I’m a passionate advocate of user research, not just as a practical matter but also from a strategic viewpoint – The more you know about the people that engage with the solution or product you produce the better you can model and “tune” that offering to support those users. Optimally, you start from the users (potential or actual) and then you build the offering based on what you know about them – though most organizations aren’t that user-centered.
I had a great chat recently with my team members about the difference between Lean and Agile UX – to me, Lean is the above strategic view of user needs (to inform product features and roadmaps) and Agile UX involves the tactical activity that involves designing the detailed experience and iterating on those details using user feedback. In the end, the core of both is what UX is all about – know the user, solve for the user, and help the user. The only real difference is your area of focus.
Today, let’s cover the phase gates that I think are required to gather a comprehensive “360-degree view” of users, to inform the strategic product roadmaps for new and future products.
Identify who your users are
Sounds simple, but this is actually a pretty important activity. If you don’t have a correct “target” for your research, you will spend time gathering data and doing analysis on people who may never use your product. A good example was when I was doing small business research a decade ago. What type of small business? What size? How old has it been in operation? Family-founded or franchise? Know the answer to those questions, informed by marketing research and telemetry data, allowed us to focus on the 80% “core” audience who used or would be interested in the products the company was taking to market.
Walk a mile in their shoes
Having a hour-long interview is one thing – parking yourself in the user’s workspace while he or she go through their daily routine is something else entirely. I’m a true believer in observational ethnography, and I have seen first-hand the insights that can come from doing this activity. Get as many opportunities as possible to “walk the walk” and shadow users for a full day. Don’t interrupt, take notes, and ask questions when and where is appropriate. People will often do things in their routine unconsciously, and if you pay attention and ask later, “Why did you do that?” you’ll pick up some keen insights and understanding.
Interview with “two ears, one mouth”
One of the best pieces of advice came to me when I first started Microsoft six years ago, which is “Two ears, one mouth”. You should spend twice as much time listening as you do talking. And REALLY listen: Be “present” and engaged in the conversation. As so many people are distracted and casual conversations are usually exactly that – casual – you will be surprised at the response of the interview subject if you practice this “active listening” approach.
Use all the data you can
If you think your organization doesn’t have useful legacy data you can use to understand your users, you are almost certainly wrong. Even companies with limited analytics and marketing research have data that can inform your understanding and insights. Just be mindful to keep the context and age of this data in mind – user expectations and behavior patterns change all the time, and data that is six years old is a lot less relevant and useful compared to data that is “just-in-time” information.
Consider multiple approaches and teams (if you can afford it).
I’ve never been a fan of heavy-handed research. I think a smart lean (pun unintended) team can be more efficient and gather as many insights as a larger group. It’s also easier to manage and coordinate. Try and get as many views of the users by doing more than one technique – observation, interviews, focus groups, design thinking workshops, service design blueprinting, what have you.
Be aware of “Compassion Fatigue”
A growing sentiment in UX research is regarding the impact that research has on the researcher – especially when the topic of inquiry involves people who are going through rough times. A research partner of mine almost a decade ago was doing research into how the lower and lower-middle class manage their money – and it nearly broke my heart. Be mindful of the mental health of the research team to make sure they are not burning out – and also that their sympathy towards the research subject’s situation is not biasing their analysis and insights.
Spend enough analysis time
Research is 50% fact gathering, 50% synthesis and analysis. If you don’t have such a a balance, you will not be able to mine that rich vein of data for all the insights it provides. You have to “do the work” and that means different passes at the data, reviews and collaboration, and final findings definition.
Be ready to do it all over again
Users perceptions, habits and workflows change over time. You have to take a “longitudinal” view on research, and accept that perfect is the enemy of good. You have to stop one phase of research, to deliver actionable insights, and at the same time (if you have sufficient executive support) you need to be planning the next round of research. When I was doing small business research, we revisited the topic months after the first go round… And identified that the world had (if only slightly) changed. Be aware of the shifting baseline, and always keep learning.