User Research for Startups

Diane LoviglioGeneral Assembly San FranciscoAugust 28, 2012

ConductingUser Researchfor Startups

GENERAL ASSEMBLYAugust 28, 2012

Conducting User Research Interviews for StartupsDiane Loviglio2

HELLO.General Assembly is a global network of campuses for individuals seeking opportunity and education in technology, business, and design founded in NYC.

Follow us on Twitter at @GA_SF for the latest news on classes, courses, and events in San Francisco, and use the hashtag #GASF to continue the conversation.

Take a look at our course catalog at generalassemb.ly/sf for a list of classes currently offered.

GENERAL ASSEMBLYAugust 28, 2012

Conducting User Research Interviews for StartupsDiane Loviglio3

CLASS RULES.

We’re so thankful to the Hattery for hosting us in their beautiful space! A few things to be mindful of:

• Please try to stay within the classroom and the bathroom.

• Feel free to grab some water from the kitchen area, but please do not take any food.

And now for the fun stuff...

Diane Loviglio@dianeloviglio

General Assembly San FranciscoAugust 28, 2012

ConductingUser Researchfor Startups

Architecture & AnthropologyStartup FounderUX ResearcherStartup Advisor

Gaining empathy for ...

What we’ll be learning today

What is User Research?Why do User Research?User Research MethodsHow to recruit the right people

- Writing a screenerHow to best understand those people

- Writing an interview script- Conducting an interview

Understanding past and current behaviors in order to use them as a proxy for future behaviors.

What is User Research?

Why do User Research?

gain empathy

their motivationstheir values their needs

their behaviors

What problem is yourstartup solving?

What do you want to know about your current or

potential users?

User Research Methods

observationin-depth interview

think alouddiary study

How To Recruit the Right People? Write a Screener

Start with easy questions.

Give a description,without giving away too much info.

Include incentive.

Always add “Other”.

Don’t make any questions required.

Keep it to 10 questions.

Don’t use branching logic.

Ask at least one open-ended question.

Only collect this info if it’s relevant

Include exact times and locations.

Ask for first name, email and cell as last questions.

Write one questionfor your screener

The Arc of an Interview

Write an Interview ScriptExplore current app-related attitudes and behaviors among “v2 adopters” in order to identify future opportunities and development possibilities in the app space.

GOAL

METHODS 1 day diary study2 hour in-person interview

Create sections and give them time limits.

SCRIPT Introduction (5 min)- introduce interviewers- get permission again to take video and photos- sign consent form- no right/wrong answers- any q’s before we begin?

About You (5 min)- what do you do?- how long have you lived here?

Diary Study Review (15 min)- walk me through your diary

Ask about past, not future.Finding & Choosing Apps (10 min)- what was the last app you got?- how did you find it?- what if there were 3 that did the same thing, how would you choose?

Get them to tell you stories,and not just answer the q’s.

Show & Tell (30 min)- walk through apps on homescreen on phone and tablet. when get? how find them? why get?- any apps you don’t use? why not delete them?- what are apps good for? bad for?

Write an Interview Script

Reference data from screener and build on it.

App Stores & Paying for Apps (15 min)- in the survey, you said that you use ______ and ______ app stores. why do you use them?- which other apps stores have you heard of?- which apps have you paid for? can you show me them? why did you pay for them?- in the survey, you said that you pay for ______, ______ and ______. how is paying for this different than paying for an app?- if you buy something from the Apple app store today and you change your computer, what happens to your stuff?- how do you keep track of which apps you got from which store?

Give them activities so you have artifacts.

Understanding the App Ecosystem (20 min)- how would you describe apps to somebody who’s never seen them?- can you draw everything we talked about today and how it relates to each other?- what the difference between an app, a website and a program?- show 2 screen printouts - do you see any differences here?- are you familiar with the term web app? can you describe it to me?

Thoughts on [Company X] (5 min)- if [Company X] had an app store, how would you expect it to be different?- [Company X] is a non-profit, would they charge for apps? why or why not? Ask who, what,

when, where, why and how.Wrap Up & Thank You (10 min)

- any questions for us?- thank you so much, we got a lot of great data here.- here’s your incentive.

Write one questionto use in your interview

Conducting an InterviewLeave awkward moments of silence.

Conducting an InterviewTell me more. Tell me more. Tell me more.

Conducting an Interview The participant is always right - don’t correct them.

Conducting an InterviewPilot with someone.

http://abcnews.go.com/images/US/gty_charles_lindbergh_in_plane_1927_ss_thg_120516_ssh.jpg

In quote form -not he said, she said.

Take Notes

@[email protected]

General Assembly San FranciscoAugust 28, 2012

ConductingUser Researchfor Startups