Get out of the lab - Workshop at IxDA15

Interaction_15, Workshop | Feb. 9th | San Francisco | Simona De Rosa, David Dearman, Marco de Sa
Get out of the lab
conducting user research in context
#getoutofthelab

@dearman@derosimona @marco_de_sa
hello and welcome

#getoutofthelab
IxDA 15 | Interaction_15 Workshop | Simona De Rosa, David Dearman, Marco de Sa

what is user research?

Mike Davidson - VP Design, Twitter
"Designing for oneself is
easy. Designing for the
world, however, requires
research, open-mindedness,
and empathy.
Research is the quickest
road to empathy."

user research is the process of figuring
out how people interpret and use
products and services

it inﬂuences product and design
decisions (what) by delivering insights
into the needs, behaviors, and
reactions of users (how) worldwide
(where) throughout the design
process (when) to achieve business
goals (so what)

user research can be:
formative, exploratory, evaluative,
can be done at scale or with smaller groups

so, how does it fit into the creative process?

who are the current and potential users?
how do they perceive it in diﬀerent markets?
what are their needs, behaviors, and challenges?
strategic
planning
inspiration ideation implementation

strategic
planning
what about our concept is most compelling?
how well does it fulﬁll and actual user need?
what is diﬀerentiated? what causes concern?

strategic
planning
is it simple, intuitive and easy to use?
where are the usability issues and friction points?
is the experience fun and delightful?
is the experience better than our competitors?

strategic
planning
inspiration ideation design

things that really matter

you’re not
the user

listening

empathy

perspective

context

used to be like this

but the behaviors are changing

the context is changing

the technology is changing

and its diversity and pervasiveness growing

and becoming more and more an
intrinsic part of our lives

user
context

so, what does this mean to research?

it needs to
adapt

many ways…let’s do it by parts

scoping planning recruiting executing analyzing

scoping
think about your questions
think about target
think international
what is that you are trying
to understand?
who are the people that
your product is for?
what deﬁnes them?
your users might be
somewhere else…

planning
what’s the best method
the time cost
logistics
do you need scale?
or in depth understanding
of a speciﬁc issue?
how long do you have for
the ﬁndings to remain
relevant and have impact?
incentives
travelling
facilities, gear..

scoping planning recruiting executing analyzing

recruiting
don’t be biased
think outside the box
select the right participants
you need a good sample of
users and perspectives
don’t focus on the bubble
many methods can be used
to reach the right people
guerrilla
use screeners to help you
parse out people you don’t
want to talk to

recruiting
email
social networks
live
You know your users
International
Spam
Opt-outs
Twitter
Facebook
Craigslist
Prompts/intercepts
Ethnio
UserZoom

executing
be rigorous
be creative
too many methods to list

there are many ways to learn about your users

remote co-located

Remote mobile UX
When: you need to run a mobile study with remote participants (i.e., you’re testing a
new mobile concept prototype, or doing usability testing for your mobile website)

not this type of laptop hugging…

more like this

remote
mobile
laptop hugging
reflector/Quicktime
offer your participant a
webcam

Over time and without being there
When: you need to collect data over a period of time and understand how your
product (or lack thereof) plays into your users’ lives.

diary
study
d-scout
twitter account or
facebook group
or basic old sms

On-the-go
When: you need to test something in a more dynamic context (e.g., outside, while
jogging, taking photos, at a show)

mobile
on-the-go
device sled & mifi
reflector/dual
goggles webcam

analyzing
&
sharing
be thorough
be visual
tell a story
No feedback is irrelevant
Anxieties, feelings,
emotions
Back it up with more data
Quotes
Clips
Charts
Actionable ﬁndings
Key takeaways

let’s do it!

5
teams
45
min
5
scenarios

Things to keep in mind
• Do you have all the information you need to start?
• What questions do you need answered before you kick-oﬀ?
• Who would you recruit? Why?
• How would you approach the research? Why?
• Are there multiple ways? What would be the trade-oﬀs?
• How would you sequence and schedule the research? Why?
• Do you need one piece to inform another?

Interaction_15 Workshop | David Dearman, Simona De Rosa, Marco de Sa 01/20
Scenario 1
Movo's new fitness tracker

Movo’s new fitness tracker
Move has new wrist worn fitness tracker has been specifically designed to
work for multiple activities; including running, biking and crossfit.
Before they finalize the hardware, the PM manager asks:
• What are the challenges, if any, that users encounter when using the
hardware that we need to be aware of?
• How well well does it work from the users’ perspective?

Scenario 2
Redesign of Tesla’s in-car navigation

Redesign of Tesla’s in-car navigation
Tesla is designing a new car. To go with that new car, they want to step back
and make sure they have the best in-car navigation system for the US market.
The Navi PM and design lead ask:
• What issues do users’ have with the current system that would be
important for us to address in the redesign?
• What are other use-cases, other than getting from A to B, that our
navigation system should support? These can be key diﬀerentiators!

Exercise 1
Scenario 3
Teen use of Snapchat at events

Teen use of Snapchat at events
Snapchat’s analytics team has noticed a huge spike in the number of Snaps
that have been sent over the last weekend in San Francisco. They eventually
ﬁgure out that its directly linked with the huge concert series that happened.
The VP of product asks:
• What are teens using Snapchat for while they are at events?
• Is there a new feature we could build that would allow them to better
engage with each other at the event?

Scenario 4
Postmates' expansion into Indonesia

Postmates’ expansion into Indonesia
Postmates wants to expand their business internationally. But, their service
model and mobile application were build entirely with the US market in mind.
The CEO and and VP of product ask:
• What challenges will we encounter when we ﬁrst enter this market?
• Is the current app enough? We will translate it, but, do we need to add
new features to support both the customer and Postmate?

Scenario 5
Launch apps for a low-end smart watch

Launch app for a low-end smart watch
Samsung is about to launch a new low-end smart watch. Woo! They know it’s
a competitive space and they want their launch apps to help set them apart.
The VP of product and the PM manager asks:
• What daily challenges do people encounter that our smart watch may be
able to help them with? Is it something we can build an app for?
• How do they use the current apps? And, what challenges do they
encounter when they are out-and-about with those apps?

let’s wrap up

@derosimona
@dearman
@marco_de_sa

Appendix

Some useful equipment
• Mr. Tappy - Sled for mounting a camera to a mobile phone (www.mrtappy.com/)
• IPevo/Ziggi cameras - Light weight portable cameras with articulated stands
(www.ipevo.com/)
• Recorders/phones - generic audio recorder or your phone
• Wolfvision - HD document camera with autofocus and lighting (www.wolfvision.com)
• GoPro - Highly portable high deﬁnition camera with remote control capabilities
(www.gopro.com/cameras)

And software
• Reﬂector - software for mirroring a mobile phone’s screen (iOS & Android) on another
device (www.airsquirrels.com/reﬂector/)
• Adobe connect, Bluejeans, Gotomeeting - remote meeting software supporting multiple
streams and screen sharing (www.adobe.com/products/adobeconnect.html,
www.bluejeans.com, www.gotomeeting.com )
• Quicktime - video recording software that allows for direct iPhone input (www.apple.com/
quicktime)
• Camtasia, Moorae, Silverback - screen/video recording software for usability testing
(www.techsmith.com/, http://silverbackapp.com/ )
• Wirecast - multiple stream mixer (2 or more webcams) and streaming software
(www.telestream.net/Wirecast)

Get out of the lab - Workshop at IxDA15

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