You need it. You know you do. Audience research is a vital part of any project, but it’s often the first thing to be cut. “We know our audiences well enough,” they say. “We know what they want.” But is that true? No! Of course not! If we knew what audiences wanted, we’d have an excess of donations, volunteers, newsletter subscribers, and report readers, and we wouldn’t be having conversations about how to get audiences to act or increase awareness. During this session, you’ll learn about: Our favorite lean audience research methods and why they’re awesome - How to convince your boss that audience research is necessary - How to conduct audience research when you have zero resources - By the end, you’ll have what you need to do some quick and dirty audience research and convince others that it’s necessary! Presented by: Courtney Clark, Kristina Bjoran, Valerie Miller

1. Audience Research on a Dime
Nonprofit Technology Conference • March 25, 2017

3. Sound familiar?
I’m a
team of
one.
I don’t
have
budget.
I don’t
have
buy-in.

4. No Silver Bullets
I don’t
have
time.
I don’t
need
research.

5. Small but
mighty!
unsplash.com

6. Perfect is
the enemy
of good.

7. Record it!
Seriously. No really.

8. Audience Research
Methods

9. Observation
What
Observe online behavior, common
questions, conversations, keywords.
How
● Reddit, Twitter, Instagram
● Online Communities or Forums
Resource
Social Media Research

10. Survey
What
Measure product performance
How
● SurveyMonkey
● Typeform
● Google Forms
Resource
28 Tips for Creating Great Qualitative
Surveys

11. Interview
What
Ask about process, beliefs, needs
How
● In Person
● Phone or Video Call
Resource
Interviewing Users
#WOCinTech

12. Usability Testing
What
Inform and optimize designs in order
to reduce risk and improve usability
How
● In Person
● Screenshare / Phone
Resource
Don’t Make Me Think
#WOCinTech

13. Questions Answered
What People Do
What People Say
Why and
How to Fix
How Many,
How Much
Source: When to Use Which User-Experience Research Methods
Email Surveys
Interviews
Usability
Testing

14. Getting Buy-In
#WOCinTech

15. 1. When was the last time you
did audience research?
2. Are you working from
assumptions or facts?
3. If you conduct research, what
will that do for your org?

16. Guerilla Tactics

17. 1. Go rogue.
2. Start with 5-10 people.
3. Don’t ask leading questions.
4. Record it!

18. Some audience research is better
than no audience research.

19. Research Process

20. 1. Set research goals
2. Form a hypothesis
3. Pick a method
4. Write a script
5. Find people
6. Conduct research
7. Summarize findings
8. Present findings

21. 1.
Set Research
Goals
Why
So you know when you’re done.
Ask Yourself
● What does success look like?
● What’s driving this action?
Example
Our goal is to better understand if our
app is usable for our key audiences.

22. 2.
Form a
Hypothesis
Why
Provides starting points / practical
direction for the study.
Ask Yourself
● What hunches do you have?
Example
We believe that people don’t even see
the Donate button, therefore never
select it.

23. 3.
Pick a
Method
Why
You have to start somewhere!
Ask Yourself
● Do you need qualitative or
quantitative info?
● Do you want to explore or
optimize?
Example
Observation, Survey, Interview,
Usability Testing

24. 4.
Write a
Script*
Why
Always be prepared.
Example Outline
● Introduction & Welcome
● Purpose of research
● How results will be used
● Questions
● Conclusion & Thank you
Tips
Keep it short and succinct.
*Does not apply to Observation.

25. 4.5
Practice
Why
Work the kinks out. Test equipment.
Tips
You can practice with anyone!

26. 5.
Find People
Why
It’s called audience research ;)
Where
● Email Lists
● Social Media
● Conferences
● LinkedIn
● Meetups
● Friends & Relatives
● Coffee Shops

27. 6.
Conduct
Research!

28. 7.
Summarize
Findings
Why
Themes and summaries are more
consumable.
How
● Affinity diagram

30. 8.
Present
Findings
Why
Document results so you can refer to
them later.
Sample Outline
● Goals & Hypothesis
● Method & Approach
● Participants
● Themes
● Findings & Quotes
● Next Steps

31. Use Audience Quotes!

32. 1. Set research goals
2. Form a hypothesis
3. Pick a method
4. Write a script
5. Find people
6. Conduct research
7. Summarize findings
8. Present findings

33. Case Studies

34. Washington
All Payer
Claims
Database
Project
App to compare healthcare costs
and quality
Audience
Healthcare consumers and
shoppers
Hypothesis
People don’t understand what
what they’re supposed to do with
existing tools.

35. Washington
All Payer
Claims
Database
Research Method
Usability Testing (comparator)
Investment
20 hours + 6 pack of beer
Outcome
● Identified key gaps in usability.
● We need to spend more time
on language.

36. United Way
Online (UWO)
Project
Improve intranet (UWO)
Audience
12,000 United Way staff
Hypothesis
Very disorganized, users unable
to find resources, lacking
context

37. United Way
Online (UWO)
Research Method
24 interviews with stakeholders
and content contributors
Investment
30-40 hours
Outcome
● Learned extent and scope
of problem, dynamics of
organization.
● There’s good content there!

38. United Way
Online (UWO)
Project
Improve intranet (UWO)
Audience
12,000 United Way staff
Hypothesis
People could not use the site

39. United Way
Online (UWO)
Research Method
10 usability tests
Investment
30 hours + Nielsen Norman
guide
Outcome
● Identified and prioritized
improvements

40. Resources

43. Fifine
USB Microphone,Fifine Plug
&Play Home Studio USB
Condenser Microphone

44. Small but
mighty!
unsplash.com

45. Perfect is
the enemy
of good.

46. Record it!
Seriously. No really.

47. Questions?
Courtney Clark
@circlish
cclark@forumone.com
Kristina Bjoran
@bjoran_identity
kbjoran@forumone.com
Valerie Miller
Valerie.Miller@uww.unitedway.org