Panel Management in UX Research 101

Let’s be honest—recruiting participants for every new study can feel like reinventing the wheel. It’s time-consuming, expensive, and often frustrating. 

Panel management changes that dynamic by giving you a reliable pool of participants who are ready to help whenever you need them. 

In this guide, you’ll learn how you can use panel management to streamline your participant recruitment, improve data quality, and gain deeper insights from your research.

What is panel management?

You can think of panel management as a strategy for creating and maintaining a “research panel”—a group of people who’ve agreed to participate in your studies over a stated period of time.

Instead of wandering through the internet hoping to stumble upon the right users, panel management helps you grow your own community of people who’ve raised their hands and said, “Yes, count me in!”.

As Bill Buxton, Partner Researcher at Microsoft Research, once remarked:

Managing a panel effectively is how you keep that empathy flowing.

You’re not just rushing to fill seats in a single study; you’re building relationships and understanding each participant at a personal level.

So when you review their results, you know exactly what they were thinking and can accurately put yourself in their shoes. 

With proper implementation of panel management, participants feel seen and valued, which encourages more thoughtful, in-depth feedback. 

Over time, this leads to richer insights that guide your decisions and elevate your product.

How panel management helps research

Visualize a scenario where you are short on time and need quality product insights fast, most researchers would quickly put together a poorly screened participant pool just to meet up with deadlines. 

With a well-maintained panel, you can say goodbye to last-minute participant hunts and tedious screening marathons. Research panel management offers a host of benefits, which include:

Faster recruitment

Having a ready-made pool of participants allows you to quickly find people who match your research criteria. Need a handful of power users or first-time customers? They’re already at your fingertips.

Cost savings

You’ll spend less time and money hunting for participants from scratch every time you run a test. Over multiple studies, this can add up to substantial savings.

Building trust & rapport

Participants who return for multiple studies know you and your product. They’re more honest and more invested, and trust grows on both sides. When participants feel respected and heard, their feedback becomes a treasure trove of insights.

More in-depth insights

Long-term panellists see how your product evolves. They can point out improvements over time, reveal changing perceptions, and help you identify subtle trends.

In short, panel management turns your research journey from a bumpy ride into a smooth, well-planned adventure.

When do you need a research panel?

Not every project demands a dedicated panel. But if you’re conducting ongoing studies—perhaps you’re doing continuous discovery, frequent usability tests, or iterative surveys—panel management market research is a game-changer. 

It’s especially powerful if your UX team is growing, or if you often need niche participants who aren’t easy to find on the fly.

Types of research panels

Research panels vary depending on who you need feedback from. Some focus on existing customers who already know your product, while others bring in people who’ve never tried it.

For B2B research, you might recruit industry professionals, and for consumer research, everyday shoppers. Choosing the right panel type ensures you’re speaking to the right audience at the right time, making your insights more accurate and actionable.

That’s why you must employ panel management market research strategies to help tailor your approach to the audience you need, ensuring you speak to the right people at the right time.

In-house vs. outsourcing

There’s a common dilemma when it comes to panel management: should you handle everything yourself or bring in outside help?

At its core, it’s a question of control versus convenience. In-house management gives you more oversight and a closer relationship with your participants, while outsourcing saves time and effort—often at the expense of direct control.

If you’re short on bandwidth or need participants fast, a managed solution like UXtweak’s User Panel might be ideal.

If long-term autonomy and a deeper understanding of your audience matter more, consider UXtweak’s Database to manage everything in-house.

Ultimately, choose the approach that aligns best with your current needs, knowing you can adjust as circumstances change.

Benefits of creating your own panel

Building and maintaining your own panel gives you a deeper understanding of your participants and what drives them, leading to richer, more relevant insights.

It’s often more cost-effective over time and lets you keep full control over data handling, participant selection, and segmentation.

This flexibility makes it easy to adjust your approach as your research needs to evolve.

