Learn how to take awesome user research notes with special guest Bethany Stolle, Design Research Lead at Blackboard. In this webinar we covered: - How to take awesome user research notes that speed up analysis later - Note taking methods and how to use them - Examples of good (and bad) notes to avoid losing key user research observations - How to take great research notes to create key insights (findings/nuggets) - How to teaching everyone on your team to take great research notes to build a scalable user research repository

1. The Essential Guide to
User Research Notes
Bethany Stolle, Blackboard Design Research Lead
www.aureliuslab.com

2. Photo: Delwin Steven Campbell
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thecampbell/538006470/

3. Hello!
I’m Bethany Stolle.
I’m the Design Research Lead at Blackboard, an
education technology company.
www.aureliuslab.com

4. Agenda
• Why do user research notes matter so much?
• Note taking basics
• Note taking anatomy & frameworks
• Analysis & synthesis
• Q&A
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5. “A report is not the atomic unit
of a research insight.”
- Tomer Sharon

6. Why Notes
Matter
Foundational Research Skill
Research notes are the building blocks for analysis and
synthesis, and they live on live on as a record of research
for people who weren’t part of the study. What we capture
shapes the way we understand a user, their experience,
and a problem.
Traceability
While a session may be recorded, the notes are more
accessible and contribute to a larger body of
understanding. Our insights and actions should always
tie back to a record of research via notes.
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7. Note Taking Basics

8. Roles & Responsibilities
Facilitator
The facilitator moderates the session, building rapport, managing time, and being
flexible enough to respond to the participant while keeping the research objectives in
mind.
Note Taker
The notetaker documents the session, capturing statements, actions, and
environments through notes and photos to enable sense making. The notetaker
supports the facilitator throughout the session as appropriate (but stays out of the
way).
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9. Note Taking
Considerations
The approach I take is informed by my answers to
these questions:
1. What kind of study is this?
2. Where will the research take place?
3. Who is taking notes?
4. What evidence do we need for synthesis and
traceability?
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10. Notes with
a Purpose
Keep synthesis in mind while taking notes.
What format fits with the research method
and lends itself to the work ahead?

11. Awareness Test
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4

12. Helpful?
• Lacks context
• Hard to differentiate between observation, quote,
and interpretation
• Doesn’t tie back to participant
• Unclear connection to research task or line of
questioning
• No tags or categories
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13. Helpful?
• Limited context in a single note (bonus points for
tagging to provide some context)
• Unclear whether the note is an observation, quote,
or interpretation
• Does note participant behavior and actions
• Could be triangulated with the spreadsheet and
video if necessary
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14. Helpful.
• “Utterances” provide standalone notes while
maintaining context
• Tagging enables thematic connections across the
study
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15. Helpful.
• Each note can be understood on its own
• Notes tie back to participant and leverage tags
• Consistency in note-taking approach across
participants builds richer understanding
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16. Spectrum
Highlights Transcripts
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17. Note Taking Anatomy
& Frameworks

18. Note Taking Strategy
www.aureliuslab.com
1. What are your research objectives?
In addition to the research methodology and context for the study, consider how you
can best take notes to track against your research objectives.
2. Who are the stakeholders?
If others beyond Research and Design have a stake in the project, consider the degree
of evidence you need to give your findings credibility. Especially if stakeholders won’t
be part of the research sessions or sense making process.
3. What will transfer observations into insights and action?
Consider what kind of data and level of detail you want to work with to inform a path
forward and have confidence in your findings.

19. Approach
1. Chronological
2. Topical
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20. Types of Notes
Regardless of note taking method, here are some things to listen and watch
for as you capture notes:
quotes
actions
keywords
themes
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patterns
frustrations
“wow” or positive moments
gaps in knowledge

21. Transcript
A chronological approach where you
try to live transcribe as much of the
session as possible.
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22. Feedback Sheet
A thematic approach to capture
highlights from the session in pre-
determined categories.
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23. AEIOU
An observation framework that works
particularly well in contextual research
to notice activities, environments,
interactions, objects, and users.
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24. Sense making

25. Analysis &
Synthesis
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Photo: Andy Hay
https://www.flickr.com/photos/andyhay/35915598681/
Analysis
Breaking down and understanding individual parts of a
problem.
Synthesis
Bringing it together into a whole and understanding
shared relationships and dynamics.

26. Take Aways

27. Top 5
1. User research isn’t user research if there aren’t notes!
2. Create a note taking strategy before sessions begin.
3. Take notes with the end(s) in mind.
4. Experiment with frameworks to find what works for you and the
project at hand.
5. Finish strong—debrief, share, analyze/synthesize, and store.
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28. Q&A

29. Q&A
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30. Thank you!
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Bethany Stolle
@bethanystolle | linkedin.com/in/bethanystolle/