A research question is not a question you’d ask a user or customer in an interview, survey, or any other study. A research question is what you need to learn to help you or your stakeholders make a good, data-informed decision. So, how do we define research questions in such a way that both guides our studies and reminds us that there’s more than one way to get those answers when the goal is helping stakeholders learn?
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Group of people standing in an elevator
So you want to run a focus group… but should you?
Focus groups, bringing around 5-10 people together into a physical or virtual room to engage in conversation and answer questions, are one of the oldest customer research methods.
But what do teams need to know about focus groups before treating team like some magical, go-to elixir for every ailment and open question?
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A plastic cup of water on a table
Ethnographic research - just get started, even during a lockdown
In reading through a semi-recent Userfocus newsletter last night, I came across this tweet thread by Sam Ladner and Jooyoung Lee and instantly saw value in what they’re suggesting about ethnographic research.
In order to understand more about the world and how people behave within it, sometimes you just need start your own user research on your own accord…
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Horse blinders / blinkers (Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons by Alex Proimos)
Look broader, Think deeper
Words are powerful, and when you get the right combination in the right order, sometimes all it may take to spark that lightbulb moment of realisation is a simple quote like, "Experiences happen before and after the transaction."
Understanding that your product or service isn't the end all, be all of your customer's day is what removes the metaphorical blinders from your eyes that would have otherwise kept you and your team from seeing all of the surrounding, yet hidden business opportunities available. People don't seek out and interact with what you're offering in isolation….
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I've always quite liked this UX approach phase diagram by peepaldesign for its simultaneous simplicity and level of detail
10 quick and dirty steps for understanding the progression of user research before design
Today I chimed in on a UX introductory group's discussion on Facebook regarding where to start for personas and where to go from there. I was first trying to provide advice on how to help pull out a research participant's current journey as a method to see what their goals are, their problems, their motivations, their behaviours, etc. However, someone asked me if I use a different process than getting a persona written and going off into design.
The following was my in-haste attempt to reply and explain how there is so, so much more that should be done before actually trying to design anything on paper, least of all digitally.
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Courtesy of gdstream - "User Research Periscope" image taken 9 Sept 2015
Where I fall on the user research vs. UI design line
I just finished listening to the March 31 podcast of Human Tech with their guest Nick Fine (@doctorfine) who was brought on to introduce an idea that shouldn't be radical. He reiterated for all of us that a user experience (UX) is a thing that we all have, it's definitely not something you "do", and above all, research is your ultimate key to success.
One of the main misconceptions companies, stakeholders, and even some self-proclaimed "UX Designers" have when they consider "designing a user experience" is that designing a UI based on all of the best principles and practices will give them what they think they need. But as we know and try to teach, no amount of superb UI design will ever be a catch-all replacement for the need to perform in-depth user research to validate the core ideas being investigated and developed.
As with any good educational podcast, it leaves me wondering, "So where am I fitting in? Am I on the path I want to be on for the sake of us all?" ...
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Being Prepared for the Unexpected
User interviews sometimes occur in the unlikeliest of places; are you prepared for your next impromptu discussion?
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