This document discusses the importance of customer research and provides guidance on how to conduct effective customer research. It notes that designing without research is like getting in a taxi and just saying "drive". It then provides tips on identifying research questions, developing interview guides, conducting interviews, analyzing findings, and debriefing the team. The document cautions against common biases in research and analysis and emphasizes really listening to customers over making assumptions.

1. This thing called
Customer Research
Christopher McCann
Wednesday 23 July 14

2. “Designing without research is like getting into a taxi and
just saying, ‘Drive’”
- Nate Bolt, Design Research Facebook
Why Customer Research?
Wednesday 23 July 14

3. Why Customer Research?
“Insights about your customers or users were never
discovered sitting at your fucking couch”.
- Will Evans
Wednesday 23 July 14

4. Repeat after me…Repeat after me….
“You are not the user”
The tendency to believe that everyone uses technology
the same way you do. Andrea Glusman
Malkovich Bias
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5. Insight Graph
Source: Norman, Landauer 2000
Will Evans
Insights
People
0
12$
Lots$
People&
Insights&
zero&users&give&zero&insights&
Wednesday 23 July 14

6. Types of Customer
Research
1. Optimization
2. Product Development
3. Strategic Product Direction 1. Strategic Product
Direction
'Validate your convictions'
2. Product
Development
'Expose user to hypothesis designs'
3. Optimization
'Refine the design'
• In-person interviews
• Observational Walkthroughs
• Diary Studies
• Storyboard Feedback
• Prototype Validation
• Scenario Testing
• Usability testing - pre
release
• Live testing - post release
• A/B Testing
Qualitative
Quantiative
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7. How do I do this ?
Identify who you are researching
Develop the ‘Hunt Question’
Map out the your conversation
Prepare
Photo:The Royal Tenebaums
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8. The Hunt Question
I am going to research X, so I can do Y
X is often an activity,Y is usually a project goal or
specific area / feature.
Purpose for this piece of research
Source: Design for Interaction: Design Research – D. SafferPhoto:The Talented Mr. Fox
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9. Practical Guidelines
• Prepare well
• Try to interview with 2 persons - one persons facilitates.
• Record entire conversation.
• Interview in their natural environment.
• Document the persons and environment.
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10. Shut up. Listen
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11. Do’s and Don’ts
‘He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks does not know’ – Lau Tzu
• Smile
• Provide context to questions
• Ask open questions - converse
• Avoid asking people opinions on ‘imaginary’ a design.
• Watch what people do more then what they say.
• Don’t talk about yourself
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12. Analysis
“We tend to project our own rationalizations
and beliefs onto the actions and beliefs of
others”
- Don Norman
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13. Common Biases
• Confirmation Bias
• Observer-expectancy Effect
• Primacy and Recency Bias
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14. Confirmation Bias
Your tendency to search for or interpret information in
a way that confirms your preconceptions or hypotheses.
Don’t test your own designs.
Use a script and stick to it.
Review script to avoid bias questions /
language with rest of team.
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15. Observer - Expectancy
When you expect a given result from your research
which makes you unconsciously manipulate your
experiments to give you that result
Develop research procedure as together as a team
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16. Primacy Recency
Bias
The tendency to weigh the first (primacy) or more
recent information (recency-your very last interview)
more heavily.
Define sample size or participants.
Make a interview plan and stick to it.
Resist urge to stop when results become similar.
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17. Analysis
‘Always pass on what you have learned’
- Yoda
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18. Research Debrief
Not a conclusion but a springboard for action.
Your research findings must connect with the product design process.
What the team learns from the research must effect change to ...
• The design or system
• The process
• The way the team views the users.
Get the team to discuss what should happen next.
Wednesday 23 July 14