UX Field Research Toolkit - A Workshop at Big Design - 2017

UX Field Research
Tool Kit
Methods to start you on your way to
user discovery
Kelly Moran & Jessie Webster
@kel_moran @JessieWebster15
Sept. 14, 2017
10:00-4:30

Kelly Moran
| Principal Experience
Researcher
Anthropology: pursuing
unusual questions,
finding unexpected
answers, and just
anthropologating in
general.
Jessie Webster
| Experience Researcher
Journalism: Gaining a
deep understanding of
users needs and
motivations by
uncovering their story,
and sharing that story
with those who can
make a difference.
Your Instructors
@kel_moran
@JessieWebster15
*This deck has been edited for sharing purposes

TODAY’S
SYLLABUS
1
2
3
4
5
6
Intro to UX Field Research
Establishing Expectations
Contextual Inquiries
Aﬀinity Diagramming
Delivering Insight
Ethical Considerations
7 Avoiding Pitfalls

UX FIELD RESEARCH
AN INTRODUCTION TO

Satisfying
the catSATISFYING THE CAT
VIDEO AT: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=DLN9XDSMCOY

“…we are using coordinated research efforts to
understand our new readers, and build the best
product and editorial experience possible.”
-medium.com “How we are Using Design Research to Launch The New York Times in Espanol, Juliette Melton, Feb 2016

Using Research in Software
User-focused research of some kind should be used when:
• Major changes and updates
• Replatforming
• Underperformance from a sales perspective
• New oﬀerings
• You, or anyone else with a stake in the product, can’t
confidently complete the sentence “My users love this
software because ________.”

Covering your Bases
• Establishing Stakeholder expectations and concerns
(success and risks, industry factors…)
• Secondary research. Due diligence.
• Building a protocol
• Being prepared
• Identifying high-level goals - What are your "big questions?"

Guiding Questions
• No one is using our new dashboard. Why?
• We want to add to our line of oﬀerings but we're not sure what
our customers really need, or why they're coming to our service.
• Why are so many customers having to call and get help with
________?
• Why is our mobile traﬀic increasing but our conversion rates are
going down?
• We are advertising like crazy but we cannot seem to increase
adoption. Why?

Guiding Questions
• How are our users using our new dashboard?
• How are our users accomplishing their tasks now?
• …
These are questions that will have a descriptive answer.

Qualitative Quantitative
Numbers
What? / How many?
Descriptions
How? / Why?
Qualitative vs. Quantitative

Qualitative Quantitative
Analytics
A/B Testing
Clickstream
404 Testing
Surveys “Voice of Customer”
NPS
Experian
Contextual Inquiries
Personas
Journey Maps
Workflow Diagrams
Aﬀinity Diagramming
Validation Testing
Usability Testing
Qualitative vs. Quantitative

Scoping a Project
• Length of time to allow for research data collection
depends on the complexity of the problem. Will you
need to see work happen over time to capture the full
spectrum of seasonal activity?
• Generally, you should observe a minimum of 3-5
participants per user type (manager, approver, account
reviewer, large business user, small business user…)
• Typical project 12-20 participants

Who is Involved?
• Everyone who makes decisions about the product
needs an invitation to a kick-oﬀ and all major updates.
• Anyone who works with the product or its users should
receive a courtesy announcement of upcoming
research or ongoing progress.
• If they don’t know about it, they can’t support it.

“Making the familiar strange
and the strange familiar”
http://www.gizmocrazed.com/2012/04/top-10-theories-on-how-the-world-will-end/

“We have everything set up
for you in a
conference room.”

