User research template: screen participants before you invite

Many people say yes to an interview, and few of them use the thing you are studying. I would rather find that out before I book any calls. A short screener does the sorting for you.

About them

Name, email, role and company size. You need these to match your target user and to send the invite.

Their experience

How often they use similar tools, which ones, and the last time they did the task. That last answer is the real test. Vague stories rarely make good interviews, and a specific one tells you where the pain is.

Practical details

Formats they accept, weekdays, time zone, an adult confirmation and an optional recording tick. They save a round of emails later.

Who fills it and who reads it

You post the link to a customer list, a forum or a social post. Each visitor can let their own AI answer: "Which tools do you use?" Then "Tell me about the last time you did this task." Then "Which weekdays can you join?" It shows the answers and sends only after a yes. See agent-fillable forms. You read the CSV and decide who to invite.

A tip

If you offer a thank-you, say so in the form description. To size a topic before interviews, use a market research survey. A website feedback form gives quick signals, and a webinar registration suits a group session. More ideas are in forms for SaaS and startups.

Questions

How do I pick who to interview?

Sort the CSV by the answers that match your target user, then read the last-time story. Invite people whose stories are specific, not short or vague.

Can I limit how many people sign up?

Yes. Set max_responses as a cap and close_at as a deadline. Use both so your pool stays small enough to read in one sitting.

How does the recording question work?

It is an optional checkbox that records a yes. The form does not record anything itself. Ask a professional to check the wording if your study is formal.

Or paste the JSON

Give this to your AI. It needs the AI Form API MCP server or an API key. It makes the form and sends you the link.

text

Create this form with the AI Form API create_form tool (or POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms with my API key). Then reply with the public_url.

{
  "title": "Help us improve: join a short research call",
  "description": "A few quick questions so we can see whether you are a good fit. Answers are read by our research team only.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "first_name",
      "label": "Your first name",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "invite_email",
      "label": "Email for the invite",
      "type": "email",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "work_type",
      "label": "Which best describes your work?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Founder or owner",
        "Designer",
        "Developer",
        "Product manager",
        "Marketing",
        "Operations",
        "Something else"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "company_scale",
      "label": "How large is your company?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Just me",
        "2 to 10 people",
        "11 to 50 people",
        "51 to 200 people",
        "More than 200 people"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tool_habit",
      "label": "How often do you use tools like this one?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Daily",
        "Weekly",
        "Monthly",
        "Rarely",
        "Never"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tools_in_use",
      "label": "Which of these do you use?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Spreadsheets",
        "Form builders",
        "Survey tools",
        "Project boards",
        "A CRM",
        "Chat apps"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "last_time_story",
      "label": "Tell us about the last time you did this task",
      "type": "long_text",
      "help": "What you did, which tools you used and what got in the way.",
      "max_length": 1500
    },
    {
      "id": "session_format",
      "label": "Which formats work for you?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Video call",
        "Phone call",
        "Written answers",
        "In person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free_weekdays",
      "label": "Which weekdays could you join?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Monday",
        "Tuesday",
        "Wednesday",
        "Thursday",
        "Friday"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "your_time_zone",
      "label": "Your time zone",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "adult_confirm",
      "label": "I am 18 or older",
      "type": "checkbox",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "recording_ok",
      "label": "I am fine with the call being recorded for the research team",
      "type": "checkbox"
    }
  ]
}

Or call the API

bash

curl -X POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIFORMAPI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"Help us improve: join a short research call","description":"A few quick questions so we can see whether you are a good fit. Answers are read by our research team only.","fields":[{"id":"first_name","label":"Your first name","type":"short_text","required":true,"max_length":100},{"id":"invite_email","label":"Email for the invite","type":"email","required":true},{"id":"work_type","label":"Which best describes your work?","type":"single_choice","required":true,"options":["Founder or owner","Designer","Developer","Product manager","Marketing","Operations","Something else"]},{"id":"company_scale","label":"How large is your company?","type":"single_choice","options":["Just me","2 to 10 people","11 to 50 people","51 to 200 people","More than 200 people"]},{"id":"tool_habit","label":"How often do you use tools like this one?","type":"single_choice","required":true,"options":["Daily","Weekly","Monthly","Rarely","Never"]},{"id":"tools_in_use","label":"Which of these do you use?","type":"multi_choice","options":["Spreadsheets","Form builders","Survey tools","Project boards","A CRM","Chat apps"]},{"id":"last_time_story","label":"Tell us about the last time you did this task","type":"long_text","help":"What you did, which tools you used and what got in the way.","max_length":1500},{"id":"session_format","label":"Which formats work for you?","type":"multi_choice","options":["Video call","Phone call","Written answers","In person"]},{"id":"free_weekdays","label":"Which weekdays could you join?","type":"multi_choice","options":["Monday","Tuesday","Wednesday","Thursday","Friday"]},{"id":"your_time_zone","label":"Your time zone","type":"short_text","max_length":100},{"id":"adult_confirm","label":"I am 18 or older","type":"checkbox","required":true},{"id":"recording_ok","label":"I am fine with the call being recorded for the research team","type":"checkbox"}]}'

JSON definition

json

{
  "title": "Help us improve: join a short research call",
  "description": "A few quick questions so we can see whether you are a good fit. Answers are read by our research team only.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "first_name",
      "label": "Your first name",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "invite_email",
      "label": "Email for the invite",
      "type": "email",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "work_type",
      "label": "Which best describes your work?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Founder or owner",
        "Designer",
        "Developer",
        "Product manager",
        "Marketing",
        "Operations",
        "Something else"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "company_scale",
      "label": "How large is your company?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Just me",
        "2 to 10 people",
        "11 to 50 people",
        "51 to 200 people",
        "More than 200 people"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tool_habit",
      "label": "How often do you use tools like this one?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "Daily",
        "Weekly",
        "Monthly",
        "Rarely",
        "Never"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tools_in_use",
      "label": "Which of these do you use?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Spreadsheets",
        "Form builders",
        "Survey tools",
        "Project boards",
        "A CRM",
        "Chat apps"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "last_time_story",
      "label": "Tell us about the last time you did this task",
      "type": "long_text",
      "help": "What you did, which tools you used and what got in the way.",
      "max_length": 1500
    },
    {
      "id": "session_format",
      "label": "Which formats work for you?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Video call",
        "Phone call",
        "Written answers",
        "In person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free_weekdays",
      "label": "Which weekdays could you join?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Monday",
        "Tuesday",
        "Wednesday",
        "Thursday",
        "Friday"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "your_time_zone",
      "label": "Your time zone",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "adult_confirm",
      "label": "I am 18 or older",
      "type": "checkbox",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "recording_ok",
      "label": "I am fine with the call being recorded for the research team",
      "type": "checkbox"
    }
  ]
}

User research template: a screener for choosing participants