Focus groups
What is a pre-screener? A plain guide to study invitations
Pre-screeners decide who gets invited to focus groups, interviews and product tests. Here is how they work, and how you are rewarded either way.
Recording, consent and NDAs: what you agree to in a research study
Qualitative studies such as focus groups, interviews and product tests often start with paperwork. A consent form, a recording agreement and sometimes a confidentiality agreement. Here is what each one covers, what you are agreeing to and what you can ask before you sign.
Key points
- A consent form explains what the study involves and records that you agree to take part.
- Recording permission covers how audio or video is used, who sees it and how long it is kept.
- A non-disclosure agreement, or NDA, asks you to keep details of unreleased products and ideas private.
- You can ask questions before signing, and you can withdraw from a study at any time.
Why there is paperwork
Market research has clear professional standards. One of the most important is informed consent: you should understand what you are agreeing to before you take part. Forms put that agreement in writing, protect you and protect the people running the study.
You will usually see these forms at the start of an online session, in an email before the study or at a facility reception desk. They may be digital, with a checkbox or signature, or on paper.
The consent form
A good consent form tells you, in plain language:
- who is running the research, and sometimes who it is for
- what the study involves and how long it takes
- what personal information will be collected
- how your information will be used and protected
- that taking part is voluntary
- how to withdraw and who to contact with questions
Some studies do not reveal the client's name until the end, or at all, because knowing the brand could influence your answers. That is normal, but the research agency running the study should always be identified.
Recording permission
Focus groups and interviews are almost always recorded. The recording lets researchers listen again, check their notes and quote people accurately.
The recording section of a form should explain:
- What is recorded. Audio only, or audio and video.
- Who can see it. Usually the research team and the client's team working on the project.
- How it is used. For analysis, and sometimes short anonymized clips in internal presentations.
- How long it is kept. Often a fixed period after the project ends, after which it is deleted.
Recordings from research should not be used in advertising. If a study ever wants to use your face or voice publicly, that requires a separate, explicit agreement, and you are free to say no.
Read the "clips" line carefully. If the form says short clips may be shared, ask who they are shared with. "Internal client team only" is common and reasonable. Anything wider deserves a clear explanation.
Non-disclosure agreements
When you test an unreleased product, see a new ad or discuss a business idea, you may be asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement. In simple terms, you promise not to share what you see or hear in the study.
In practice, that usually means:
- no photos or screenshots of materials, unless the researcher asks for them
- no posts about the product or ideas on social media
- no sharing details with friends or family
NDAs in research are about protecting ideas, not about silencing you. They should not stop you from talking about your own experience of taking part, for example that you joined a focus group, or from raising a concern about how you were treated.
Your right to withdraw
Taking part is always voluntary. You can:
- decline to answer any question
- leave a session at any point
- ask for your data to be withdrawn, within practical limits
If you withdraw after recordings have been combined into anonymous results, it may not be possible to remove your contribution completely. A clear form explains this.
Questions worth asking before you sign
- Who will see the recording?
- Will any clips be shared, and with whom?
- How long will my data be kept?
- Can I take part with my camera off, or audio only?
- What happens if I need to leave early?
A professional research team will be happy to answer. If nobody can explain what you are signing, it is fine to say no.
Common questions
Do I have to sign an NDA to take part?
Only if the study involves confidential materials. If you are not comfortable signing, you can decline that study. Other studies may not need one.
Is my signature stored with my answers?
Consent records are kept separately from your answers wherever possible, so researchers can prove consent was given without linking it to what you said.
Can a recording be used to identify me?
Video naturally shows your face, which is why access to recordings is limited to the people working on the study and why recordings are deleted after a set time.