5 out of 6 of the client-user groups observed used two monitors
Adding machines still in use
Typically in either a cube or an open workspace
Paper everywhere - post its galore!
User observed walking to a locked room (with a broken ankle) to
look up reference numbers
Contextual Lessons

What’s a Contextual Inquiry?
A qualitative form of research
• Participants are observed in their actual work or life
environments
• Surfaces information participants typically have trouble
articulating (like air)
• Reveals insights beyond what is passively observable
• Exposes goals, aspirations and values
Provides an understanding of:
• Context
• Actions, strategies, and issues currently experienced with the
product
• Specific qualities of the population
• Exposes goals, aspirations and values

What does a CI involve?
Observation Session
• Consent form allows for photo, audio, and/or video to be
captured
• A facilitator guides activity and dialog
• An Observer thoroughly documents the session (don’t be
shy with photos!)
• The team’s relationship with the participant is crucial to
obtain good data
• Summarize what you think you heard and let the participant
comment or correct you
Debrief with your team after every session — share what
you learned!

• My drive is approximately 18 min one way
• 5 minutes to get the highway, on the highway for only 10
minutes, I drive 79mph
• I listen to NPR on my drive
• I go the same way every day. Neighborhood, Highway, drop
oﬀ kids, and back.
• I make sure I’ve got water to drink
My Commute

[Switch to Video Deck]ADD the VIDEO!!! (And have backup
on a ﬂash drive)
(VIDEO NOT AVAILABLE ONLINE)

• Backs out of a garage, closes door.
• Continuously changing the radio station.
• Drives over a bunch of potholes
• Multitasking at red lights
• There were 2 waters.
• Checks Fitbit.
You may have seen…

Building an Interview Guide
• The process of building a protocol establishes team
consensus on the purpose of the project and the goals
of the research
• Following the protocol onsite keeps you organized and
on track
• Familiarizing yourself with the protocol ahead of time
means the session can flow naturally while you allow
occasional diversions to interesting new lines of inquiry

DRAFT AN
INTERVIEW GUIDE
ACTIVITY

What to Note
• Important actions that happen repeatedly
• Things that change the course or flow of work
• Workaround and breakdowns
• Interruptions (if not one-oﬀs)
• Communication (who, why?)

Not so useful note:
She saves invoices in Outlook.
This note doesn’t tell us anything besides a procedural fact.
Useful note:
She opens an Outlook folder she previously set-up for saving invoices
and drags her file in. She saves invoices here because, "I can find exactly
what I'm looking for" when she uses the search feature.
This contains “why,” the context of the note, and her motivation for doing
what she’s doing
Examples

Knowledge Share
A way to bring the new knowledge held in your head outside to
share with the full team.
• What you learned, what surprised you
• Top quotes
• Breakdowns
• Experiment with ways to visualize flow or order
• Call out any potential opportunities

Repetition repetition…
Re-experiencing your research
Best Practice:
• Listen to the audio or watch the video. In full.
Good Practice:
• Review your and your research partner’s notes.

Beneﬁts
• See it from a fresh perspective (this time you are a pure observer)
• Utilize new knowledge from the debrief session
• Identify more nuanced observations - like watching a
movie the second time when now you know how it turns
out
• Catch something you missed the first time

“Never theorize before you have
data. Invariably you end up
twisting facts to suit theories
instead of theories to suit facts.”
- Sherlock Holmes
(Arthur Conan Doyle)

Let’s Practice
Color Seed Arrangement

Exclude (there are always exceptions)
• Demographics
• Workflow details that have already been
captured in user workflows or diagrams
• Artifact/data inventory
• Physical artifact descriptions
What Notes to Include
Each note should stand alone as a coherent statement
Include
• Direct quotes
• Observed actions
• Motivations, goals
• Key elements of the work practice
• Breakdowns (optional; these may be
better aggregated in a separate list)

Aﬃnity Diagram in Action
He is confused
because of the
many titles and
options on the 
product website. 
-P1

