The document outlines a comprehensive workshop schedule focused on research best practices, emphasizing the importance of ethnographic interviews, user-centered design, and effective participant recruiting. It details various methodologies for conducting interviews, including preparation, question design, and participant engagement strategies to uncover deeper insights. The document also highlights the significance of cultural context in understanding user behavior and motivations to inform product development.

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3. Introduction

4. TodayIntroduction 9:00 – 9:10Best Practices Overview 9:10 – 10:00Methods10:00 – 10:30Break10:30 – 10:45Interviewing 10:45 – 11:30Interviewing Exercise11:30 – 12:15Lunch!Observation Exercise 1:15 – 2:00Synthesis 2:00 – 2:45Break2:45 – 3:00Ideation3:00 – 4:00Share4:00 – 4:30Q&A + Wrap-up 4:30 – 5:00

5. Take a fresh look at peopleUse existing ideas as hypothesesWhat to make or doRefine & prototypeLaunchIterate & improveUse fieldwork throughout the development cycleExplore new ideas

6. Synthesis & ideation processFieldworkSynthesisIdeationDevelopment

7. Cultural data from fieldworkCase study: iPod accessories

8. Case study: iPod accessoriesPortigalInterviewing Users: Spinning Data into Gold8

9. Research Project – Best Practices Overview

10. What do I mean by “research?”EthnographyEthnographic interviews Video ethnographyDepth-interviewsContextual researchHome visitsSite visitsExperience modelingDesign researchUser researchUser-centered designOne-on-onesCamera studies User safaris

11. What do I mean by “research?”EthnographyEthnographic interviews Video ethnographyDepth-interviewsContextual researchHome visitsSite visitsExperience modelingDesign researchUser researchUser-centered designOne-on-onesCamera studies User safaris What-ever!

12. Beyond our terminology, what are we doing?Examine people in their own contextWhat are they doing?

13. What does it mean?Infer (interpret/synthesize/etc.)Find the connections

14. The researcher is the “apparatus”Apply to business or design problemsUse products, services, packaging, design to tell the right story

15. More possible types of solutions than we started out withIdentifying the problem

16. The Business QuestionWhat new products and services can you offer to help partners increase social network stickiness (and thus revenues)?What entertainment activities should you support to tap into a growing middle-class in China?

17. The Research QuestionWhat are the motivations, successes, and frustrations for current and prospective users of our partners’ social media sites?How is family life changing in middle-class China? What are the critical digital and analog technologies that are being embraced?

18. Pain points: default research/business question?!While we always uncover so-called pain points, the bigger opportunity may come from understanding why– how did we get here?

19. It may not really be that painfulSatisficing(coined by Herbert Simon in 1956) refers to our acceptance of good-enough solutionsThese can drive engineers and designers crazy…but the real problem isn’t always what it appears to be

21. Finding the right participants (aka recruiting)Often an afterthought in project planningBut the right customers are crucial to get the right insights

22. This takes time to plan and to executePointless interviews waste time and challenge the credibility of the workPerson doesn’t really want to talk to you

23. They don’t have the desired relationship with the product/brandEpic FAILS will happen anywayIdentifyWhat type of people you want to find (criteria, screener)

24. How you will find those peopleRecruiting criteria: Relationship to categoryWhat is their relationship to the product/service/brand/activity? Typical user

25. Non-user

26. Extreme user

27. Peripheral user

28. Expert user

29. Subject-matter expert

30. Wannabe user

31. Should-be user

32. Future user

33. Past user

34. Hater

35. Loyal to competitorTriangulate through multiple perspectivesBy creating contrast, you reveal key influencing factorsthat you wouldn’t otherwise see

36. Recruiting criteria: Type of userThere may be more – or different – “users”Think about the whole system: the chooser, the influencer, the user, and anyone who is impacted by those rolesChallenge assumptions about who the organization is implicitly/explicitly designing forIs that everyone?

37. Do they even exist?Surface a broader sense – even prior to research – about who is affected by the product and who is being designed forIs your “typical customer” real or aspirational?

