module 04: user research

User Research

We’ve talked about the why !

Now, about the how

User Research

Okay, some more why

User Research

(cited by @kylesoucy)

User Research

You might encounter objections

"It’ll cost too much." (A: Interviewing is cheap.) !"We don’t have the time." (A: Do you have the time to be wrong about your hypotheses and assumptions? And making changes before code = cheaper.) !"We did market research." (A: That usually is about how to sell a product, not what people do.) !… any others?

User Research

So what is user research?"Design research both inspires imagination and informs intuition through a variety of methods with related intents: to expose patterns underlying the rich reality of people’s behaviors and experiences… through iterative hypotheses and experiment." — Jane Fulton Suri, IDEO

User Research

So what is user research?"Research is simply systematic inquiry" (Hall) !"For a design to be useful, it must serve the needs and desires of actual humans." (Hall)

User Research

YES !

Anthropology Ethnography Sociology Journalism Discovery

NO !

Marketing Sales Your expertise Building Proving/Affirming

User Research

Ethnography for Design"An ethnography records all observed behavior and describes all symbol-meaning relations using concepts that avoid casual explanations." — Wikipedia !"What do people do and why do they do it? … and what are the implications for what I’m making?" — Erika Hall !

User Research

User research can be:

Qualitative: !— Direct observation — Interviews — Surveys — Combination of above !— can quickly change your approach — caution: self-reporting

User Research

User research can be:

Quantitative: !— Ergonomic/cognitive studies — Demographics — Eye tracking — Behavioral studies !— can be used in conjunction for "mixed"

User Research

User research typesGenerative/Exploratory: — leads to ideas — helps define a problem — even for existing products, good for new features, improvements !— can include: interviews, field observation, literature reviews

User Research

User research typesDescriptive/Explanatory: — observing and defining what you’re studying — to know the context of the design problem and making sure you’re designing for the user !— E.g., an online course: — How does this fit into the learners’ lives?

User Research

User research typesEvaluative: — "Are we getting close?" !— Usually, this take the form of usability testing (which we’ll get to) — But any usage feedback helps

User Research

User Research

(from Erika Hall, @mulegirl)

User Research

(from Erika Hall, @mulegirl)

User Research

A reminder: !

It’s not about you. It’s about empathy.

User Research: Roles

You can do this solo!

Author: Plans it. Writes the problem statement or "what we’re studying", writes the interview guide/script !Notetaker/Recorder: Captures the data (user actions, audio, video, user non-verbal cues)

It’s really hard for one person to do both of these things at once!

But if you have the resources…

User Research: Roles

Interviewer/Facilitator/Moderator: Interacts directly with the user. Reads the script. !Recruiter: Can also be the Scheduler/Coordinator, who gets people to a where and when.

Observers: Can be other team members, stakeholders. What is crucial is that they do not influence the interviews or test sessions.

User Research

Essential Research Skills— Active listening —Open-ended questions — Look interested — Minimal encouragement — Phrase things clearly — Set realistic expectations — Paraphrase back what you’ve heard — PRACTICE

TAKE NOTES

"Notes or it didn’t happen."

User Research

User Research

Structuring the interview

(madmatt88 on deviantart)

The Interview Guide

Have the guide on-hand. It contains:1. Brief description and question of the study. Helps

remind you to stay on topic. 2. Basic demographic data. Helps put participant’s

answers in context. 3. "Icebreakers". Warm-up questions, small talk. 4. Focus questions and topics

The Interview Structure

An interview in three acts

But without confrontation

Types of Questions

Open-ended

Empathetic

What questions you ask will determine the results

It’s fair to research high-priority questions ahead of time

Types of Questions

Good questions are: !

Specific Actionable Practical

Types of Questions

A Bad Question: !

"What do people think about food?"

Types of Questions

A Better Question: !

"How do urban families choose where to shop for fresh produce?"

Mad Research Skillz

DO !— make it a conversation — be sympathetic, non-judgy — be the learner, not expert — ask naive questions — ask them to show you — ask for specific stories — see non-verbal cues — breathe — listen actively — note exact phrases

DON’T !— make it an interrogation — talk about yourself — ask leading questions — ask "yes/no" or "this or that" questions — make it a focus group: "Here’s X. Do you like X?" (People want to please.)

User Research

RESEARCH

(it’s a job, too)

Warning signs

BIAS

http://bit.ly/18Gcsab

Types of Questions

Confirmation bias: !

"The tendency of people to favor information that confirms their beliefs or hypotheses." — Wikipedia

Types of Questions

Sampling bias: !

"…a sample is collected in such a way that some members of the intended population are less likely to be included than others." — Wikipedia !

… or your sample isn’t sufficiently representative

Types of Questions

Interviewer bias: !

You insert your opinions into the interview or observation. !

This may not be conscious: "I just wanted the participant to see that button!" (Note: This is hard.)

Types of Questions

Social bias: !

People may not say what they think makes them look bad. !

And people tend to want to please you: "Oh, your site looks perfect! I can tell you worked so hard on it!"

Credit Where Due

http://www.abookapart.com/products/just-enough-research

Credit Where Due

http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/interviewing-users/

Also: http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/interviewing-users/resources/

PRACTICE

Let’s interview each other. !

It’ll be fun.

PRACTICE

Interview scenario:!

!You work for the City of Oakland, which wants to create a web site to help citizens come to and get the most out of the new farmers’ market. !The goal of the research is to identify unmet needs people might have around participating in and enjoying this new farmers’ market. !

PRACTICE

!

!Look for: — goals — priorities — tasks — motivations — barriers — habits — relationships — tools — environment

Interview practice:

PRACTICE

!

!Break into groups of three: one interviewee, one interviewer, one notetaker/observer. !Switch roles in 15 minutes. !Two rounds. !

Interview practice:

PRACTICE

!

!So… what did we learn today? !

Interview practice:

Next up:

Personas and scenarios

ddt@twoangstroms.com

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