the right research method for any problem (and budget)
TRANSCRIPT
When it comes to research, you have questions.
How do I convince people research is important?
How do I turn this research into better products?
How do I make sure everybody understands the research?
How can we do this faster and cheaper?
How do I pick which research to do?
How do I get more participants?
When it comes to research, you have questions.
How do I convince people research is important?
How do I turn this research into better products?
How do I make sure everybody understands the research?
How can we do this faster and cheaper?
How do I pick which research to do?
How do I get more participants?
CORPORATE STRATEGY
MARKET RESEARCH CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE RESEARCH
We often treat research as a departmental concern.
USER RESEARCH
CORPORATE STRATEGY
MARKET RESEARCH CUSTOMER
EXPERIENCE RESEARCH
We often treat research as a departmental concern.
USER RESEARCH
Instead, we can think of research as a series of questions that build on each other.
1. What is happening around us?
Instead, we can think of research as a series of questions that build on each other.
1. What is happening around us?
2. What do people need?
Instead, we can think of research as a series of questions that build on each other.
1. What is happening around us?
2. What do people need?
3. What can we make that will help?
Instead, we can think of research as a series of questions that build on each other.
1. What is happening around us?
2. What do people need?
3. What can we make that will help?
4. Does our solution really work?
Instead, we can think of research as a series of questions that build on each other.
1. What is happening around us?
5. What is the impact?
2. What do people need?
3. What can we make that will help?
4. Does our solution really work?
Intuit conducted a series of studies to understand how its customers’ world will change in the next 10 years.
Source: about.intuit.com/futureofsmallbusiness/
They identified trends that will shape customers’ needs and experiences…
Source: about.intuit.com/futureofsmallbusiness/
… And highlighted implications for how products and services will need to evolve to support people’s needs.
The goal here is to understand significant shifts that will soon impact your organization—or may already.
Futures Research Macrotrend Analysis Demographic Research Mining Customer Data Comparative Benchmarking Signals and Trend Spotting
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES TOOLS & PROVIDERS
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APPROACH
Analytical
Empirical
Periodic Continuous
Philips shadows patients and healthcare professionals to understand how they do their jobs today.
Source: alicehyde.com
Using observations from field research, the Philips team identifies key issues, which get captured as ‘issue cards.’
Source: Philips Design
Then the team maps out a framework to understand problems, paint points, emotional needs, and mindset of users as they move through their journey.
Source: Philips Design
Potential solutions are reviewed, refined, and vetted with stakeholders and team members in an opportunity workshop.
Source: Philips Design
The goal here is to understand people’s needs, behaviors, mindsets, and motivations.
Ethnographic Research Market Research Research Communities Diary Studies Extreme User Research Participatory Design Customer Interviews Customer Journey Mapping Bodystorming
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES TOOLS & PROVIDERS
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APPROACH
Analytical
Empirical
Periodic Continuous
Source: Medium, ‘Designing Facebook Collage’
For its Collage feature, Facebook first observed user behaviors that suggested a need for a new feature.
Source: TheNextWeb.com
Next, Facebook prototyped successive explorations, moving eventually into an MVP.
Source: Medium, ‘Designing Facebook Collage’
As a small initial beta, Facebook ‘dogfoods’ apps with its own employees.
Source: Medium, ‘Designing Facebook Collage’
Finally, they tested in a regional beta and then released it to all of their customers.
The goal here is to know the range of possible solutions and which direction is most successful.
Concept Testing A/B testing Card Sorting & Tree Testing Lean Experiments Landing Page Tests 5 Second Tests RITE Testing
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES TOOLS & PROVIDERS
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APPROACH
Analytical
Empirical
Periodic Continuous
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Source: “Data-Driven Design In the Real World,” SmashingMagazine.com
An internal team at Volusion was tasked with improving its registration conversion rate.
Source: “Data-Driven Design In the Real World,” SmashingMagazine.com
After finding that an alternate design made no difference in conversion, they dug into their analytics data.
Source: “Data-Driven Design In the Real World,” SmashingMagazine.com
Based on this research, they developed a new trial page and saw a 48% increase in trial registrations and a 57% increase in trial-to-store conversions.
The goal here is to understand if people can successfully use your products as you intend.