38. Recruiting criteria: DemographicsGenderAgeLife stage/lifestyleMarried

39. Stage of family

40. Retirement

41. Not in the middle of a major life-change (unless that’s of interest)DwellingSuburban/urban/rural

42. Apartment/living alone/ roommates/single family homeRaceReflect the population

43. Reflect the user baseOccupationFrom outside the industries in questionIncomeCan afford the product in questionDemographic factors are typically secondarywhen defining the sample

44. The screenerScreeners are very formal, linear documentsTypically used by market research recruiting agenciesScreeners havetwo purposes…Does the person fits your criteria?

45. Convince them to participate…and three main sectionsIntroduction

46. Checking off criteria

47. Invitation to participateRecruiting criteria: The softer sideWhatever their relationship with the product/brand/service, you want the person to be engaged, have a point of view, care about the thing, and be articulate

48. Creative recruitingOutside of the traditional method of working with a recruiting agency, there are other approachesFriends and family/Social networks

49. Snowball recruiting (participants find more participants)

50. Craigslist

51. Intercepts

52. Etc.Pros and consCheap but time-consuming

53. Quick but harder to control and manage

54. Likely to find “pure” participants but they might be too close to youIncentiveEnthusiastic thank-you rather than compensationRecruiter will advise on best amount, depending on what you are asking for

55. For a fee, they will handle sending a check, but I prefer the immediate gratification of an envelope of cash

56. Include a thank-you note and even swagIn B2B settings, be creative about who and how to incentYou may negotiate this on a per-site basisThe interview guide (or field guide)A detailed plan of what will happen in the interviewQuestions, timing, activities, tasks, logistics, etc.Transforms questions-we-want-answers-to into questions-we-will-askShare with team to align on issues of concernEspecially with multiple teams in the fieldHelps you previsualizethe flow of the sessionInclude questions as well as other methods that you’ll usePrepping an interview guide means that you may not need to use the interview guideThis is counter-intuitive

57. It does come in handy during freeze-up moments – scan it over to see what else you want to coverFour sections to the field guideIntroduction and Participant BackgroundLogistics, timing, objectivesThe Main BodySubsections for each area you plan to explore (e.g., configuration, learning about new features, etc.)Projection/Dream QuestionsBe audacious and ask about predictions for the future or ideal experiencesWrap UpLogistics, ask about anything they want to tell you that you didn’t ask about

58. Minimalist field guide

59. Detailed field guide

60. Include other methods

61. Documentation: photosPlan to take lots of photosThey will reveal things you don’t remember noticingEssential for storytellingMake sure you have permission before you start snapping

62. Documentation: audio, video, notesEssential to capture exactly what is saidDifficult (impossible) to maintain eye contact, manage interview, and write down everythingPotentially a role for a second interviewerTaking notes – not as the definitive record – can help you process, notice, think about follow-ups, etc.I strongly recommend privileging being in-the-moment (e.g., eye contact, listening) over trying to capture everything yourselfA release is a good ideaIt clarifies the rights of the interviewee and your organization Consent – participation is voluntary

63. Incentive – what the participant gets but they are not an employee

64. Model release – how images and video will be used

65. Non-disclosure – in case you disclose anything in-progressThese are legal documentsWill your legal department help you prepare it?

66. Can you influence them to create consumer-friendly, light-weight versions

67. Give participants their own copy at the outset of the interviewMethods

68. Ask people how they would solve a problemParticipatory designDoesn’t mean we implement the requested solution literally“I wish it had a handle”Many ways to solve the underlying need (“I need to move it around”)Designers work with this data to generate alternativesEngage people in the non-literal through games and role-playingUncover underlying principles and explore areas of opportunity that don’t yet exist

69. Show people a solutionConsider the difference betweentestingandexploringAvoid “Do you like this?”Don’t show your best guess at a solution; instead identify provocative examples to surface hidden desires and expectationsMake sure you are asking the right questionsWhat does this solution enable? What problems does it solve?Especially for new products, needed before getting into specifics of your implementationImage from Roberto and Worth1000.com

