Remote research can raise the quality and lower the costs of your user research efforts; using a combination of surveys, video, screensharing, and phone, you can connect with a much broader range of users than you could using traditional lab-based usability tests, while using resources more efficiently than you would doing contextual research. In this workshop-style talk, Juliette Melton will cover recruiting sources, technology tools, and caveats you might not have thought of, including managing time zones and participant distraction. We will also address pros and cons of increasingly popular non-scripted research services.

1. Real World Remote
Research
Juliette Melton
Deluxify User Experience

2. What is remote research?
flickr.com/striatic

4. Who has done this?
flickr.com/striatic

5. Why and why not
to go remote
flickr.com/johnida

6. Selling remote
research...
• Ease of recruiting
• Recruiting quality
• Participant’s real environment
• No limit to the number of observers
• If real-time recruiting, using actual
tasks

7. ... but there are
some caveats
• Limited to participants with fast internet
access
• Lots of opportunities for tech failure
• Can’t see participant faces

8. ... but there are
some caveats
• Timezones
• Languages
• Doesn’t work for mobile
• Secret works in process
• Consent for minors

9. Go remote if:
• You can share what you’re studying
• You don’t have easy access to your
target users
• You’re not focusing on mobile research
• You’re not working with minors

10. Exercise
• What big questions is your organization
facing?
• How are you addressing those big
questions?

11. How to do remote research
flickr.com/62327186@N00

12. Components
• Participant
• Moderator
• Observer(s)
• Tasks
• Computer

13. Components
• Participant • Participant’s computer
• Moderator • Internet access
• Screensharing software
• Observer(s) Plus:
• Phone
• Tasks • Moderator/observer
• Computer communication
• Recording mechanism

14. Whither
scheduling?
• Scheduled, moderated
• Non-scheduled, moderated
• Non-scheduled, non-moderated

15. Scheduled &
moderated
• Pro: Doesn’t require access to code
• Pro: Could be easiest transition from
in-person studies
• Con: Tasks aren’t authentic
• Con: Scheduling takes time

16. People
• Participant
• Moderator
• Observer(s)

17. Recruiting
• House ads
• Event websites
• Customer lists
• Recruiting agencies
• Twitter

18. Recruiting
• House ads
• Event websites
• Customer lists
• Recruiting agencies
• Twitter
• Mechanical Turk

19. Scheduling
• Survey to collect information
• Ask for: name, age, internet access, willing
to install plug-in, time zone, email address,
phone number
• Email back with confirmation, proposed
times
• Information you can refer back to on the
phone

20. Audio
• Easiest: call landline or mobile via
Skype
• Skype-to-Skype quality isn’t great
• Record on your computer
• Use a good quality headset!
• Better quality: use patch to record your
landline

21. Screen Sharing
• WebEx
• Adobe Connect (don’t need Pro
version)
• GoToMeeting
• LiveLook
• Try whatever your company already
has!

22. Recording
• Mac: iShowU HD
• PC: Camtasia
• PC: UserVue (discontinued)

23. Moderation
• Introduce yourself and remind them of
the email you sent
• Help the participant install whatever
plug-in they need to use the screen
sharing software
• Get approval to record

24. Moderation
• “It's a little weird doing this and not
being able to see each other! Could
you just tell me a bit about yourself?
Where you live, how old you are, and
the kind of work that you do?”

25. Moderation
• “We’re testing the website, not you”
• Make it clear that you’re listening
• Stay focused and comfortable
• Respect participant’s time
• Let your colleagues know that you’re in
a testing session

26. Pro Tips
• Keep a timer in the recording frame
• Include your notes in the recording
frame
• Edit video to make a “best of” montage
• Give yourself plenty of set up time!

27. Dealing with tech
failure
• Be apologetic
• Reschedule, if possible
• Increase the incentive amount
• Sometimes it just won't work

28. Non-scheduled &
moderated
• Pro: Get real users of your site engaged
in authentic tasks
• Pro: Reduced recruiting time
• Con: Requires access to code
• Con: Need lots of site traffic

29. Ethnio
• Live recruiting tool from Bolt | Peters
• ethnio.com
• (Also check out their book Remote
Research)

30. Non-scheduled &
non-moderated
• Pro: Get real users of your site engaged
in authentic tasks
• Pro: Reduced recruiting time
• Con: No control over moderation
sessions
• Con: Can’t adjust sessions on the fly

31. Non-scheduled &
non-moderated
Usabilla
Source: mashable.com

32. Non-scheduled &
non-moderated
Usabilla
Source: mashable.com
Text
Text

33. Real projects
flickr.com/denniskatinas

34. Lumos Labs
• Goal: Understand customer behavior
related to daily game playing
• Participants: Current customers
• Recruiting: Twitter, email newsletter,
blog
• Why remote: User diversity, ease of
recruiting

36. LendAround
• Goal: Interviews with potential
customers as formative research
• Audio only
• Recruiting: Mechanical Turk
• Why remote: Easier to reach very
specific user types

37. flickr.com/haraldfelgner

38. Exercise
• Would remote research be useful for
your organization?
• Is there a project that you know about
that would benefit from a remote
component?

39. Questions?
flickr/a-g

40. Thanks!
Juliette Melton
Deluxify User Experience
deluxify.com
@j