Qualitative Research
After foundational analysis activities and workshops, I will create a research plan that best fits the scope, budget and timeframe of the project. I will then schedule one-on-ones with users either in-person or remotely. If there is an existing version of a product or service, I’ll often have users perform a set of tasks within those systems. If time allows, I’ll set up an information gathering cadence with users via a diary study to track behavior over several weeks or months.
Activities
- Research Planning
- Contextual Inquiries
- In-Depth & Remote Interviews
- User Journals / Diary Studies
- Baseline User Testing
Research Planning
This is an individual or group activity that leverages all kickoff, stakeholder, existing research data into a unique set of research plans.
We need to clearly identify and define the scope and methods used for the project. We will identify which groups of users, are they remote or in-person and which questions we need to ask, which tasks we need to see them perform. It will also include a proposed schedule to match budget and time constraints.
Contextual Inquiries
Contextual Inquiries include in-person observation, to provide insight through non-verbal actions and environmental inputs; and an interview, to solicit descriptive rationale for the actions observed. We need to observe and understand the problem in context, directly and if possible, in person. Far more revealing than survey or interview, we need to understand what people do, not what they say they do.
In-depth & Remote Interviews
If a contextual inquiry is not possible, we will conduct an in-depth or remote interview. Interviews typically last 90 minutes or longer and include tasks in addition to a fixed set of interview questions. We need to understand the ‘Why’ not just make infrences or guesses based on rote feedback. We need to be able to probe deeper and pivot as the dialog progresses.
User Journals & Diary Studies
If a one or two hour contextual inquiry isn’t enough to expose the needs of users, a diary study can be created to capture the day to day habits of the target group.
Data can be easily captured using mobile apps designed for this type of study or even a simple, shared google worksheet with questions and answer fields. Daily check-ins can be done remotely with Zoom or chat.
These studies can help inform who I should follow up with contextual inquiry and build journey maps.
Baseline User Testing
I take an existing system or a set of competitors’ systems and test with new and existing users. I’ll also capture a system usability scale score from each participant. This will quickly illustrate the areas of the system that need the most work, require the most training or where workarounds and analog patches have occurred.