Example: Aﬃnity Diagram - 2 levels

Example: Aﬃnity Diagram - 3 levels

Keeping things in context
NOTE THEME
While he mentioned wanting a bank account for his kids' future, he
also had no interest in having one now and expressed distrust of
banks. When pressed he didn't have any actionable plan of getting
an account and said he'd get one for his kids, "If it's decent
enough, where I'm not gonna break my back doing all this extra
stuff like $20 fees a month, like some banks."
Distrust of
Banks
"It's live checks [my paychecks]. I'd rather cash my check and
keep my money like that, than trust a bank with it. Because
anything can happen, with a bank. Something can happen with
their number, I don't know, just anything can happen where my
money's not gonna be my money."
Trust in Cash;
Distrust of
Banks
"I'd rather just cash a check and have my money, that way it's
easier for me to manage it, without having a secondary
source, other than the people that cash my check."
Managing
Money

How do we use our insights?
User Needs
Opportunities
Design Principles
13© 2014 projekt202, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Up-to-date, accurate, and relevant
information must be available at
the salesperson’s fingertips, across
connected platforms and tools.
Sales people need to create trust
and the perception of transparency
to build a great relationship with
each Mercedes-Benz customer.
The high-pressure, interactive,
collaborative nature of the
dealership environment requires
that tools fit seamlessly where,
when, and how they are used.
When time means money, specific
information needs to be accessed
quickly in every circumstance.
Tools need to be flexible for
salespeople as they adapt their
selling style to the customer’s
needs, communication style, and
pacing expectations.
Sales people need to be empowered
to be THE respected Mercedes-Benz
expert in all client interactions.
This set of design guidelines — based on real user needs — should be used to
direct and evaluate future explorations of tools for sales consultants.
2. Simplify Access
5. Show Integrity
1. Fit to Context 3. Maintain Speed
4. Tailor
Communication 6. Embody Expertise
User Experience Principles
EXPERIENCE RECOMMENDATIONS

Useful marketing tool
Identifies groups of customers (or
potential customers) in a market
Includes demographics and buying
tendencies
Opinion and preference focused
Based on market data and analytics
Used for distribution of brand message
Useful user experience tool
Identifies archetypes within the user
population
Includes goals, motivations, and
frustrations
Behavior focused
Built on primary research
Informs design and development
UX
Personas
Market
Segmentation
vs.

UX Personas
Strong UX Personas:
• Act as summaries of the user types discovered during
research activities.
• Describe the goals and observed behavior patterns
among users and end users.
• Make user types and roles memorable and relatable.
Personas provide personality, but they are not license for
over-the-top comedic or dramatic flare. They are data-
based and grounded in reality.

Personas not built on data are a creative writing exercise.
UX Personas
UX Personas are built after all major research
activities are complete:
• Stakeholder and expert interviews
• Background / external research
• Contextual inquiries

Building UX Personas (1 of 4)
1. Identify behavioral and demographic attributes (ie.
variables) that appear predicative of attitudes and
actions
• Mental models, motivations, goals, skill levels…
• Ex: Experience with technology, time in company, main
reason for using the software, openness to learning,
time available for the task…

4
Length of commute
50 miles0 miles
4 3 3
Time in Car
90 minutes5 minutes
3 22
Number of stops
4
0
3 4 5
3
Multitasking
ConstantNever
TBD
xy
3
TBD
xy
Attribute Scales

2. Map each participant on a scale for every attribute
From: Kim Goodwin, Ge#ng from Research to Personas: Harnessing the Power of Data, May 15, 2008. h8p://www.cooper.com/journal/2008/05/geAng_from_research_to_personas

4
43 21
Length of commute
50 miles0 miles
4 3 3
4 3 21
Time in Car
90 minutes5 minutes
3 224 3 21
Number of stops
4
0
3 4 5
3
432 1
Multitasking
ConstantNever
4 32 1
TBD
xy
3
43 21
TBD
xy
Plotted Participants

3. Identify patterns among those attributes
From: Kim Goodwin, Ge#ng from Research to Personas: Harnessing the Power of Data, May 15, 2008. h8p://www.cooper.com/journal/2008/05/geAng_from_research_to_personas

4. Identify and explain the patterns suggested by the
attribute profiles.
• List out key tasks/responsibilities or motivations and
approaches that seem to explain these patterns
5. Develop profiles based on these
6. Clarify the distinctions, add useful detail, and
develop the narrative

The colored dots represent where the
individual participants fell on the
spectra. The colored sticky notes
indicate groupings of participants that
can be built into personas.
EXAMPLE
SPECTRA

The User’s Journey
• Journey maps show a user-centric viewpoint of your
product or service. They are not “process flows”
• They highlight breakdowns, workarounds,
communication points, hand-oﬀs, and (when
applicable) observed delight factors
Don’t forget to include “the edges” of your map. Entry and exit
points, important boundaries, etc.

