keeping your customers real
DESCRIPTION
Lean Startup Circle talk in Austin, Texas - August 20, 2013. Presented by Jon-Eric Steinbomer, Progress UX Principal and Research Director. Topics included: personas, remote research techniques, hardware and mobile research methods, card sorting and diary studies. Intention of the talk was to provide a general framework of UX research methods and guidance to entrepreneurs and startups so that they could feel empowered to either try their own customer research or better understand how it fits in with the UX ecosystem.TRANSCRIPT
Keeping your customers realJon-Eric Steinbomer, Director of Research
Lean Startup Circle - 2013
| © Progress UX LLC2
| © Progress UX LLC
UX Research is not Market Research
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User Experience Research
•What people do
•How people use
•Smaller sample sizes
Market Research
•What people say
•What people will buy
•Larger sample sizes
| © Progress UX LLC4
About Progress
Austin, TexasHome Office and Usability Lab
Bellevue, WashingtonSatellite Office
| © Progress UX LLC
Core UX Research Methods
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Usability Testing
Remote and Lab-Based
Prototype Testing
App (mobile) Research
Eye Tracking
Natural Interface (NUI) Research
Expert Review
Out of Box Testing
User Research
Card Sorting
Tree Testing
Personas
Surveys
Contextual Interview/On-Site Visits
Diary Studies
Listening Lab
Personas
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The over-achiever The follower The Idealist
© Nick Agin
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What are Personas?
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“Personas are not real people. They represent real people throughout the design process. They are hypothetical archetypes of actual users.”
Alan Cooper
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Why Personas?
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• The “average” user does not exist.
• We are not our users.
• Build consensus.
• Foster empathy.
• Support ideation.
• Research study recruiting.
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Endless flavors!
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Characteristics of Ineffective Personas
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• Contain too much “fluff” information.
• Are based on dubious or unknown sources.
• Aspirational - who you wish your customers were.
• Static.
• Are not used.
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Characteristics of effective personas
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• Are based on direct user research.
• Convey only relevant information, i.e. - what people want, what they are, what they do - their story!
• Are iteratively refined and validated.
• Are often referenced in discussions and ideation.
“Roger”“Early Adopter”
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Final thoughts on personas
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“Personas are not real people. They represent real people throughout the design process. They are hypothetical archetypes of actual users.
Although they are imaginary, they are defined with significant rigor and precision.”
Alan Cooper
Remote UX Research
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Remote UX Research - Expanded Reach
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Researchers
ParticipantObservers
Participant
Participant Participant
Participant
Participant
Participant
Participant
Participant
Observers
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Remote benefit - ethnographyParticipants are more comfortable as they speak to us using their own OS, browser, resolution, etc.
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Remote UX Research & Real-time Interaction
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Remote UX Research Best Practices
• Mind the time zones.
• One moderator per session.
• If time allows, start broad, then narrow down to your subject (website, prototype, product).
• Have a backup plan for the screen-share.
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Mobile/Hardware ResearchBack to the lab!
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In-Person and On-Device
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Mobile app/Hardware Research
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http://www.mrtappy.com/
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Out of Box Testing (OOBE)
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Card Sorting
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Card SortingHelps us understand:
• user-derived labels (what do people call things)
• which items belong in existing categories (what goes where)
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Card Sorting with OptimalSort
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Card Sort Results
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Dendrogram visualization
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Tree ValidationHelps us understand how well a given navigation structure works
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Diary Studies
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Diary Studies - Longitudinal UX Helps us gain:
• Iterative feedback collected over time and use.
• Take us beyond initial discovery.
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research.microsoft.com
Recruiting Participants
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Identify who you want to speak with
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• Personas
• Marketing data
• Call center data
• Sales staff
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Cast the net
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Forums
Social media
Ethnio - Live Intercept
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Screen each candidate
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Compensation
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A few best practices
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“everything we perceive is filtered and biased by our version of things.”
“...understand one’s behavior free from the tyranny of one’s own
expectations and biases.”
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UX Research best practices
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• Keep your ego in check.
• “Users” don’t exist, they are (we are) real people with complex and sometimes messy lives. Dig in to find people’s story.
• Conduct regular product research with real people. Weekly or bi-monthly if possible. Get it on the calendar.