Benefits of outsourcing your panel

If time or resources are tight, outsourcing can be a lifesaver. Specialized vendors provide instant access to diverse, well-screened participants, speeding up your research and freeing your team from administrative tasks.

While this convenience may cost more, the time saved and the proven expertise these vendors bring often make the investment worthwhile.

How to build a research panel in 5 steps

Creating your own panel can feel overwhelming at first, but we’ve broken it down into five manageable steps:

1. Choose a panel management tool 

Start with panel management software that simplifies adding participants, segmenting them, and sending invitations. Tools like UXtweak streamline these operations.

2. Choose participant recruitment channels

Consider where your ideal participants hang out. Are they current customers, random visitors to your site, or community forum members? Our guide on recruiting participants offers a deeper dive.

3. Find and recruit participants

Leverage your channels to invite people. Keep in mind that screening is critical.

In fact, according to our research recruiting survey results, the most commonly experienced research recruiting mistake—cited by 17.6% of respondents—is failing to properly screen participants.

Setting up effective screening ensures you find the right fit.

4. Screen and segment

Once recruited, use criteria like demographics, usage patterns, or product experience levels to segment participants. This helps ensure each study reaches the most relevant audience.

5. Collect participant consent and provide onboarding

Establish trust by clearly communicating why you’re collecting data, how it will be used, and what participants can expect.

A smooth onboarding experience sets the stage for a positive long-term relationship.

Factors to be considered for in-house panel management

If you choose to manage your panel internally, keep these factors in mind:

• Quality of the panelists: Continually monitor the quality of responses and weed out participants who aren’t a good fit.
• Size of the panel: Balance having enough participants for your needs without overwhelming yourself with too large a pool.
• Incentive programs: Offer fair and transparent incentives. Participants who feel valued are more likely to engage and provide thoughtful feedback.
• Privacy and data protection: Ensure compliance with relevant regulations (e.g., GDPR) and maintain participant confidentiality.

How to choose panel management software

When it comes to market research panel management software, look for a tool that simplifies your life. It should be user-friendly, secure, and flexible.

Key features include robust filtering, segmentation, incentives management, and easy invites. The right tool feels like a reliable assistant, not an extra chore.

10 best panel management software

1. UXtweak
2. Qualtrics
3. User Interviews – Research Hub
4. Ethnio
5. Toluna
6. FocusVision (Forsta)
7. Respondent
8. SurveyMonkey Audience
9. Fuel Cycle
10. Great Question

1. UXtweak 

With UXtweak, you can outsource your panel management or create your own panel. For outsourcing, UXtweak offers a User Panel—a perfect solution when you need to conduct research but have no time to find, recruit, and manage participants.

All you have to do with a User Panel is simply define your target participants’ demographics, and UXtweak will find and recruit them for you.

If you want to create and manage your own panel, use UXtweak’s Own Database feature. Just import the contacts of your participants to the platform. 

With your Own Database, you will be able to:

• add and edit participants’ information
• check the participation history of each participant
• filter and rate participants
• create segments using advanced filtering options
• easily  invite participants to the studies you have on your dashboard

Cons:

• Rich feature set might have a learning curve for absolute beginners

Pricing:

• Free plan available; paid plans for advanced needs.

Make sure to try UXtweak’s User Panel or create your Own Database!

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2. Qualtrics

Qualtrics is a well-known survey and experience management platform. Its panel management capabilities help recruit and maintain research panels at scale.

Pros:

• Robust platform with extensive research features
• Integrations with many enterprise tools

Cons:

• Can be expensive for smaller teams
• Complex interface for beginners

Pricing:

• For custom enterprise pricing, contact Qualtrics for a quote.

3. User Interviews – research hub

User Interviews connects you with a large pool of vetted participants. Their Research Hub feature helps you build and manage your own panel.

Pros:

• Large and diverse participant pool
• Built-in scheduling and incentive distribution

Cons:

• Pricing can add up for large-scale studies
• Less customization compared to in-house solutions

Pricing:

• Pay-as-you-go participant sourcing plus subscription plans for Research Hub. Contact User Interviews for details.

