In this talk, we’ll look at the process of designing a research methodology. Is it better to stick to the safety of the lab, or to broaden our horizons? And how can we convince colleagues and stakeholders to buy into the decision? We’ll introduce a set of principles and a thinking tool to help you weigh up and justify your approach.

1. How to choose
research methods
Emma Howell & James Lang

2. How to choose
research methods
Emma Howell & James Lang

3. How do you decide what
research method(s) to use?

4. Do you ever have tricky
compromises to make?

5. Do you have a formula for
making your decision?

6. Rules vs people

7. The rules perspective

8. THE RULES PERSPECTIVE
Choosing a research method is a
process of weighing up different
considerations & criteria to arrive
at an optimal approach.

9. 1
2
3
4
5
What stage of the product lifecycle are you at?
What’s the right size of investment?
What’s the right mix of evidence, insight & ideas?
What’s the ‘thing’ you’re researching?
Can people witness / recall their own behaviour?

10. What stage of the product lifecycle are you at?
EXPLORE THE
PROBLEM
EVALUATE A
SOLUTION
MONITOR
POST-LAUNCH
QUESTIONS TO ASK: 1

11. What’s the right size of investment?
GOLD
OPTION
SILVER
OPTION
BRONZE
OPTION
QUESTIONS TO ASK: 2

12. QUALITATIVEQUANTITATIVE
What’s the cost / benefit of doing research?
QUESTIONS TO ASK: 2
Credit: Kristy Blazo
Good
enough
The whole
story

13. What’s the right mix of
insight, evidence &
ideas?
IDEAS INSIGHT EVIDENCE
QUESTIONS TO ASK: 3
Co-design
Eyetracking
IDEAS INSIGHT EVIDENCE

14. What’s the ‘thing’ you’re researching?
INTERFACE
PHYSICAL SPACE
IA
SERVICE
CONTENT
UNDERSTANDING PEOPLE
QUESTIONS TO ASK: 4

15. PREDICTION RECALL
IN-THE-MOMENT
Asking Asking
Asking
Observing
Measuring
Can people witness or recall their own behaviour?
QUESTIONS TO ASK: 5

16. 1
2
3
4
5
What stage of the product lifecycle are you at?
What’s the right size of investment?
What’s the right mix of evidence, insight & ideas?
What’s the ‘thing’ you’re researching?
Can people witness / recall their own behaviour?

17. cxpartners research method chooser

18. Stage of the product
lifecycle
Level of investment
Insight, evidence &
ideas
What’s the thing? In the moment? Method
Discovery / validation Low
Medium insight,
low evidence + ideas
Service / product / content Close Guerrilla research
Discovery / validation Low-medium
High insight,
medium evidence,
low ideas
Service / product / content
Not close:
retrospective is OK
One-to-one
(depth interviews, user tests)
Discovery Medium
Low insight + evidence, high
ideas
Service / product / content
Not close:
retrospective is OK
Focus groups /
co-design
Discovery High
Very high insight,
medium evidence,
high ideas
Service / product Very close Ethnography
Discovery
Medium (low if you can access
people easily from a mailing
list)
Medium insight,
high evidence,
low ideas
Service / product / content
Not close:
retrospective is OK
Survey
Discovery Medium
High insight,
low evidence,
low ideas
Information architecture n/a Card sorting
Validation
Medium (low if you can access
people easily from a mailing
list)
Low insight,
high evidence,
low ideas
Information architecture n/a Tree test
Discovery / validation Medium
Medium insight,
high evidence,
medium ideas
Service / product / content Close
Diary study /
self-ethnography
Discovery / validation Low-medium
Medium insight,
high evidence,
low ideas
Service / product / content Very close Experiment (e.g. AB test)

19. LET’S TRY IT
• Work in groups of 6 or so
• Decide on the research methodology
• You’ve got 5 minutes

20. Rules vs people

21. The people perspective

22. THE PEOPLE PERSPECTIVE
Choosing research methods is a
creative exercise, where ‘right’
choices and rules are secondary to
stakeholder engagement and
experience.

23. ENGAGEMENT
TEAM
CONTEXT
YOU

24. Team context matters
PEOPLE PERSPECTIVE: 1

25. Picking a method
should also consider
team closeness and
engagement
Y
PEOPLE PERSPECTIVE: 2

26. Picking a method
should also consider
team closeness and
engagement.
PEOPLE PERSPECTIVE: 2

27. pic: a photo of client
observing fieldwork,
ideally something cool
and contextual
You matter too
PEOPLE PERSPECTIVE: 3

28. People perspective:
it’s about taking your
team on a journey

29. LET’S TRY IT
• Work in the same groups
• Does the new information affect your
choice of methodology?
• You’ve got 5 minutes

30. A rules + people approach

31. Have you ever ended up in debates
about which method to use?

33. Get the whole team
involved in designing
& executing your
method
WHAT YOU CAN DO: 1

34. WHAT YOU CAN DO: 2
Sequence bitesize projects in
a multi-method programme

35. Lab-based
depths
Online
survey
Diary
study
Contextual
interviews
Co-design
WHAT YOU CAN DO: 3
Take your stakeholders on a
journey into the unfamiliar

36. WHAT YOU CAN DO: 4
Design for engagement
DESIGN RECRUIT INTERVIEW ANALYSE REPORT
SENIOR
STAKEHOLDERS
PRODUCT
TEAM
REST OF THE
DEPARTMENT
Kickoff Standups
Share
interviewing
Co-analysis
Debrief
workshop
Project
blog
Show & tell
session
Debrief
workshop
Debrief
workshop
Stakeholder
interviews
Observation
& toplines
Project
blog
Project
blog

37. WHAT YOU CAN DO: 5
Always include a detail to
challenge yourself
Lab-based
depths
Online
survey
Diary
study
Contextual
interviews
Co-design
Focus on my
interviewing
technique
A/B test
incentive
messages
Create a
project
scrapbook
Trial new
camera
Mix up the
dynamic in the
group

38. 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
What stage of the project are you at?
What’s the right size of investment?
What’s the right mix of evidence, insight & ideas?
What’s the ‘thing’ you’re researching?
Can people witness / recall their own behaviour?
What would engage stakeholders?
What would inspire you?

39. Q&A

40. Emma Howell - UX Consultant and Research
Lead at cxpartners
James Lang - UX Research Lead at Google
emma.howell@cxpartners.co.uk
Thank you

41. James Lang & Emma Howell
Thank you