Beta Testing Mining Analytics Usability testing Heuristic reviews Dogfooding RITE Testing
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES TOOLS & PROVIDERS
$$$$
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APPROACH
Analytical
Empirical
Periodic Continuous
Google’s HEART framework:
Happiness Engagement Adoption Retention Task Success
Source: Google Ventures
Google’s HEART framework:
Happiness Engagement Adoption Retention Task Success
Goals Signals Metrics
Source: Google Ventures
Google’s HEART framework:
Happiness Engagement Adoption Retention Task Success
Goals Signals Metrics
Source: Google Ventures
Usabilla applied this framework to measure the success of new two-step verification feature.
Source: Usabilla
The goal here is to know how your product impacts your customers (and by extension your organization).
VoC Programs Behavioral Analytics Text Analytics Sentiment & Loyalty Analysis Social Listening Channel Surveys
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES TOOLS & PROVIDERS
$$$$
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APPROACH
Analytical
Empirical
Periodic Continuous
LANGUAGE YOU MIGHT HEAR
What should we do with [mobile/social, etc.]?
What should we prioritize first?
We have some ideas about what we need to do. How do we know we’re right?
You think customers will do X. I think they’ll do Y. Who’s right?
What’s the right [language, imagery, interaction method, etc.] to use here?
Did our changes make a difference?
Why didn’t our changes make a difference?
Why isn’t this [feature, product, etc.] getting as much traction as we thought?
What is the impact of [design, UX, research, etc.] on our business?
LANGUAGE YOU MIGHT HEAR FOCUS HERE
What should we do with [mobile/social, etc.]?
What should we prioritize first?
We have some ideas about what we need to do. How do we know we’re right?
You think customers will do X. I think they’ll do Y. Who’s right?
What’s the right [language, imagery, interaction method, etc.] to use here?
Did our changes make a difference?
Why didn’t our changes make a difference?
Why isn’t this [feature, product, etc.] getting as much traction as we thought?
What is the impact of [design, UX, research, etc.] on our business?
LANGUAGE YOU MIGHT HEAR FOCUS HERE
What should we do with [mobile/social, etc.]?
What should we prioritize first?
We have some ideas about what we need to do. How do we know we’re right?
You think customers will do X. I think they’ll do Y. Who’s right?
What’s the right [language, imagery, interaction method, etc.] to use here?
Did our changes make a difference?
Why didn’t our changes make a difference?
Why isn’t this [feature, product, etc.] getting as much traction as we thought?
What is the impact of [design, UX, research, etc.] on our business?
LANGUAGE YOU MIGHT HEAR FOCUS HERE
What should we do with [mobile/social, etc.]?
What should we prioritize first?
We have some ideas about what we need to do. How do we know we’re right?
You think customers will do X. I think they’ll do Y. Who’s right?
What’s the right [language, imagery, interaction method, etc.] to use here?
Did our changes make a difference?
Why didn’t our changes make a difference?
Why isn’t this [feature, product, etc.] getting as much traction as we thought?
What is the impact of [design, UX, research, etc.] on our business?
LANGUAGE YOU MIGHT HEAR FOCUS HERE
What should we do with [mobile/social, etc.]?
What should we prioritize first?
We have some ideas about what we need to do. How do we know we’re right?
You think customers will do X. I think they’ll do Y. Who’s right?
What’s the right [language, imagery, interaction method, etc.] to use here?
Did our changes make a difference?
Why didn’t our changes make a difference?
Why isn’t this [feature, product, etc.] getting as much traction as we thought?
What is the impact of [design, UX, research, etc.] on our business?
LANGUAGE YOU MIGHT HEAR FOCUS HERE
What should we do with [mobile/social, etc.]?
What should we prioritize first?
We have some ideas about what we need to do. How do we know we’re right?
You think customers will do X. I think they’ll do Y. Who’s right?
What’s the right [language, imagery, interaction method, etc.] to use here?
Did our changes make a difference?
Why didn’t our changes make a difference?
Why isn’t this [feature, product, etc.] getting as much traction as we thought?
What is the impact of [design, UX, research, etc.] on our business?
LANGUAGE YOU MIGHT HEAR FOCUS HERE
What should we do with [mobile/social, etc.]?
What should we prioritize first?
We have some ideas about what we need to do. How do we know we’re right?
You think customers will do X. I think they’ll do Y. Who’s right?
What’s the right [language, imagery, interaction method, etc.] to use here?
Did our changes make a difference?
Why didn’t our changes make a difference?
Why isn’t this [feature, product, etc.] getting as much traction as we thought?
What is the impact of [design, UX, research, etc.] on our business?
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