Cromulent Research Methods

I gave this talk during PDX Startup Week in April 2018. It was part of an event I put on called Get Out and Talk to People which also featured two other speakers.

A talk I gave during Portland Startup Week to members of the The event was about the importance of doing research and how startups might go about doing it. With special consideration for how startups often go about doing research, if they do it at all.

Transcript

1. Hi, PDX Startup Week peoples. The talks will begin soon. For now, go meet someone you don’t know. If you wanna. PDX Human-Centered Discipline Collective pdxhcd.org Matthew Oliphant Elise Lind Chris Martuza Tonight’s Collective representatives: #pdxstartupweek
2. #pdxstartupweek pdxhcd.org PDXHCD is building a well-connected, human-centered community in Portland. We bring together industry experts, academia, and local organizations to learn the why, what, and how of design thinking and practice. We seek to benefit our community and the city at-large. We are a collective of experts and event leaders in the related human- centered discipline fields. PDXHCD Portland Human-centered Discipline
3. BE HERE
4. GET OUT AND TALK TO PEOPLE Cromulent Research Methods: Embiggen Your Knowledge #pdxstartupweek pdxhcd.org Matthew Oliphant studioVO.co
5. CROMULENT RESEARCH METHODS embiggen your knowledge.
6. OR, IF YOU WANT A SERIOUS TITLE: no. serious titles are boring.
7. CROMULENT RESEARCH METHODS embiggen your knowledge.
8. BE SOLUTION AGNOSTIC Lisa will respect you.
9. QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF BEGIN CORRECTLY ▸ What should this app do? ▸ Where does the button go? ▸ Everyone has the same problem as me! ▸ What is the person’s goal? ▸ How do people solve this problem today? ▸ What slows down or stops people from getting things done? No. Like, really, no. Yes.
10. USERS ARE CHILDREN children with money and no curfew.
11. BAD NEWS, EVERYONE… USERS WILL LIE ▸ Because they are being nice. ▸ Because they believe what they say, but don’t do what they say. ▸ Because they have a hidden agenda.* ▸ Because they want to seem knowledgable. ▸ Because humans. ▸ Don’t worry. There’s hope!
12. “GOOD NEWS, EVERYONE!” PEOPLE LIKE TO HELP ▸ Because they are being nice. ▸ Because they believe/hope you are actually going to make the Thing™ better. ▸ Because you’re going to pay them a little money. ▸ Because they finally get to complain to you about how much they hate what you make.* ▸ Because humans.
13. WALK IN THEIR SHOES though, running might be better since you stole their shoes.
14. YOUR WORK IS NOT ABOUT YOU TALKING WITH LISTENING TO USERS ▸ Listen: Listen. ▸ Who are they? ▸ What if they say things that don’t matter? ▸ Ask the right questions the right way. Easy, right? Elise will show us how!
15. DON’T LEAD THE WITNESS CLOSED QUESTIONS ▸ Do you think you would like this? ▸ Does this solution solve your problem? ▸ Is this tie right for the courtroom? ▸ Why don’t you like all the ideas I had, I worked hard on them?!
16. LET YOUR USERS LEAD YOU OPEN QUESTIONS ▸ How do you solve for this issue today? ▸ What would you do next? ▸ A leaky pipe, you say…? ▸ What are some other thoughts you’ve had about this? ▸ Be careful asking Why. Why?
17. “DEFILE WHAT I DEFILE!” GO WHERE PEOPLE ARE ▸ See what users do versus what they say they do. ▸ It reveals insights. It lets you develop better questions. ▸ It takes time. It doesn’t* fit into “Agile.” ▸ It let’s you use big words like, “Ethnography,” and “Contextual Inquiry.”
18. WAYS TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR CUSTOMERS / USERS. #pdxstartupweek pdxhcd.org
19. FOCUS GROUPS users will tell you what they want. especially when you tell them what to want.
20. “PLEASE REFRAIN FROM TASTING THE KNOB.” FOCUS (OR LACK THEREOF) GROUPS ▸ Lots of people. ▸ Fast feedback. ▸ Snacks. The good. The bad. ▸ Few talkers. ▸ Hard to manage well. ▸ Huge waste of time.
21. “YOU SHOULD WIN THINGS BY WATCHING!” BRING FOCUS ▸ Recruit well! Find the right people. ▸ Plan for all scenarios. ▸ Lead the conversation, not the people. ▸ Bring others to take notes. ▸ Keep people for less time than expected. ▸ Keep the groups small. 2-to-6. ▸ Give them stuff to do!
22. DESIGNING WITH USERS it gets worse before it gets better.
23. “POWERFUL. LIKE A GORILLA.” CO-CREATION. PARTICIPATORY DESIGN. ▸ Collaboration or committee. ▸ One voice, one idea. ▸ Woohoo! People tend to create their own efficiencies that you, management, the client, etc., don’t know about. ▸ Doh! People tend to internalize much of what they do and have trouble expressing their thoughts. ▸ Buy-in can become more important than good decision-making.
24. "FIRST THINGS FIRST, CUP HOLDERS!” PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS ▸ Recruit well! Find the right people. ▸ Listen to what people mean and what they say. ▸ Get people to draw. But their drawing isn’t design. Even if it is a good solution. ▸ A person’s POV is a single POV. ▸ Their agenda is not your agenda. ▸ Keep people around for more feedback. ▸ Thank people for their efforts.*
25. USABILITY TESTING lab coats optional. patent-pending.
26. “WHO’DA THOUGHT A NUCLEAR REACTOR WOULD BE SO COMPLICATED?!” TESTING IS EASY. ALSO, DIFFICULT. ▸ Recruit well! Find the right people. ▸ Listen to what people mean and what they say. ▸ The thing you’re testing doesn’t have to be perfect! Or even work completely. Probably should not be on fire. ▸ Think in terms of generating ideas and validating ideas. ▸ Record everything! You will miss things during the test. ▸ Invite note-takers, but keep the group small.
27. “LET’S DO IT AGAIN! AGAIN! AGAIN!” ASSESSING LEVELS OF CONFIDENCE ▸ Find 3 people. ▸ Get feedback. ▸ Decide if you feel confident you’re on the right path with the design. If not: ▸ Find 3 people. ▸ Get feedback. ▸ Repeat as necessary. ▸ usability.gov is a good, free resource.
28. LEARN! but seriously, get out there! All “The Simpsons” images copyright their respective owners & not me.
29. THANKS, YO. matthew oliphant studiovo.co & pdxhcd.org