As designers, we know we should be doing research, testing and iteration as part of our design process, but those things are often what gets bypassed in favour of ‘getting it done’.
This talk will discuss the different types of research we can perform on digital projects, how to conduct effective research, and how to test our designs with real users to uncover important insights into our projects.
I’ll also discuss how to sell the added time and cost to bosses and clients, and how to do it on a shoestring budget.
I’ve performed UX research and testing for a number of our clients at Headspace and I’ve also applied it to our own software startup, so I have good case studies to show a practical application of the knowledge.
12. Research steps
1. Define the problem.
2. Select the approach.
3. Plan and prepare.
4. Collect the data.
5. Analyze the data.
6. Report the results.
18. User Persona’s
Jack Brown
Job: Freelance copywriter
Quote: “Make me look like a rock-star with the
least amount of effort on my part”
Demographics: 45 year old male.
Behaviours:
Tasks: Write a proposal after meeting with a
potential client who was referred to him
Wants: To spend less time on the proposal since
as a freelancer, his time is his livelihood
Needs: To get a persuasive proposal written the lands him the work
Goals: Win the client with a minimal amount of time and effort
Emotions: Winning the project makes him feel secure about having
enough money for the next 2 months and he goes out to celebrate when
he wins the new client. Losing the bid adds stress and anxiety, and now
he has to hunt for a new client.
Leah MacLeod
Job: Account Manager
Quote: “Make my job easier by taking hours off of my
proposal writing process”
Demographics: 28 year old female.
Behaviours:
Tasks: Respond to RFP, facilitate proposal, involve
team for input and ideas
Wants: To have more time for working with clients
instead of writing a proposal
Needs: To try out software that will save time and make the proposal
process easier
Goals: Win the contract
Emotions: Winning the RFP she led will give her a sense of pride and
increase the likelihood of promotion. Losing the RFP will cause stress
and disappointment, perhaps losing an eventual promotion.
19. Problems:
1. Hard to get content in
2. Can’t find/reuse content
3. Hard to change/edit theme