User Research - Introducing research

15 important questions on User Research - Introducing research

Which research is unstructured, not measurable, deep insights, subjective, interpretive, small sample sizes and is been seen as a "Soft" science?

Qualitative Research

Which research is structured, numerical, measurable, broad insight, objective, statistical, larger sample sizes, and is been seen as a "Hard" research method?

Quantitative

What kind of research methods are:
  1. Card sorting
  2. Message board mining
  3. Customer feedback calls/mails
  4. Online surveys

Attitudinal-Quantitative research methods
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What kind of research methods are:
  1. Eye-tracking
  2. Usability testing
  3. Contextual inquiry
  4. Field studies

Observational-Qualitative research methods

What kind of research methods are:
  1. Diary/camera study
  2. interviews
  3. Focus groups

Attitudinal-Qualitative research methods

When you just watch what a user does.

Observational technique

Who are not in the target audience?

All people working in the IT industry.

When people are saying;
  1. What I want
  2. Our business plan
  3. What the developers say
  4. Revenue projections
  5. What I think my boss wants
  6. Next months targets
  7. What we hope will happen
  8. Our latest designs
  9. Technical constraints
  10. What marketing wants
  11. What the product manager wants

Are not the target audience

What is so quick and easy and cheap to make and dangerous for your product plan?

Assumptions

There are no facts inside your building. So get outside.

Steve Blank

You can observe a lot just by watching.

Yogi Berra

Why is observational research incredibly powerful?

Observing is more powerful than listening

What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things.

Margaret Mead, Anthropologist

  1. Shallow research = shallow insights
  2. Avoid asking people's opinions
  3. Don't assume you know the answer
  4. Don't ask loaded questions

Lessons about research

  1. Self-referential design
  2. Knowing "the answer"
  3. Being defensive or precious
  4. Asking leading questions

Bias

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