Episode web page: https://bit.ly/3S1wxq4 ----------------------- Got a question? Want to recommend a guest? Or do you want to tell me how the show can be better? Send me a voice message via email at [email protected] ----------------------- In this episode of Insights Unlocked, we sit down with Jessica Schultz, senior manager of experience research at BECU, to explore how one of the largest credit unions in the U.S. built a member research panel that delivers powerful insights—quickly and securely. Jessica shares her unique career journey from front-line teller to UX research leader and walks us through the end-to-end process of launching BECU’s custom member panel. She breaks down the strategic decisions behind the panel’s creation, including navigating legal and security requirements, coordinating with marketing teams, and aligning with product and design stakeholders. We also dive into: The pivotal moment that led Jessica to pursue UX research Why BECU chose to create its own panel over traditional recruiting methods Lessons learned in onboarding and coaching panel participants How the panel supports a culture of member obsession at BECU Tips for keeping participants engaged—and studies filled fast Key metrics used to evaluate panel success Jessica also offers advice for other organizations thinking about building their own custom panels, from setting realistic expectations to creating inclusive and positive participant experiences. Resources & Links: Connect with Jessica Schultz on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-schultz-05187a48/) BECU (https://www.becu.org/) Connect with Becky Wright on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/becky-w-795b29124/) Learn more about Insights Unlocked: https://www.usertesting.com/podcast
What insights does Jessica Schultz share about her career journey?
And the unexpected benefit is that changing the way we write our protocols to be more instructive on what are we asking people to do has actually improved the output of the studies that we run with non-BECU member panel people. So it was a win-win where we didn't think about being more articulate about and very specific in that this is the task. And so it's been helpful.
Amazing. Yeah, I think as well, like it's that participant experience is, yeah, kind of slightly removed from all of this. And, you know, you test it yourself, but you're so used to your questions and your tasks at that point. So, yeah, I love it when we kind of put the participant kind of front and center.
What were some strategies that you've used to perhaps ensure that the panel is representative of your kind of member base?
So, like I said earlier, We continuously recruit and we have it open to all of all of our our membership. And then what we you know, when we are reviewing studies and we look to see, you know, how how has the the age spread changed? People who've responded, how does that look? How does the gender identification, how does that spread? How is income looking?
And look to see how balanced of a sample can we get. Our biggest strategy to have it representative is to keep inviting. And keep that invite up and running. Right now, we're in the middle of one of our campaigns to invite members to come and join. And I checked this morning, and as of right now, we're at 558 members that are part of that panel.
Now, as we said at the beginning, that's a small number. small microcosm of what we have. But that's our current best way to do it. So the more we can increase the panel, the larger the representation and making sure we're inviting all. And then oftentimes, if we need to balance out, then we'll use prospects from the user testing panel. If we have, you know,
if it was weighted towards younger BECU participants than older participants. And we want to look at that. So in our studies, we'll do that. But our biggest strategy to keep the panel representative, invite everybody and keep inviting. Yeah. Hopefully it continues to grow.
It's definitely not like a one and done as soon as you've launched it. It's definitely a lot of extra work to keep it going. I find it addictive seeing the numbers go up. It brings me joy when you see it keep going up. So we're wondering, how do you balance transparency and privacy whilst managing participant data and consent?
It's obviously a big, big tricky one to make sure that you get it right.
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