Create & Send an Invite with Google Calendar

Using Google Calendar

Google Calendar is a great resource to help book appointments with clients, interview participants, colleagues and others.

If you have a Gmail account, you also have access to Google Calendar! Just go to calendar.google.com, and you should have access.

Making an event in Gcal

Here’s an example event. It has a clear title, the guests are invited, the time has been identified, and there’s a concise description.

When making an event, there are a few things you need to remember:

Name the event something logical! If you’re conducting a usability test with a user, name it something like "Blair Usability Test." Makes sense, right? :)
You have invite the other person to the event, or they won’t know about it! The example below shows two invited guests.
Double-check time zones! If you want to double-check that your event is in the right time zone, click the "time zone" button and see what time the event is in!
Finally, don’t forget to add an event reminder, to help you and the guest remember when the event is! Best practice is to add an email and a notification reminder at least 10 minutes before the event.

Other Google Calendar Tips:

Include all of the information your user will need to get started- that includes the total time commitment of the event, and any needed materials (like a device or headphones), etc.
How to reach out to you in the event of an emergency/tech issue. This will ensure your guest has the support they need if there’s a technical problem, and that they can call you if they need to cancel last-minute.
Set a reminder for yourself and the guest - Google Calendar has a handy reminder feature you can set to send a pop-up notification and send an email to you and the guest. You can also just send them a text/email before the test.