70. Use a range of methods

71. Workbook: Instructions

72. Workbook: Question and answer

73. Workbook: Text stimuli

74. Workbook: Visual stimuli

75. Workbook: Responses

76. Mapping

77. Storyboards

78. Mockups

79. Prototypes

80. Casual Card Sort

81. Methods can be a playgroundWe choose, mash-up, or create methods based on the problem, project constraints, and a desire to experimentBuild up a library of approaches and artifactsPortigalInterviewing Users: Spinning Data into Gold49

82. Break!

83. Interviewing

84. Principles inform tacticsI don't skate to where the puck is, I skate to where the puck is going to be – Wayne Gretzky

85. Fieldwork principlesCheck your worldview at the doorEmbrace how other people see the worldBuild rapportListen

86. Check your worldview at the doorBefore you start doing interviews, do a team-wide brain dump of all your assumptions and expectationsGet closely-held beliefs out of your heads

87. You needn’t go back to verify your assumptions; goal is to make assumptions explicitMake the interview about the interviewAs a transitional ritual, agree explicitly that you are going to Learn about Paul rather than Identify NextGen Opportunities for RoadmapEmbrace how other people see the worldGo to where your users are rather than asking them to come to youNip distractions in the budEat!

88. Leave plenty of time so you aren’t rushed when you arrive

89. Find a bathroom beforehandBe ready to ask questions you (think you) know the answers toThink about: “When are your taxes due?”

90. What do you know? What are you afraid they’ll say? What might you learn?Build rapportBe selective about social gracesJust enough small talk

91. Accept what you’re offeredBe selective about talking about yourselfReveal personal information to give them permission to share

92. Otherwise, think “OMG! Me too!” without saying itWork towards the tipping pointFrom question-answer to question-story

93. You won’t know when it’s coming; be patientAcknowledge the interview as something…unusual“What I want to learn today…” over friendly chatListenYou can demonstrate that you are listening by asking questions!Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up

94. “Earlier, you told us that…”

95. “I want to go back to something else you said…”Signal your transitions: “Great, now I’d like to move onto a totally different topic”This level of listening is not how we normally talk to each otherRemember that you are interviewing, not having a conversation

96. This is really hardListening body languageYes!Not so much.

97. Silence defeats awkwardnessAfter you ask your question, be silentDon’t put the answers in the questionAfter they’ve answered you, be silent

98. Use natural languageTalk like your subject talks!

99. Don’t make questions pass/fail (1/2)Client: So the concept of transferring, burning, and syncing, can you talk a little about those three concepts? So transfer, burn, and sync. Just do you understand the difference?Interviewee: Transfer, burn, sync. Burn is when I’m actually putting it onto some kind of disc.Okay…Transferring is I guess when I transfer the files from one place to the other.Mm-hmm…Whether it’s to a device or to a different drive or whatever or into the program I guess. And syncing, well, I know the phone always comes up and says it’s syncing, when it’s syncing up to the files or syncing up to the computer or stuff like that. That’s the only time I think I’ve ever really heard that.(cont’d)

100. Don’t make questions pass/fail (2/2)Client: So the only other question I have left in this area is: Would you expect to manually decide what music goes on your devices or would you rather that the machine does it for you?Interviewee: Decide what I want on my…?Let’s say your library is here on this machine, and you have a device, would you want it to put as much as it could put on from the library from the device when it’s connected to your computer?If I could hold it… if the device itself could actually hold all the files, I would love that, if it automatically…Just knew.Just knew that it wasn’t on there, the same thing when…what do you call it - when I have to go into the program and actually have it… downl…uhh, now I’m confused in what I should call it.No, no, don’t worry about it!

101. Don’t presume they accept your world viewClient: So, really interesting the sort of things that you as old Derek used to value, such as efficiency of time, and some of those things have now influenced the new Derek.Derek: Right.Steve: Maybe that sort of begs a larger question…We’ve offered you this idea of old versus new you, but how do you think about this transition?Derek:Yeah, I don’t really see it.

