User research program FAQ

All kinds. You don’t need to be a Google user, computer expert, or technology enthusiast to sign up. Anyone who is over the age of 18 and has ever used the internet in any way can join the program.

We want to make sure that the studies you participate in are a good fit for you. That’s why we can’t guarantee that everyone who applies will end up participating. If we do contact you, it may not be right away because we will be waiting for a study that’s a good match. We may contact you at any point as long as you remain registered.

No. All the information you provide is kept confidential in accordance with the Google Privacy Policy. We only use it to help us find suitable participants for our research studies. We, or an outside agency working on our behalf, would only contact you if we wanted to invite you to participate in a study or needed to clarify some information you provided.

Google seeks to design inclusive product experiences for everyone. To do this well, it’s important for us to get feedback from everyone. We collect this information to ensure an inclusive and diverse participant pool that is representative of our society. All of these questions are optional and your information is kept confidential in accordance with the Google Privacy Policy.

You can opt out at any time by completing the opt-out form.

Google runs a variety of study types. You may be invited to participate in any of the following studies:

Remote usability study

In these studies, we’ll gather your feedback via a screen-sharing session with a researcher where you may be asked questions or provide feedback about a process or design. You can be almost anywhere in the world, but you’ll need to have a high-speed internet connection.

Giving feedback at a Google office

This works best for people who live close to one of our offices. Typically, you'll meet one-on-one with a Google Researcher who'll ask you some questions about your experiences with our products or technology in general.

To keep everyone safe during COVID-19, please check the invitation from your Google contact for relevant information on entering a Google office.

Long-form study

These studies require a small amount of activity every day for several days or weeks. Google researchers will ask you to respond to questions or take notes based on your experience using a product.

Surveys

For these studies, we’ll simply send you a survey form to fill out. Please note that we don’t typically offer a gift for participating in a survey.

This is Google's way of providing a gift as a way of saying thanks to people who participate in research studies, to help improve our products and experiences.

If your session is eligible for a thank-you gift, you should receive it three to five business days after completing your session. Please note that not all study participants will receive a thank-you gift.