The presentation will provide an overview of the key forms of research that are frequently conducted to support the UX design process – and how they are traditionally conducted. The presentation will then focus on two forms of UX research and the positive impact that moving these into the digital realm has on the quality, timing, and cost of the research – as well as highlighting the challenges it brings.

1. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
UX Research
Sarah Boden
Qantas Loyalty
28 February 2017
and the posi?ves
and challenges of going digital

2. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
What is UX design?
• User experience (UX) design is the process of enhancing the user
experience of a product, website, or applica1on by improving the
usability, accessibility, and pleasure provided in the interac1on with
the product
• UX design relates to designing en1re new digital products or
refining exis1ng products
• UX design is not necessarily limited to designing digital experiences
- but this is most common

3. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
How is it different to MR?
• UX research is based on observing behaviour as well as ac1vity based
discussion
– Observing how a user completes a task during usability tes1ng
– Observing how an office worker goes about their work
• Work in an agile environment - work is arranged into 2 week sprints
• Prac1ce a lean approach to UX – less focus on documenta1on more focus on
crea1ng the right design

4. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
UX process – new website design
Design
workshops
(per feature)
Detailed
design &
prototyping
User
research
(round 2)
Update
design
Background
research
Finalise, tweak
& implement
designs
Measure
experience
Con1nuous
improvement
User
research
(round 1)
Refine
design
Clarify
objec1ves

5. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
4 types of UX research
• Usability tes1ng (metrics based) – tradi1onally moderated lab based tes1ng
• Itera1ve design - user tes1ng – tradi1onally guerrilla tes1ng
• Up front research – typically done via user workshops, contextual enquiries
and surveys
• Concept tes1ng – typically done by crea1ng a prototype that brings to
concept to life and gauging users reac1ons to the concept

6. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
It’s all about digital – but it’s less digital
• Tradi1onally UX research has been primarily qualita1ve and conducted in a
lab or via guerrilla tes1ng
• Meanwhile market research surveys have been conducted digitally for years
• UX research has to a far lesser extent u1lised digital methods for field work –
which is quite ironic given that it is all about developing is digital products

7. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
UX research going digital
• To support our lean way of working – UX research at Qantas Loyalty is
almost 100% digital
• Two primary methods/tools:
– Online moderated user tes1ng (qualita1ve)
– Online unmoderated user tes1ng (quan1ta1ve)

8. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
Online moderated user tes?ng
• Qualita1ve
• Involves a two-way conversa1on similar to Skype but with the user comple1ng
tasks via a prototype
• Provides video recording of the en1re session
• Good for itera1ve design tes1ng
• Primarily replaces guerrilla tes1ng (and in person scheduled user tes1ng)

9. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
Online moderated - Posi?ves
• More 1me effec1ve – quicker to organize and run
• User and moderator don’t need to travel
• Closer to reality – user is in their own environment on their own device
• Much cheaper - no room hire, incen1ves can be much lower, and less
moderated 1me needed
• Can address all relevant users – not just those available in the local vicinity

10. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
Online moderated - Challenges
• Technology requires decent broadband connec1on – leads to tech issues
• Higher quality prototypes needed to adjust to the users device and screen
size (although not a high as for unmoderated tes1ng)
• Don’t quite get the same level of viewing the user comple1ng the tasks as in-
person tes1ng - while you can see the users face, screen and hear their voice
– you can’t as easily observe any other body language

11. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
Online unmoderated user tes?ng
• Quan1ta1ve
• Involves users comple1ng task based ques1ons via a prototype
• Provides metrics and video recording of the user comple1ng tasks (screen,
voice, and face recording)
• Can be used to test concepts, conduct metric based usability tes1ng, and for
itera1ve design tes1ng especially when deciding between different designs
op1ons
• Primarily done instead of lab based usability and concept tes1ng

12. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
Online unmoderated - Posi?ves
• Fast turn around - can turn around in 24 hours
• Larger sample sizes – more robust results
• Elimina1on of moderator bias
• Ability to get hard sta1s1cs
• Ability to gather other metrics – ease of use and sa1sfac1on measures
• S1ll get qualita1ve feedback to diagnose cause of issues - via video footage
• User users own device – therefore not constrained by the technology
• It is more natural – not in a lab/contrived environment
• Less 1me commitment by each user – they don’t need to travel anywhere
• Can include users from across the country – not just located in the near vicinity
Your
Photo

13. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
Online unmoderated - Challenges
• Need to build higher quality prototypes
– to cater to the wide variety of devices and screen sizes used
– And because there is no moderated to get the user unstuck
• This means more 1me and money is spent on building and tes1ng the
prototypes are suitable and work across devices/screen sizes

14. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
Thank You!
Connect via Linkedin
www.linkedin.com/in/bodensarah

15. UX Research and the posi1ves and challenges of going digital
Sarah Boden, Qantas Loyalty
Festival of
#NewMR 2017
Q & A
Sue York
The Handbook of
Mobile Market Research
Sarah Boden
Qantas Loyalty