102. If you want to fix something, wait until the endFrustrating to watch users struggle with your productRemember, you are there to learn from themYou will lose the interview if you start taking their questionsWhen it’s time to go, show or tell them only what will help them

103. Find your personal styleThe Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

104. Questions to gather context and collect details

105. Questions to probe on what’s unsaid

106. Questions to probe on what’s unsaid

107. Questions to uncover mental models

108. Why so many types of questions?Real interviews aren’t as simple as asking a question, getting an answer, and then moving onto the next question in your list. You are unlikely to get to the actual answer without asking a few different questions a few different ways. You need a range of tools and techniques. And you need to feel when you haven’t got to the real answer yet so you can keep going.

109. Prepare for exploding questionsWell, my cousin never tells me when she has an updated bank balance so I figured I would handle it myself. That’s why I signed up for the PayPal service, I think it’s them but maybe not.Coping techniquesWait until these issues come up organically, without you having to askMake notes on your field guide about what you want to loop back to so you don’t forgetTriage based on what’s most pressing for your topicTriage based on what makes the best follow-up, to demonstrate listeningWhy does this matter?Let’s find out what service this is?!Okay.I decided I had to spend the money I had from last month in order to save month’s money and this service was going to help me do that. Even if it’s not the same password that my cousin would be usingI don’t understand her financial model…Why does she expect that it would be the same?

110. Exploding questions can lead to a flow state

111. Managing others in the fieldWe lead a thirty-minute training session for everyone who will join us in the fieldField teams are ideally 2, at most 3Ensure one person leads the interview and clarify the role of the “second interviewer”They should ask questions, but stay in the “chapter” that we’re inDuring our debriefs, we offer feedback and coaching about the process, if possible

112. Getting better at interviewingPractice with hallway or other serendipitous micro-interviewsWrite surveys and participant screeners to practice crafting questions out of the moment How do you get to Carnegie Hall?Practice, man, practice!

113. Participant screeners as asking practiceA good way to practice both framing a question and the empathic exercise of thinking through the respondent’s user experience with that question

114. Write and take surveysDevelop your own critical eye (and interviewer’s voice) by looking for bad examples and identifying just what’s wrong with them

115. We learn from mistakes and mishapsCollect and share war stories with other interviewersTHANX 4 NOTHING KITTEH

116. Interviewing ExerciseGet in groups of 3You are in a startup looking for opportunities in…Music – purpose/role/interests, technology, devices Food, groceries, meals, nutritionNews – media, information, sources, purposeReview sample interview guidesImagine the flow

117. Background, depth, reflectionThree rounds of interviews, 10-12 minutes each One interviewer, one interviewee, one observer

118. Each person plays each role once

119. Stay in the exercise!Group debrief

120. Giveaway #1Everyone gets a license for TechSmith’s screen capture tool SnagitExpect it by email in a couple of weeksEveryone gets 3 tests from UserTesting.comUse code uxworkshop; expires in 2 weeksDraw2 licenses for TechSmith’sCamtasia (Mac/PC)1 license for Techsmith’sMorae (PC)

121. Lunch

122. (The rest of) todayIntroduction 9:00 – 9:10Best Practices Overview 9:10 – 10:00Methods10:00 – 10:30Break10:30 – 10:45Interviewing 10:45 – 11:30Interviewing Exercise11:30 – 12:15Lunch!Observation Exercise 1:15 – 2:00Synthesis 2:00 – 2:45Break2:45 – 3:00Ideation3:00 – 4:00Share4:00 – 4:30Q&A + Wrap-up 4:30 – 5:00

123. Homework/Observation Exercise

124. Homework Check-inYour mission: Dedicate at least half an hour to walking around and observing people in your neighborhoodProps to Dylan, Caroline, and David!

125. Homework Check-inWho was able to do the assignment?Was this anyone’s first experience doing observational fieldwork?Is there anyone who has not done user or observational research in the field?

