Field Research for User Experience

Field Research for User Experience

Introduction to User Experience Methods

1 14 October 2011 @dgcooley #edUiconf

Danielle Gobert Cooley @dgcooley

About me

• 12 years as user researcher/usability specialist

• BE, Biomedical & Electrical Engineering

• MS, Human Factors in Information Design

• Selected Employers & Clients

14 October 2011 @dgcooley #edUiconf 2

[email protected]

@dgcooley

About User Research Techniques


Please Remember


The purpose of these techniques is to

inform your design.

They are not validation methods.

Let Me Repeat That


The purpose of these techniques is to

inform your design.

They are not validation methods.

You Are Not Your User


YOU

NOT YOU

You Don’t Want to End Up With This


Why Field Research?


Types of User Research

• Field Studies

• Usability Testing

• Surveys

• Focus Groups

• Card Sorting

• Tree Testing

• Journaling

• Analytics Analysis

• A/B Testing


Does your lab look like this?


http://www.rohdesign.com/weblog/archives/000516.html

2 clocks

3 terminals

fun desk toys

Or this?


bare walls

annoying closet door

dining chair printer in cabinet

annoying desk door

-baby rattle -gerbera daisy seeds -1.5L water bottle

annoying keyboard tray

Inconveniently-located trash

can

Or this?


feather boa

three coffee cups

family photos

PC

Or this?


Field Research vs. Other Methods

Qualitative Quantitative Inexpensive Easy to

Implement Observational Contextual

Focus Groups

?

Surveys Usability Testing

Journaling ?

Field

Studies


Types of Field Research


Formal Contextual Inquiry

• Part 1 – The conventional interview

• Part 2 – The transition

• Part 3 – The contextual interview proper

• Part 4 – The wrap-up


1998

2005

Remote Contextual Inquiry


http://miupa.org/events/how-remote-contextual-inquiry-got-us-up-close-with-users/

http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/remote_contextual_inquiry_a_technique_to_improve_enterprise_software

On-Site Usability Testing

• Conducted at participant’s workstation

• Provides some environmental context


Conducting Field Research


The Usual Rules Apply

• Get written consent for anything you do

• Ask open-ended questions

• Minimize bias

• Build trust


Practical Challenges

• Scheduling issues

• Productivity concerns from management

• Site security

• Rules about photos and videos

• Getting there

• Considerable additional pre-planning required


Collect Artifacts


Take photos.

Record videos.

Make copies.

Analyzing Results


There Will Be Notes.


There will be a LOT of notes.


Notes collected during one hour of

observation.

Start Visualizing Findings


Work

Distractions

(14)

(19)

Reporting Findings


The Usual Rules Apply

• Provide a concise summary.

• Explain your methodology.

• Share both positive & negative findings.

• Provide visual explanations whenever possible.

• Protect your participants’ anonymity.

• Include your artifacts!


Include Artifacts


“Cheat sheet” of mainframe

codes. The Financial Assistants

“rarely use” the systemand

need a reference when dealing with the home office. (B22)

One Financial Consultant kept an

extensive list of home office

personnel he had spoken to about

various matters. Each folder includes people’s names, their

extension, and comments about

how helpful or unhelpful they were

when the FC spoke with them. (B8)

Include Artifacts


The Financial Consultants, particularly those in Manhattan, care about projecting an image of absolute excellence. Clients visiting one office (B25) are seated in a specific location so they can see…

…that, no

matter what,

the market

goes up.

… the FC’s

many

diplomas,

certifications, and honors.

… an organized set of

files containing the

necessary forms for

various products.

… any hustle and

bustle in the office

to convey that

we’re busily working on

earning people

money.

Include Artifacts (e.g., Workflow Processes)


(HO3) The follow-up process for problem

accounts/issues is very cumbersome and paper-intensive. There isn't an efficient

systematic process for reconciling issues.

The current process relies on the <company> resource to "remember" to go through these

folders with some frequency, send follow-up

wires (which may or may not be

acknowledged in a timely manner), and try

to reconcile the issue.

Note the names on the folders:

•Pending OK to Trades (Accts in date read order, need them by Acct # order)

•*IMPORTANT* Daily Immediate Follow Up

•Need Sign-off from Money Manager (Accts in

date read order, need them by Acct # order)

•Problem Follow up

Two items in the far background:

•MGR Index - This hardcopy of about 50+

pages is held together by a binder clip

and contains information/instructions

from the corporate intranet, along with personal emails and other artifacts on how to

handle certain situations. The emails and

artifacts are peppered with hand-written

notes.

•Select Advisor Account Checklist

Include Artifacts


3 different teams showed us their homemade instructions or checklists for setting up fee-based accounts.

Include Artifacts


Explain Things Visually


YAY! A book!

Loved it!

Leave Here Knowing That…

• …you are not your user.

• …what users do is very different from what they say they do.

• …people don’t work the way they “should.”

• …context is HUGELY important in people’s work.

• …YOU can do field research!


(And it’s fun!)


Additional Resources

Questions? Ask Me!


http://edUiFieldResearch.notlong.com/

[email protected]

@dgcooley

linkedin.com/in/dgcooley

dgcooley.com

Field Research for User Experience

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