think about the opportunity cost. What other activities may you be engaging in?

By all means, if you're certain that you could make more money doing anything other than the $50 to $200 per hour that these enterprises pay, go for it!

You're next

Have you yet taken part in a research using user interviews? How did you feel?

Tell me in the comments section below.