126. ObservingNotice what… people, placesNotice how… processes, sequences, interactionsSuspend your point of viewAvoid conclusionsAllow confusionDo it “out loud”Steve, practicing his “noticing.” You can tell because he looks like he may be a little confused.

127. You’re observing people within their culture. Notice how cultural artifacts reflect and define the environment; and reveal what is “normal”Normal isn’t “right or wrong” – it’s the set of background rules that define much of what people choose or ignoreMediaProductsAdvertisementsStreet CultureTrends/FadsCultural contextWhat are they selling?

128. Cultural context

129. Cultural context

130. Cultural context

131. Your mission: Imagine you are working on a project for Gentrific8, looking for ideas to redevelop parts Seattle around downtown and the Central Library.Form groups of 2 – 3. Mix it upWander and observe people, interactions and environmentsDo it out loud!Capture (photos, notes)What, who, where, when?Why, how?This is not a design audit of signage or merchandise displaysExercise: Explore!

132. Neighborhood observations: Noe Valley, San Fran

133. Neighborhood observations: Noe Valley, San Fran

134. Neighborhood observations: Montara, California

135. Be back by 2:25!Exercise: Explore!

136. Synthesis: From data to insights

137. AnalysisSynthesisIdeationSolutionsStrategiesOpportunitiesDetailed solutionsInsightsSynthesis & ideation process

138. FieldworkSynthesisIdeationDevelopmentWhy a process?

139. Avoid jumping to conclusions

140. DTDT: Analysis vs. SynthesisAnalysisBreak large piece(s) into smaller ones in order to make sensee.g., interviews, transcripts into anecdotes, stories

141. DTDT: Analysis vs. SynthesisCombining multiple pieces into something new e.g., developing themes, implications, opportunitiesSynthesisAnalysisBreak large piece(s) into smaller ones in order to make sensee.g., interviews, transcripts into anecdotes, stories

142. DTDT: Analysis vs. SynthesisThe process gradually moves from one to the otherCombining multiple pieces into something new e.g., developing themes, implications, opportunitiesSynthesisAnalysisBreak large piece(s) into smaller ones in order to make sensee.g., interviews, transcripts into anecdotes, stories

143. Analthesis????Combining multiple pieces into something new e.g., developing themes, implications, opportunitiesSynthesisAnalysisBreak large piece(s) into smaller ones in order to make sensee.g., interviews, transcripts into anecdotes, stories

144. Sense-makingthrough an iterativeprocess of refining gathered dataEarly, Informaldata in your headFirst, process the experience you had collecting dataRefer to debriefs and conversationsArticulate and identify themesOutcome: Topline ReportProcess-based, Formalheavy liftingThen, process the data itselfIndividual and group analysisPattern-identification, clustering, models, frameworksOutcome: OpportunitiesMore narratively, what is synthesis?Review, Refine, Rinse, Repeat

145. Synthesis naturally begins inthe fieldResist meaning (for now)Focus on observationsGet the detailCreate time to talk after each fieldwork experienceWorksheet to facilitate the debriefWrite up real-timesummaries for the team, ASAPIn-field debriefingFieldwork highlights captured in the wild.

146. After fieldwork, collate reflections and quickly externalize a starter set of 5 to 10 thematic areas based onPre-identified areas of inquiryRefer to debriefs and conversations from the fieldNew patterns that we observedIdentify interesting areas; acknowledge that you don’t understand details yet, identify questionsOutcome: Topline ReportAll right researchers… what did you see?Early, informal synthesis (data in your head)

147. This sheds light on what excites the team and the stakeholders and brings focus to the next stage of synthesisThe Topline Report

148. Go back through your raw data very closely to move beyond the Topline Report Individually (heads-down) and collaboratively (heads-up) develop clusters, identify patterns, collate and refine findingsProcess maps, eco-systemsFrameworks, modelsDesign implicationsi.e.: What did other public announcements in the study look like? What are the layers of information and cultural context? What form factors are favored? Why?Process-based, formal synthesis (heavy lifting)

149. Heads down!Video

150. Photos, field artifacts

151. Transcripts

152. DV->MP3->FTP->.docx