This document outlines 3 principles for UX research for startups:
1. Be honest about your confidence levels in what you know about users and the UI by categorizing statements as hypotheses, assumptions, questions, or blind spots.
2. Be explicit by capturing your statements about what you know, think, or don't know about users and the UI.
3. Frame your statements about users and the UI as clear, testable predictions or questions to help guide user research.
1. UX Research for startups
3 Principles you can’t do without
Nik Horn
@niksdeli
UX Researcher at Huddle
2. UX Research for startups
What I will NOT talk about: What I will talk about:
• Types of knowledge to be aware of
• Steps to take before doing research
Lean UX • 3 core principles to follow
(Eric Ries)
Research techniques
(@JohannaKoll)
3. What do you actually know
about your users and your UI?
4. 1. Be honest about your confidence level
I am sure
about …
I think that
I know …
I know that
I don’t know …
I am unaware that
I don’t know …
5. 2. Be explicit and capture it
I am sure
about …
I think that
I know …
I know that
= Hypotheses
I don’t know …
I am unaware that
= Assumptions I don’t know …
= Questions
= Blind spots
6. 3. Frame it into clear statements
I am sure
about …
I think that
I know …
I know that
= Hypotheses
I don’t know …
I am unaware that
= Assumptions I don’t know …
“When faced with X,
people will do Y” = Questions
“People do X” = Blind spots
“P prefer Y over Z”
“What do people think
about X and why?”
“How do they do Y?”
“What else do people do
in the context of X?
7. Now act
I am sure
about …
I think that
I know …
I know that
= Hypotheses
I don’t know …
I am unaware that
= Assumptions I don’t know …
“When faced with X,
people will do Y” = Questions
“People do X” = Blind spots
“P prefer Y over Z”
“What do people think
Verify: about X and why?”
Test predictions “How do they do Y?”
Look for deviation “What else do people do
Validate:
in the context of X?”
Pre-defined user tasks
Look for % results Investigate:
Open interviews
Prompted responses Discover:
Look for patterns Observe
Look for unexpected or
new behaviour