As UX designers one of the most important parts of our job is making sure our product is usable, useful and in sync with user’s needs. Also delightful. And informative. And…the list is long. I talked about different tactics on how to achieve that: why we perform UX research, when should we test prototypes and how to get stakeholder buy-in to perform research in the first place. I explained more about how research can be implemented in day-to-day activities of an in-house design team - from one-(wo)man-UX-band to larger product teams.

1. HOW I STOPPED WORRYING
AND LEARNED TO LOVE
USER RESEARCH
Amedea Derenda Mujezinović
@ UX meetup
November 2018

2. USER RESEARCH
QUALITATIVE
RESEARCH
TESTING
WITH USERS

3. WHY IS RESEARCH SO
DAMN HARD?

4. it’s expensive
we don’t have time to do it / it takes too much time
it doesn’t provide actionable results
it’s uncomfortable
i don’t like talking to strangers
i don’t want to find out what I could have done better
my prototype is not polished enough to be shown
my prototype doesn’t work properly
I don’t have buy-in from my boss to do research
I don’t know how to do research
I will ask something stupid
I probably won’t find out anything new anyways...
we need to ship...we’ll do it later..
the only way to do research is through an agency which requires big budgets
.
.
.
.
.
.
WE NEED A PLAN!

5. 1st LINE OF RESEARCH:
JUST. DO. IT.

6. TEST PAPER
PROTOTYPES
DO ‘GUERILLA‘
RESEARCH
TALK TO
PEOPLE
YOU KNOW
DO IT OUTSIDE
YOUR REGULAR
HOURS
RESEARCH
THE MOST
PRESSING
ISSUE
TEST AS SOON
AS POSSIBLE

7. WHY DO IT IN THE
FIRST PLACE?

8. we/boss/client
=
our users

10. the more you do it, the
easier it gets.

11. WHY WOULD ANYONE
DO IT IN THEIR SPARE
TIME?

12. only actual and actionable
information can convince
stakeholders

13. 2nd LINE OF RESEARCH:
DO USER INTERVIEWS
BEFORE DEVELOPING
NEW FEATURE

14. understand the needs
of your users first.

15. OBSERVE
WHAT ARE THE
STRONGEST
PAINPOINTS
TALK TO YOUR
USERS HOW
THEY USE
EXISTING
SOLUTIONS
ADJUST
QUESTIONS AS
YOU TALK TO
MORE PEOPLE
FIND OUT WHY
THEY PREFER
SOME
SOLUTIONS TO
OTHERS
IT’S OK TO DO
JUST 3
INTERVIEWS
PER USER
GROUP
RECORD - YOU
PROBABLY
DON’T WRITE
AS FAST AS
THEY TALK

17. 3rd LINE OF RESEARCH:
DO TESTS WITH USERS
BEFORE IMPLEMENTING
NEW FEATURE

18. test for usability
test for clarity
test for satisfaction

20. 4th LINE OF RESEARCH:
EMBED RESEARCH INTO
YOUR DESIGN PROCESS

21. HAVE A SET
OF METHODS
YOU USE THAT
WORK FOR YOU
HAVE A
SET PLACE FOR
DIFFERENT
TYPES OF
RESEARCH
CHECK
CONTINUOUSLY
HOW USERS ARE
USING YOUR
PRODUCT
INTRODUCE
ANALYTICS
FIGHT FOR
RESOURCES
FOR RESEARCH
MAKE
RESEARCH
VISIBLE
THROUGHOUT
THE COMPANY

23. research insights and
deliverables get everyone
on the same page

24. IN CONCLUSION....

25. TWO MORE THINGS :)

26. rules for research:
listen. ask why. observe.
document.

27. research is OUR job
and OUR responsibility.

28. “People ignore design
that ignores people.”
Frank Chimero

30. Thanks for listening.
Questions?