4. Ethnio

Ethnio is a participant management CRM that helps you recruit, screen, and segment participants.

Pros:

• Advanced filtering and screening options
• Integrates with calendar tools for scheduling

Cons:

• Some advanced features only available on higher plans
• Less known outside of UX communities

Pricing:

• Tiered subscription plans; request a quote for the enterprise pricing.

5. Toluna

Toluna offers access to a global network of consumers and provides tools for managing and segmenting that panel.

Pros:

• Large global audience
• Flexible targeting and segmentation

Cons:

• Less focused on niche UX needs
• Pricing may be high for smaller teams

Pricing:

• Custom quotes based on project scope.

6. FocusVision (Forsta)

FocusVision (now Forsta) provides qualitative and quantitative research tools, including panel management functionalities.

Pros:

• A full-service platform for integrated insights
• Strong support for large enterprises

Cons:

• Enterprise-level complexity
• Not the best fit for small startups

Pricing:

• Enterprise-level pricing, contact sales.

7. Respondent

Respondent helps you recruit business professionals and niche audiences for research studies.

Pros:

• Focuses on high-quality, vetted professionals
• Strong B2B participant base

Cons:

• Might not be ideal for consumer studies
• Pay-per-project model can become costly

Pricing:

• Pay as you go, with fees per participant.

8. SurveyMonkey Audience

SurveyMonkey Audience allows you to tap into a large participant pool directly from within SurveyMonkey.

Pros:

• Easy integration with SurveyMonkey surveys
• Quick turnaround for consumer feedback

Cons:

• Limited qualitative capabilities
• Less refined targeting than some competitors

Pricing:

• Pay-per-response model; prices vary based on targeting.

9. Fuel Cycle

Fuel Cycle provides a community-driven approach to panel management, enabling ongoing engagement and feedback loops.

Pros:

• Emphasis on community-building
• Rich feature set for ongoing engagement

Cons:

• May require more setup and management
• Enterprise-level pricing

Pricing:

• Custom quotes for enterprise customers.

10. Great Question

Great Question is a customer research platform that combines recruiting, scheduling, and incentive management in one place.

Pros:

• Streamlined platform for continuous discovery
• Integrated incentives and scheduling

Cons:

• Less known brand, smaller user community
• Limited advanced targeting features

Pricing:

• Subscription plans are available, contact for custom pricing.

Best practices for panel management

Building a panel is just the start; nurturing and maintaining it is what delivers truly impactful results:

1. Personalize Communication and Incentives: Tailor incentives to your audience. Not everyone wants a gift card; some might prefer early access to new features.
2. Set Clear Expectations: Be transparent about what participants can expect, how their data is used, and what they’ll receive in return.
3. Avoid Panel Fatigue: Don’t over-contact your participants. Give them a break between studies to keep them engaged and motivated.
4. Diversify Study Formats: Mix up your methods—surveys, interviews, usability tests—to keep participants interested and gather richer insights.

Wrapping up

Panel management is more than just a process; it’s a mindset. By carefully recruiting, engaging, and maintaining a pool of participants, you streamline your market research panel management efforts and ensure that every study, test, or survey gives you meaningful, actionable insights.

Think of it as building long-term relationships rather than one-off transactions. The result? More trust, richer feedback, and better products.

Embrace this approach, and remember—participants are the heart of great research. Treat them well, understand their needs, and leverage the right research panel management software to support your efforts.

As your panel grows and your connection with users deepens, you’ll find your research accelerating and your products improving in ways you never imagined.

If you want to understand your customers better, we recommend UXtweak. With features, such as live interviews, usability testing and session recording, getting feedback from customers has never been easier. Talk to our team today! 🐝

Conduct UX Research with UXtweak!

The only UX research tool you need to visualize your customers’ frustration and better understand their issues

Register for free