The document provides an overview of practical user research. It introduces the speaker, Matthew Doty, and his company Evantage Consulting. The workshop aims to demonstrate how quality user insights can be achieved on modest budgets and timelines, and to equip attendees with basic research skills. Participants will learn about different research techniques and conduct a study to surface a real insight for their project or problem.
9. OUR
AGENDA
9
1:00
Learn
about
user
research
and
select
your
technique
1:30
Learn
your
technique
2:00
Design
&
conduct
your
study
(take
breaks
as
needed)
3:15
Document
&
Present
your
findings
3:45
Wrap
up
10. WARNING
10
We
will
be
moving
fast
I
will
require
your
parScipaSon
This
will
be
awesome
13. USER
RESEARCH
13
An
set
of
acSviSes
that
help
us...
1. Understand
the
people
who
will
be
actually
using
what
we’re
designing.
2. Validate
our
decisions/assumpSons
throughout
the
project.
14. PRACTICAL
USER
RESEARCH
14
A
flexible
approach
to
user
research
which
delivers
many
of
the
benefits
of
user
insight
while
remaining
sensiSve
to
Sme
and
budget
constraints.
24. 1.
WE
DON’T
NEED
TO
DO
USER
RESEARCH
“We’re
smart
enough
to
get
it
right!”
“Users
don’t
know
what
they
want!”
“We’ll
just
fix
anything
aKer
we
go
live.”
24
h2p://www.flickr.com/photos/evertwh/2723737126/sizes/l/in/photostream/
25. 2.
WE
DON’T
HAVE
THE
BUDGET
Too
oKen,
we
think
“research”
automaScally
means
expensive
labs,
recruiSng
fees
and
expensive
research
partners.
25
h2p://www.flickr.com/photos/danmoyle/5634567317/sizes/l/in/photostream/
26. 3.
WE
DON’T
HAVE
THE
TIME
“We
can
only
test
our
exact
target
audience.”
“I
can’t
have
my
development
team
sirng
on
their
hands!”
26
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alancleaver/2661425133/sizes/o/in/photostream/
40. WHAT
QUESTIONS
ARE
YOU
TRYING
TO
ANSWER?
How
do
they
want
to
interact?
Card
SorSng
(open)
Design
Games/Workshops
Focus
Groups
Surveys
Baseline
Usability
TesSng
Task
Analysis
40
Who
is
our
audience
&
what
do
they
need?
Contextual
Inquiry
(Ethnography)
Interviews
Focus
Groups
Surveys
Diaries
What
do
they
think
of
what
we’ve
done?
Concept
TesSng
Usability
TesSng
Card
sorSng
(closed/reverse)
Tree
TesSng
Contextual
Inquiry
Analysis
of
Web
Metrics
A/B,
MVT
tesSng
41. WHAT
QUESTIONS
ARE
YOU
TRYING
TO
ANSWER?
How
do
they
want
to
interact?
Card
SorVng
(open)
Design
Games/Workshops
Focus
Groups
Surveys
Baseline
Usability
TesVng
Task
Analysis
41
Who
is
our
audience
&
what
do
they
need?
Contextual
Inquiry
(Ethnography)
Interviews
Focus
Groups
Surveys
Diaries
What
do
they
think
of
what
we’ve
done?
Concept
TesSng
Usability
TesVng
Card
sorVng
(closed/reverse)
Tree
TesVng
Contextual
Inquiry
Analysis
of
Web
Metrics
A/B,
MVT
tesSng
42. WHAT
IS
CARD
SORTING?
A
research
technique
that
aims
to
understand
how
people
organize
and
group
informaSon.
Results
can
be
used
to
structure
the
site/app
in
more
intuiSve
way.
42
43. WHAT
IS
TREE
TESTING?
A
research
technique
that
aims
to
uncover
issues
with
labeling
&
findability.
Results
are
used
to
inform
the
design/organizaSon
of
your
menu/navigaSon.
43
44. WHAT
IS
USABILITY
TESTING?
