pre-conference course: ux fieldwork - danielle cooley

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UX Fieldwork

22 June 2015 #UXPA2015 @dgcooley

Photo via Flickr user Matthew Fern


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Agenda

• Introductions• Why Field Research? • An Introduction to Field Research Techniques• Field Research vs. Other Methods• Conducting Field Research• Reporting Field Research Findings• Some Examples from the Real World• LUNCH!• Activity: Poolside Field Research• Activity: Analyze & Present Field Research Findings• Review, Wrap-up, and Questions


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Danielle Gobert Cooley

[email protected]

@dgcooley

17 years doing UX work

BE, Biomedical and Electrical Engineering – Vanderbilt UniversityMS, Human Factors in Information Design – Bentley University

http://linkedin.com/in/dgcooley

Selected Work

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Why Field Research?


Photo via Flickr user N i c o l a


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6http://www.mediabarnresearch.com/


7http://www.mediabarnresearch.com/


8Photo courtesy of Tom Tullis


9Photo courtesy of Monica Ferraro

@dgcooley


10http://www.mequoda.com/articles/subscription_websites/how-to-conduct-a-usability-lab/

@dgcooley


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Let’s get real for a moment.


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@dgcooley


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@dgcooley


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@dgcooley


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@dgcooley


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“I practice guitar while waiting for data to finish crunching.”


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And those aren’t even the craziest

ones...


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@dgcooley


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@dgcooley


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@dgcooley


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@dgcooley


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@dgcooley


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@dgcooley


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33Photo via Flickr user C.P.Storm

It’s definitely time to get out of the building.

@dgcooley


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Fieldwork is great for..

• Really understanding your end users.– Who are they? – What are their actual goals? – What keeps them awake at night? – What’s the best and worst part of their jobs?

• Really understanding what environment your product needs to thrive in.– Is it noisy or quiet?– Very bright or dim?– Full of distractions, or with very few?

Good PERSONAS are the result of good

fieldwork.


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Types of Field Research

Formal Contextual Inquiry

Remote Contextual Inquiry

On-site usability testing

Follow Me Home

And many more!


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Formal Contextual Inquiry

• Part 1 – The conventional interview

• Part 2 – The transition

• Part 3 – The contextual interview proper

• Part 4 – The wrap-up

1998

2005


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Remote Contextual Inquiry

Photo via http://remoteresear.ch/gtm/


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On-Site Usability Testing

• Conducted at participant’s workstation

• Provides some environmental context

Photo credit unknown


39Photo via Flickr user stevenharris

How does fieldwork measure up?


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Field Research vs. Focus Groups

• Identify “hot buttons & sales points”• Gathers opinions and self-reported behaviors• Not contextual or observational

http://www.nngroup.com/articles/first-rule-of-usability-dont-listen-to-users/


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Field Research vs. Surveys

• Great for quick, quantitative feedback• Very inexpensive• Only get opinions and self-reported behaviors• Tough to focus on details; only effective for broad issues


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Field Research vs. Formal Lab Testing

• Useful for both quantitative and qualitative results• Controlled environment• Easy recording and data collection• Labs are expensive to build or rent• Traditionally conducted after-the-fact

http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/portal/usability/overview/overview_where.htm

http://www.sea.siemens.com/software/product/uslab.html


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Field Research vs. Journaling

• Very inexpensive• Self-reported information, but without time delay• Considerable after-the-fact data parsing• Compliance can be difficult

http://www.sftherapy.com/journaling.html


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Field Research vs. Other Methods

Qualitative Quantitative Inexpensive Easy to Implement Observational Contextual

Focus Groups ? Surveys

Lab Testing Journaling ?

Field Studies


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Fieldwork can be helpful at any stage in the product lifecycle.

Photo via Flickr user Christopher Sessums


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Begin to understand who your users are and what will make their lives better.

Go observe more specific details about their workflows and environments.

Do some or all of your testing in the field.

(Still not a bad time to visit your users in their workspaces. You can always learn something.)

(Yep. Still learning!)


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How-to

1. Plan your study – What do you want to learn?

2. Identify representative end users.

3. GO TO WHERE THEY ARE.

4. Learn all the things.

@dgcooley

Prepare, prepare, prepare!


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1. Plan Your Study

• What do you want to learn?

• Are you defining requirements?

• Do you need to learn about a specific feature?

• Just trying to understand your people?

