BridgeU Student Research: Information Sheet
To be read by the student participant and the student’s parent/guardian.
Study title
BridgeU Product Development: Student Research (Incentivised)
What is ‘incentivised student research’?
Student research allows us to gather feedback about what students need, and want, from our product. Incentivised research simply means you are being paid for your time.
Why is BridgeU doing this research?
At BridgeU, we’re always looking for ways to improve our product, and the best way to do that is for us to talk directly to our users.
Our most important user-base (we sure hope you’ll agree with us!) is, well, our students! That’s why it’s so important for us to hear from them, so we can make sure we understand their wants, needs, and concerns.
Feedback and opinions from students contributes firsthand to how we improve our product, for both current and future students.
How is BridgeU doing this research?
BridgeU has pre-selected a sample of eligible students, and invited them to participate in a 30 minute zoom interview.
BridgeU will be using students’ insights to conduct market research.
This means that we will be analysing student data and comparing it to the data from other students in order to develop our understanding of what students want and need from BridgeU when it comes to careers and university.
What will happen before the interview?
Interested students will first have to complete a survey to confirm their eligibility, where they will also have to provide their date of birth and may be asked to confirm parental consent.
Next, eligible students will need to confirm their willingness to partake in the study and to confirm they have read the Privacy Notice and accept the Terms and Conditions.
Students who wish to proceed will be invited to book a 30-minute slot via calendly at a time convenient for them.
What will happen during the interview?
The interviews will take place via 30-minute zoom calls, where each student will speak with a member of the BridgeU Product team.
The call will be recorded for monitoring purposes. Students can turn off their camera if they prefer not to use video, so only audio will be recorded.
Examples of questions students could be asked include:
- When did you begin thinking about your university plans?
- What are some of the resources you are using to research universities?
- Has anyone else been involved in your university research process so far?
Students may also be asked to participate in ‘solution validation’ or ‘usability testing’ (put simply, that just means they’ll be asked to help us test and troubleshoot parts of our product and to share their feedback with us). This could include activities like:
- Virtually interacting with a prototyped concept
- Using a beta/pre-release version of a new feature
- Sharing their screen (if they feel comfortable doing so) to show our BridgeU team member how they use certain parts of the BridgeU platform
How will BridgeU store the student data it collects?
The call will be recorded for monitoring purposes. The recording will not be shared outside of BridgeU, and will be deleted after a year. You can turn off your camera if you prefer not to use video, so only your audio will be recorded.
BridgeU will not share individual or personal information gathered during the interviews. Any collected data will be analysed and shared as anonymised insights with BridgeU staff only to guide our product development.
You can learn more about how we keep student data safe in this Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions.
How will students be paid if they choose to participate?
Students who complete the interview will be offered a £25 Amazon voucher, or local currency equivalent. Students will receive the voucher via email within two weeks of successfully completing the interview.
Are there any other advantages to taking part?
Alongside the voucher, students can also add the experience to their CV: they get to be a part of the product development of a tech company!
What if a student changes their mind about participating?
Participation is optional at every stage, including during and after the interview. To withdraw your consent, please contact us via email to hi@bridge-u.com. Once we have received notification that you have withdrawn your consent, we will no longer process your information for the purpose or purposes you originally agreed to.
Will counsellors/advisors (or any other third party) know what a student has said during the interview?
No. Interviews are confidential and the collected data only viewable by BridgeU personnel.
If students or parents/guardians have any further questions, who can they contact?
Please contact hi@bridge-u.com and a member of the BridgeU team will be very happy to answer any further questions about this research initiative. Students or parents/guardians can also speak with their school counsellor/advisor to learn more about BridgeU at their school.
What if students or parents/guardians have complaints about the research or interview process?
We take concerns and complaints very seriously. Please contact hi@bridge-u.com and a member of the BridgeU leadership team will be very happy to hear your feedback and take appropriate action.