A
research
technique
that
aims
to
validate
decisions
and
catch
usability
issues.
Results
can
be
used
to...
• Fix
issues
before
producSon
• Inform
the
next
release
• Inform
a
redesign
44
47. OUR
AGENDA
47
1:00
Learn
about
user
research
and
select
your
technique
1:30
Learn
your
technique
2:00
Design
&
conduct
your
study
(take
breaks
as
needed)
3:15
Document
&
Present
your
findings
3:45
Wrap
up
51. HOW
DOES
USABILITY
TESTING
WORK?
1. Show
the
user
interface
(a
sketch,
mockup,
prototype
or
the
actual
site/app)
2. Ask
the
parScipant
to
perform
a
task
3. Observe
interacSons
&
take
notes
51
52. HOW
MANY
PARTICIPANTS
ARE
NEEDED?
52
AT
LEAST
5 http://www.nngroup.com/articles/why-you-only-need-to-test-with-5-users/
53. HOW
DO
I
DESIGN
A
USABILITY
STUDY?
1. IdenSfy
the
pages/screens/elements
where
you’d
like
to
have
user
feedback
2. Clearly
arSculate
and
document
your
goals
with
each
page/screen/element
and
what
successful
interacSon
looks
like
3. Create
realisSc
scenarios
&
tasks
that
will
elicit
credible
feedback.
53
55. EXAMPLE:
ARTICULATE
YOUR
GOALS
The
goal
of
this
study
is
to
observe
user
interacSons
with
the
site
to
see
if
parScipants...
• Are
able
to
successfully
use
the
navigaSon
(main
and
secondary)
to
complete
tasks.
• Are
successfully
able
to
idenSfy
links
(they
know
what
a
link
is
and
what
is
not
link).
• Understand
terminology
and
labels.
55
56. EXAMPLES:
SCENARIOS
&
TASKS
Let’s
say
that
you
entered
[SEARCH
TERM}
into
Google.
and
clicked
on
the
link
for
[WEBSITE].
This
is
the
home
page
of
the
new
site.
Without
clicking
on
anything,
take
a
few
moments
to
look
it
over
and
take
it
in.
(COUNT
TO
10,
THEN
ASK
THE
FOLLOWING
QUESTIONS)
• What
are
your
first
impressions?
• What
can
you
do?
• What
would
you
do
first?
• What’s
missing?
56
57. EXAMPLES:
SCENARIOS
&
TASKS
From
what
we
understand
you
are
in
the
market
for
a
[PRODUCT].
I’d
like
you
show
me
what
you
would
do
find
and
add
[PRODUCT]
to
your
cart.
Tell
me
about
a
me
that
you
were
looking
for
[PRODUCT].
I’d
like
you
now
to
put
yourself
back
in
that
situaon
and
show
me
what
you
would
do
find
and
add
[PRODUCT]
to
your
cart.
57
60. HOW
DOES
CARD
SORTING
WORK?
Open
SorSng
1. People
are
given
a
set
of
“cards”
that
represent
features/content
of
the
site/app.
2. They
organize
informaSon
into
groups
which
make
sense
to
them.
3. They
name
each
of
the
groups.
60
61. Closed
SorSng
1. People
are
given
a
set
of
“cards”
that
represent
features/content
of
the
site/app.
2. They
organize
informaSon
into
several
pre-‐defined
groups
in
a
way
that
makes
sense
to
them.
HOW
DOES
CARD
SORTING
WORK?
61
64. HOW
MANY
PARTICIPANTS
ARE
NEEDED?
64
In
card
sorSng,
“...there's
only
a
0.75
correlaSon
between
the
results
from
five
users
and
the
ulSmate
results.”
“You
must
test
fiKeen
users
to
reach
a
correlaSon
of
0.90,
which
is
a
more
comfortable
place
to
stop.”
http://www.nngroup.com/articles/card-sorting-how-many-users-to-test/
AT
LEAST
15
68. HOW
DOES
TREE
TESTING
WORK?