Photo via Flickr user brand0con


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2. Identify representative end users.

• Third-party recruiting firms or market research facilities.• Customer lists• Friends & family• Customer intercepts• Man-on-the street


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Prepare, prepare, prepare!

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53Photo via Etsy seller aaasupply


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Find out what else you’ll need to do there

• Photo ID?• License plate number?• Dress codes?

– No shoes allowed? Steel-toed boots? Shoe covers provided?– Eye or ear protection?– Will people see your underwear?

• Technical requirements or limitations?– Laptop virus scanning?– Phones allowed?– Can you count on WiFi?


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Figure out where the place is

• Does Google maps know?– Do they REALLY know?

• How long will it take to get there?– Really? Even in traffic?

• Where will you park?– How far is that from the venue? – Does that change how you pack

all of your gear?

• Ask for directions anyway.• Bring a PRINTED backup of your

route, and WRITE DOWN the participant’s phone number so you can call if there are issues.


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3. Go to where they are.


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The Usual Rules Apply

• Get written consent for anything you do• Ask open-ended questions• Minimize bias• Provide reassurance to

the participant


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Artifacts!

Take photos.

Make copies.

Record videos.


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Practical Challenges

• Scheduling issues• Productivity concerns from

management• Site security• Rules about photos and videos• Getting there• Considerable additional

pre-planning required


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Real-World Artifacts


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Homemade Sales Binders

Several FCs had homemade

sales binders like this one.


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Cheat Sheets

“cheat sheet” of BETA codes. The FAs “rarely use” BETA and need a reference when dealing

with the home office. (B22)

One FC kept an extensive list of home office personnel he had

spoken to about various matters. Each folder includes people’s names, their extension, and

comments about how helpful or unhelpful they were when the FC

spoke with them. (B8)


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Strategic Seating of ClientsThe FCs care about projecting an image of absolute excellence. Clients visiting one office (B25) are seated in a specific location so they can see…

…that, no matter what, the market goes up.

… the FC’s many diplomas, certifications, and honors.

… an organized set of files containing the necessary forms for

various products.

… any hustle and bustle in the office

to convey that we’re busily working on

earning people money.


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Workflow Processes

(HO3)The follow-up process for problem accounts/issues is very cumbersome and paper-intensive. There isn't an efficient systematic process for reconciling issues.

The current process relies on the <company> resource to "remember" to go through these folders with some frequency, send follow-up wires (which may or may not be acknowledged in a timely manner), and try to reconcile the issue.

Note the names on the folders:

•Pending OK to Trades (Accts in date read order, need them by Acct # order)

•*IMPORTANT* Daily Immediate Follow Up

•Need Sign-off from Money Manager (Accts in date read order, need them by Acct # order)

•Problem Follow up

Two items in the far background:

•MGR Index - This hardcopy of about 50+ pages is held together by a binder clip and contains information/instructions from the corporate intranet, along with personal emails and other artifacts on how to handle certain situations. The emails and artifacts are peppered with hand-written notes.

•Select Advisor Account Checklist


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Checklists & Instructions

3 different teams showed us their homemade instructions or checklists for setting up fee-based accounts.


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Surprises


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WorkflowsYAY! A book!

Loved it!

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bit.ly/garconapp

http://bit.ly/garconapp

http://bit.ly/garconapp


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Affinity Diagrams

• Not just for brainstorming

• Useful to organize yourown thoughts or to aggregate findings frommultiple interviewers

http://www.adamatorres.com/gallery-project/?page_id=106

Usabilitynet.org/tools/affinity.htm


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Analyze Field Research Findings

Analysis

Photo via Flickr user Jacob Bøtter


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Other Tools

Microsoft OneNote

mind mapping


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Reporting Field Research Findings

• The usual rules apply– Provide a concise executive summary– Explain what you did– Share both positive &

negative findings– Provide visual explanations

whenever possible– Protect your participants’

anonymity– Include your artifacts!


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Reporting Field Research Findings

• Sample Visual Explanations

http://www.xplane.com

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Recap & Additional Resources

• Field research is an important tool that provides advantages over other user research techniques.

• Logistical challenges exist (but are worth it).• It’s FUN!


http://www.portigal.com/series/WarStories/

pre-conference course: ux fieldwork - danielle cooley

Design

types of field research

flickr user c

ux fieldwork

photo courtesy of tom

flickr user matthew

flickr user n i c o

ux work

result of good fieldwork