Jared Spool keynote at Delight 2013

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4
Phase description text Phase description text Phase description text Phase description text
SteppingStonesBreakdownsQuotes
Basic Journey Map Structure

Using Journey Maps
Journey maps should:
• Align the values of the user and the organization
• Encourage empathy
• Organize the experience into digestible segments
Tip: A current journey map can be built first based on research and
then contrasted with an ideal-state future journey map based on
opportunities and user scenarios.

Ethical Considerations &
Responsibilities
• Being transparent - with everyone. (Stakeholders,
internal team, participants.)
• Never be sneaky. That's never a good plan.
• Providing anonymity, when needed, and just using
good sense in all the other times.
Ask yourself, would I want my boss knowing I said this?
Would this embarrass me if it went public?

Sharing Photos and Video
• The artifacts of your research process - quotes,
photographs, video clips - can be a powerful way to
build internal knowledge of the users’ struggles, needs,
and joys.
• Be sure you obtained the necessary consent for the
level of sharing you want to do.
Remember though that these things came from someone else’s life
experiences, and they aren’t “yours.” So share respectfully.

Recommended Reading
Contextual Design
KAREN HOLZBLATT & HUGH BEYER
Contextual Design: Design for Life, Second Edition, describes the core techniques needed to deliberately produce a compelling
user experience. Contextual design was first invented in 1988 to drive a deep understanding of the user into the design process.
It has been used in a wide variety of industries and taught in universities all over the world.
Just Enough Research
ERIKA HALL
Design research is a hard slog that takes years to learn and time away from the real work of design, right? Wrong. Good research
is about asking more and better questions, and thinking critically about the answers. It's something every member of your
team can and should do, and which everyone can learn, quickly. And done well, it will save you time and money by reducing
unknowns and creating a solid foundation to build the right thing, in the most eﬀective way.
It’s Our Research
TOMER SHARON
Design research is a hard slog that takes years to learn and time away from the real work of design, right? Wrong. Good research
is about asking more and better questions, and thinking critically about the answers. It's something every member of your
team can and should do, and which everyone can learn, quickly. And done well, it will save you time and money by reducing
unknowns and creating a solid foundation to build the right thing, in the most eﬀective way.

Other Tips
• Locate an executive champion - to open doors
• Identify gatekeepers - for access to users
• Tell the compelling story - to build empathy

“The reason design projects that neglect research fail isn’t
because of a lack of knowledge. It’s because of a lack of shared
knowledge. Creating something of any complexity generally
requires several different people with different backgrounds and
different priorities to collaborate on a goal.”
- https://deardesignstudent.com/the-secret-cost-of-research-fbe95739afdd#.d6wx7nmkz
“A design project is simply a series of decisions. When you’re
working with competent people, the limiting factor on how
quickly you can finish a project is the speed of
decision-making.”

Ask Questions
You are not an expert at others’ work/play
- even if you think you are
Rephrase and ask if you got it right
Avoid leading questions
Take note of ideas and ask “What problem does this solve?”

Start Small - Start Anywhere!
Does not need to cover 7 regions across a continent
(seeing a few users makes a diﬀerence)
Get into the environment
(supplement with Skype if needed)
Don’t go in with solutions in mind
(don’t be too sure you know the problems already either)

UX Field Research
Tool Kit
Methods to start you on your way to
user discovery
Kelly Moran & Jessie Webster
@kel_moran @JessieWebster15
Presented at Big Design
September 14, 2017
10:00-4:30

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