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We’ve tried various methods for recruitment, including postcards on tables in the library, messages on whiteboards, approaching people directly, social media appeals, and emailing students through Department departmental admins. Of these the latter has been by far the most effective (we once got 300+ applicants for a project which needed around 10) but social media has also worked. 

The emails or social media posts generally include a brief outline of the project, an overview of the techniques to be used, and the reasons why we want student involvement - and of course, the promise of £15 for an hour of their time. 

Since we’ve moved to paying people for their time it’s been no problem to recruit, but do leave time to get everything sorted. The logistics of arranging a date and time, booking a room and so on, especially when there’s there are two members of library staff involved, mean that to get through 5 participants’ worth of fieldwork may take a couple of weeks.

As mentioned above we don’t pay University of York staff for UX sessions as they happen during salaried time, but we’ve not found recruiting academics to be a problem. 

The best approach is to send an email explaining the project and its aims and what would be involved to specific people (rather than a ‘Dear All’ blanket message) and most will say yes. The Academic Liaison Team can help you with both selecting and contacting academics. 

We haven’t at the time of writing asked non-academic, non-Information Services staff to participate in UX fieldwork, but there may well be projects in the future where this is a relevant and useful thing to do - for example, talking to Departmental Managersdepartmental managers, or people from 'Timetabling'.