Yahoo! conducts user research studies to gather feedback about our products from our users. To ensure that the feedback we gather is indicative of what most of our users experience, participants in the study must fit within the broad range of our target users.

The Participant Database contains names and contact information of potential participants for user research studies. All information is kept confidential and is not used for marketing purposes; it is used only to screen potential participants for studies.

In preparation for each research study, a profile of users is determined based on the target users for the product. We search the Participant Database for users who match our target user profile and screen them for eligibility. Entry into the Participant Database does not guarantee participation in our studies. We then contact prospective participants who match our needs and schedule a time for them to participate in the study. In the case of online surveys, it may be directly emailed to you.

Participants are compensated for their time in most studies. Whether or not compensation is offered partly depends on the type of research being conducted. Other factors, such as the length of the study, and its location determine the compensation offered. See the table below for a summary.

The time varies for each study, depending on the type of research study. This time can be anywhere from 5 minutes to 2 hours. See the table below for a summary.

The following table lists the different types of research studies Yahoo! conducts, with a summary of how long these studies last, where they are typically conducted, and what the compensation rate usually is.

Type of Research	How long it lasts	Where conducted	Compensation**
Usability Study	1-2 hours	Usually at Yahoo! (in Sunnyvale, CA), but sometimes other cities.	$100 or more, depending on the study
Field Study	1-2 hours	Your location (we come to you)	$100 or more, depending on the study
Telephone Interview	30-60 mins	Your location via telephone (we call you)	Varies, depending on the study
Online Survey	5-20 mins	Your location - from your computer	Varies, depending on the study
Ongoing Usage Study	5-20 minutes for setup	Your location - from your computer	Varies, depending on the study

** Compensation rates are subject to change at any time.

For usability studies, participants are asked to come to Yahoo! and participate in a usability session, which lasts from one to two hours, depending on the study. The location of the study is usually at the main Yahoo! headquarters in Sunnyvale, but may also be conducted at other large cities throughout the world. Under nondisclosure, each participant meets one-on-one with a Usability Engineer at Yahoo! and is asked to use one or more of Yahoo!'s products. All information gathered during the session, including participant's identity, is kept confidential.

For field studies, we visit participants at the location where they do most of their web surfing, whether at home, work, school, the library, or elsewhere. We interview participants about how they use the Internet; each interview lasts from one to two hours. All information gathered during the session is kept confidential.

In telephone interviews, participants are interviewed over the telephone at a time convenient to them, covering topics such as how they use the Internet. In some cases, participants are asked to look at a website during the interview, but simultaneous Internet access is not required to participate. All information gathered, including a participant's identity, is kept confidential.

For online surveys, participants need only provide quick feedback in a survey format from their computer. It usually takes very little time to conduct an online survey (5-20 minutes), and it is self-paced. All information gathered is kept confidential.

In ongoing usage studies, participants install a small software program into their computer, which takes 5-20 minutes to do. This allows us to better understand the usage patterns that people follow while using the web. All information gathered is kept confidential and/or anonymous, and the softward can be deleted or turned off at any time. Further details are provided if we contact you for participation, and you may choose to decline at that time. (Signing up here only puts you on the list to be informed about these studies.)

Yes! Many of our studies are conducted in Silicon Valley in California, but many others are conducted in other cities throughout the world. Also, conducting online research allows us to work with participants who are connected to the Internet anywhere in the world!

The information you provide to us for the User Research Participant Database is used by Yahoo!, or our research partners on behalf of Yahoo!, to contact you for research opportunities. We do not sell this information to others.

You must be at least 13 years of age to fill out this form. Furthermore, anyone participating in our studies who is less than 18 years of age must have parental consent to do so. The use of this information is described further in the Yahoo! privacy policy.