User research quotation template
User research quotation template: research plan and guide, recruitment and sessions per participant, incentives at cost, and the findings report.
Templates by industry
- Research plan and discussion guide
- Participant recruitment, per participant
- Interviews or usability sessions, per session
- Participant incentives, passed on at cost
- Findings report and presentation
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Confirm scope and quantities
Example: start with "Research plan and discussion guide", confirm the required quantity and client inputs, then agree completion criteria for each item.
Review and approve the quotation
Confirm acceptance evidence for "Findings report and presentation", all line quantities, exclusions and quote validity with the customer, and retain the approved version.
Deliver and prepare billing
Hand over the final report or activity record with the versions of the inputs reviewed. When the agreed milestone is complete, prepare an invoice using actual quantities and approved changes.
Before a team redesigns an app or launches a service, it often pays someone to watch real people use it or to ask them how they work today. The cost of that research grows with the number of participants, so a clear quotation prices recruitment and sessions per person and keeps the thank-you payments to participants separate, at cost. This template adds the research plan that comes first and the report that turns the sessions into decisions the team can act on.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Research plan and discussion guide, Participant recruitment, per participant, Interviews or usability sessions, per session, Participant incentives, passed on at cost, Findings report and presentation: specify the planned quantity and delivery scope for each item.
- Research plan and discussion guide
- Say what the plan covers, such as research questions and participant criteria, and that the client approves it before recruiting.
- Participant recruitment, per participant
- Describe who is recruited and how; hard-to-reach groups such as specialists cost more per person and are priced as such.
- Interviews or usability sessions, per session
- Give the length of each session, whether it is remote or in person, and whether the client may watch live.
- Participant incentives, passed on at cost
- Name the incentive per participant and how it is paid, and keep it apart from your fee.
- Findings report and presentation
- Say what the report contains, such as key findings with quotes and recommendations, and how long the presentation is.
- Assignment and inputs
- Identify the subject, source versions, and the inputs the client will supply with their due dates.
- Time and completion basis
- State the hourly or fixed-fee basis, meeting allowance, output format and review rounds.
- Scope to agree
- Price recruitment and sessions per participant, pass incentives on at cost, and say how recordings and personal data are stored and when they are deleted.
Before sending
- Does “Research plan and discussion guide” say what is included and what quantity the price assumes?
- Would the customer read “Participant recruitment, per participant” the way you do, including what it leaves out?
- Can you still honour the price of “Interviews or usability sessions, per session” on the last day the quotation is valid?
Show 5 more
- Does “Participant incentives, passed on at cost” say what is included and what quantity the price assumes?
- Would the customer read “Findings report and presentation” the way you do, including what it leaves out?
- Check whether meeting preparation and follow-up revisions are included in the fee.
- Name the person who can approve additional research or a change in scope.
- Check quote validity, the customer approval method and payment milestones.
Worked example with sample figures
The figures below are invented to show how the template adds up: 5 lines in USD, with an example tax rate of 8%.
| Item | Quantity × unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Research plan and discussion guide | 1 × $1,200.00 | $1,200.00 |
| Participant recruitment, per participant | 8 × $90.00 | $720.00 |
| Interviews or usability sessions, per session | 8 × $250.00 | $2,000.00 |
| Participant incentives, passed on at cost | 8 × $60.00 | $480.00 |
| Findings report and presentation | 1 × $1,800.00 | $1,800.00 |
| Subtotal | $6,200.00 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $496.00 | |
| Total | $6,696.00 | |
Quoted net amount $6,200.00, sales tax $496.00, quoted total $6,696.00.
What the document must show
The details a quotation has to show, and why each one matters, are set out in the guide below.
The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending.
Official rate reference: US government: state and local taxes
Full requirements: How to write a quotation: format, example and checklist
Frequently asked questions
Two participants did not show up. Are they still billed?
Recruiting them was done, so that line usually stands, but the session line counts only sessions held. Say in the notes whether you will recruit replacements and at what price.
Who keeps the recordings?
Agree it before the sessions. Participants consent to a specific use, so say in the quotation where recordings are stored, who may see them and when they are deleted.
How is the sales tax worked out on this quotation?
The worked example above uses an example rate of 8%: $496.00 on a net amount of $6,200.00, for a total of $6,696.00. The editor recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a price or the country.
Can I add my logo and signature?
Yes. The From section of the editor has a place for your company logo and for a signature or seal image. Uploading a picture needs a free account, and a member can keep both in settings so that every new document starts with them.
Can I email it to the customer?
Yes, from your own mail app. With a free account, the editor’s download menu offers Email this document, which opens your mail app with a message about the document already written. QuoteBill sends nothing itself, so save the PDF and attach it before you send.
Read next
Reading for the User research quotation template: How to write a quotation: format, example and checklist and Quote to invoice: how to convert a quote, step by step. The VAT and GST calculator adds tax to your quoted prices.