What about in-home research?

Lots of vital qualitative research takes place in a respondent's own environment.  People are relaxed and more likely to be 'themselves' in their own space, you can see products and tools in use and in context, and real insight and interaction can take place.  We recruit regularly for research taking place in respondents' homes, from usability to depth interviews to week-long ethnographic projects, and the correctly selected respondents enjoy and engage cheerfully with participating in this way. 

We do have issues however with research taking place in someone else's home - traditionally the home of a regular research recruiter or hostess.  Our feedback is that properly recruited respondents, who do not know each other or the host, find going to a private home can feel weird and unnatural - 'like a blind date' one respondent told us, who nearly turned back at the door. 

Also, there are wider issues.  We can certainly recruit you people who say they would like to host research in their home, but we cannot inspect, recommend or vouch for them or their place.  So whilst we will happily put you in touch, we have to do so on an 'introduction only' basis  -  and it is down to you to ensure that the premises are suitable, that your insurance covers the event, that any refreshments served are safe and legal, that public liability cover is applied.  We are concerned that these issues are poorly addressed in the industry as a whole.

Based on the vast majority of feedback we've received, we'd far rather recruit into a safe accessible public building, every time, when the situation involves respondents who aren't all known to one another (a friendship pair for example is fine to do at the home of one of them). 

A public venue doesnt have to be an expensive viewing facility - a local community centre, hotel meeting room, pub function room, an office, lots of different places might be suitable and appropriate - and of course we can help you to find one.