Experience Research Participation at GitLab
Welcome! This page is for anyone who has been invited to participate in research with GitLab’s Experience Research team, or is interested in getting involved.
What is Experience Research?
Experience Research at GitLab helps us understand how people use our product and what matters most to them. Our team conducts research across the entire customer journey—from brand perception to product features—so we can make informed decisions about what we build and how we position it.
Why participate?
Your participation helps shape the future of GitLab. By sharing your experiences, challenges, and feedback, you directly influence product decisions and improvements. Whether you’re a current GitLab user, considering GitLab, or work in the DevSecOps space, your insights are valuable to us.
How to Get Involved
There are several ways you might be invited to participate in our research:
Email invitations
You may receive an email from research@rally.gitlab.com inviting you to take part in a study. This is GitLab’s official recruitment email for research studies. The reply-to address will be research@gitlab.com, which is monitored by our Research Operations team.
Direct outreach
You may be approached by one of GitLab’s account managers, product managers, UX designers, or researchers who are working on a specific project related to your experience or area of expertise.
Issue and feature request follow-up
If you’ve shared feedback in a GitLab issue or submitted a feature request, a product manager or UX designer may reach out to you directly for additional insights. These follow-up conversations help us better understand your needs and the context behind your feedback, ensuring we’re building solutions that truly address the challenges you’ve described.
Panel signup
You may be invited to sign up for our research panels through direct invitations or announcements on our social media channels. Joining a panel means you’ll be considered for future studies that match your profile and areas of expertise. When we have new panels available for sign-ups, they will be listed here. If none are listed, we don’t currently have an open panel for sign-ups.
Types of Research Activities
We conduct various types of research, and you might be invited to participate in:
- User interviews: One-on-one conversations (typically 30-60 minutes) where we learn about your workflows, challenges, and experiences.
- Usability tests: Sessions where you interact with GitLab or prototype designs while thinking aloud, helping us understand what works well and what doesn’t.
- Surveys: Online questionnaires about your experiences, preferences, or feedback on specific topics.
- Unmoderated tests: Self-paced activities you complete on your own time, such as testing a feature or providing feedback on designs.
- Diary/longitudinal studies: Multi-week studies where you participate in various activities over time, such as an initial interview, periodic surveys about your experiences, and a wrap-up interview. These studies help us understand how your experience evolves and changes in real-world contexts.
Compensation & Incentives
We value your time and expertise. Participants in user interviews and usability tests receive thank-you gifts in the form of gift cards, typically processed 1-2 business days after your session concludes. The gift cards are sent from Tremendous via RallyUXR, which offers various reward options based on your location. These emails will also come from our sending alias research@rally.gitlab.com. These thank-you gift emails can sometimes end up in a promotional folder, opposed to your main inbox, so be sure to check both if you are expecting an email.
If you’re unable to accept a gift card but would still like to participate, simply let us know during your session and we won’t process it.
Questions about incentives? See our FAQ section, or find our Contact Info below to reach out.
Participation Expectations
Honesty and authenticity
By taking part in this study, you agree to provide information that is truthful and reflects your own background and experience (including any profiles or accounts you share). If we determine that a participant has intentionally misrepresented their identity, role, experience, or used another person’s information in order to qualify, we may end their participation and no incentive will be paid.
Mutual respect
We believe in creating a respectful and professional environment for everyone involved in our research. We expect mutual respect between our participants and our researchers during all interactions. We do not accept harassment of any kind toward our researchers, and equally, we are committed to ensuring our participants never experience disrespect. Our researchers have the right to end a session immediately if harassment occurs. If at any point you feel uncomfortable during a research session, please let us know immediately.
FAQs
How do I know if an email from GitLab Research is genuine?
We understand that email security is important. Here’s how to verify a research invitation is legitimate:
Check the sender: We send from research@rally.gitlab.com. This is GitLab’s official recruitment email for research studies.
Check the reply-to: The reply-to address is usually research@gitlab.com, monitored by our Research Operations team.
Look for these elements in our emails:
- The GitLab logo.
- A specific call to action (completing a survey or registering interest for an interview).
- An opt-out/unsubscribe option where relevant.
- Where possible, the name and GitLab profile of the team member conducting the research (some researchers share their LinkedIn instead).
Still in doubt? Forward the email to research@gitlab.com and we can confirm if it’s genuine.
Note: We use RallyUXR as our research participant management platform, which is why you see emails from that domain. Our surveys and screeners are hosted in RallyUXR or Qualtrics (via RallyUXR), and these links will often open in a new tab when clicked.
Security standards: We send from a different email address than we reply to, as advised by our security team and following industry best practices.
I filled in a screener and I’ve been selected. What happens next?
Great! Here’s what to expect:
- Scheduling: You’ll receive an email with a link to book your session time through Google Calendar.
- Confirmation: You’ll get an automatic reminder before your session.
- Need to reschedule? The calendar invite includes instructions for adjusting or cancelling your session time.
During your interview, our researchers will:
- Introduce themselves and explain the session.
- Request permission to record (recordings are for research purposes only and not shared outside GitLab).
- Depending on the topic, they may ask for feedback on specific product areas, walk you through prototype designs, or simply learn more about you, your role, and your organization.
Note: In some cases where participants prefer not to be recorded as stated in their sign-up form/screener, our researcher may bring an additional note-taker to help capture feedback.
My session was cancelled by GitLab. Will I still receive a gift card?
We do our best to never cancel sessions, but sometimes unforeseen events arise. When possible, we always try to reschedule first. If GitLab cancels your session, here’s how incentives are processed based on notice provided:
| Notice Period Given | % of Incentive Paid |
|---|---|
| ≤ 24 hours ahead of the session | 100% |
| ≤ 36 hours ahead of the session | 50% |
| > 36 hours ahead of the session | 0% |
Note: If you (the participant) cancel your session, we will not process an incentive.
Contact Us
Have questions that aren’t answered here? We’re here to help!
Email: research@gitlab.com
Our Research Operations team monitors this inbox and will respond to your questions about:
- Verifying email authenticity.
- Session scheduling or technical issues.
- Incentive processing.
- General participation questions.
Thank you for your interest in participating in GitLab Experience Research. Your insights make a real difference in how we build and improve GitLab!
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