1. Present
a
basic
menu
of
opSons.
2. Ask
people
to
find
key
features
and
content.
3. Analyze
how
oKen
tasks
are
successfully
completed.
68
70. HOW
MANY
PARTICIPANTS
ARE
NEEDED?
70
• Since
it’s
similar
to
usability
tesSng,
some
say
at
least
5.
• Since
it’s
Similar
to
card
sorSng,
some
say
at
least
15.
• Tree
tesSng
vendors
will
recommend
a
minimum
of
40-‐50.
IT
DEPENDS...
QUICKER
TURNAROUND
MORE
RELIABLE
73. OUR
AGENDA
73
1:00
Learn
about
user
research
and
select
your
technique
1:30
Learn
your
technique
2:00
Design
&
conduct
your
study
(take
breaks
as
needed)
3:15
Document
&
Present
your
findings
3:45
Wrap
up
75. DOS
AND
DON’TS
OF
IN-‐PERSON
RESEARCH
Do...
• Dress
appropriately
• Bring
business
cards
• Ask
open-‐ended
quesSons
• Use
words
other
than
those
used
in
what
you
are
researching
• Ask
the
parScipant
to
“think
out
loud”
Don’t...
• Sigh
or
groan
if
the
parScipant
makes
an
incorrect
choice
or
misstates
something
• Ask
leading
quesSons
• Ask
closed-‐ended/manipulaSve
quesSons
• “Help”
or
correct
the
parScipant
75
76. DESIGN
&
CONDUCT
YOUR
STUDIES
Design
1. Build
your
study
based
on
real
problems
you
face
2. Work
as
a
group
to
solve
issues
&
quesSons
but
use
me
as
a
resource
if
you
get
stuck
Conduct
1. Use
your
group
as
study
subjects
2. Decide
within
your
group
whose
studies
you
will
run
3. Run
your
studies
4. Work
as
a
group
to
solve
issues
&
quesSons
but
use
me
as
a
resource
if
you
get
stuck
76
78. OUR
AGENDA
78
1:00
Learn
about
user
research
and
select
your
technique
1:30
Learn
your
technique
2:00
Design
&
conduct
your
study
(take
breaks
as
needed)
3:15
Document
&
Present
your
findings
3:45
Wrap
up
89. HOW
DO
I
DELIVER
THE
FACTS
IN
COMPELLING
WAYS?
89
90. TELL
A
COMPELLING
STORY
“The
next
Sme
you
struggle
with
gerng
people
on
board
with
your
projects
and
ideas,
simply
tell
them
a
story...
...storytelling
is
the
only
way
to
plant
ideas
into
other
people's
minds.”
Leo
Widrich
The
Science
of
Storytelling:
Why
Telling
a
Story
is
the
Most
Powerful
Way
to
AcSvate
Our
Brains
(h2p://lifehacker.com/5965703/the-‐science-‐of-‐storytelling-‐why-‐telling-‐a-‐story-‐is-‐the-‐most-‐powerful-‐way-‐to-‐acvate-‐our-‐brains)
90
91. CONNECT
THE
DOTS...
IN
THE
STUDY
91
ParScipants
do
not
feel
confident
about
the
purchaseParScipants
spent
a
lot
of
Sme
going
back
&
forth
between
the
PLP
and
the
PDP.
ParScipants
commented
size
and
fit
are
the
most
important
consideraSons
when
buying
something
like
this
online.
ParScipants
were
reluctant
to
add
items
to
their
cart.
92. CONNECT
THE
DOTS...
OUTSIDE
THE
STUDY
92
User
Research
Stakeholder
Interviews
CompeVVve
Analysis
Web
AnalyVcs
Findings
in
Context
96. OUR
AGENDA
96
1:00
Learn
about
user
research
and
select
your
technique
1:30
Learn
your
technique
2:00
Design
&
conduct
your
study
(take
breaks
as
needed)
3:15
Document
&
Present
your
findings
3:45
Wrap
up