WHAT UX
RESEARCH CAN
YOU DO WITH 5
USERS IN 1 HOUR?
TOMER SHARON | @tsharon
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I’M TOMER
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THE CHALLENGE
UX research in agile teams is perceived as
slow. Yet it is very easy to do fast, crappy
research many people are happy with.
HOW CAN UX RESEARCH BE FAST & OF HIGH-
QUALITY?
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USER EXPERIENCE
What people feel when they use something.
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UX RESEARCH
A discipline that studies people, design, and
how they interact with each other to
achieve specific goals in different contexts.
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USERS
Our Gods.
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RESEARCH WITH 5 USERS IN 1 HOUR
Research questions
Technique 1: Field Friday
Technique 2: Group Card Sort
Technique 3: Noticeability Evaluation
A UX research challenge for you!
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SO, WHAT UX
RESEARCH CAN
YOU DO WITH 5
USERS IN 1 HOUR?
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IT DEPENDS ON
WHAT YOU WANT
TO LEARN
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RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Define specifics of what you are after
The epicenter of any research activity
Core of a study plan
Require most attention
Prevent drifting away to irrelevant areas
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GOALS & RESEARCH QUESTIONS
A study goal is general
Research questions are specific
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GOAL EXAMPLE
Uncover user needs for scheduling doctor
appointments
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RESEARCH QUESTION EXAMPLES
1. How people schedule doctor appointments?
2. What artifacts people use for scheduling doctor
appointments?
3. What are people’s pain points and delights
during the process?
4. What are some opportunities for problem solving
in this realm?
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WHERE DO RESEARCH QUESTIONS
COME FROM?
Reason for conducting a UX study
Assumptions about people, users, designs
Team dilemmas
Decisions the team is trying to make
Big bosses
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KEY
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
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1
What do people need?
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2
What are good design
aspects of a product and
opportunities to improve it?
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3
What is the right way to
structure information and
help people navigate
through it?
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4
Do people notice
important elements in our
design?
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1
NEEDS
2
USABILITY
3
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE
4
ATTENTION
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1
FIELD FRIDAY
2
GROUP CARD
SORT
3
NOTICEABILITY
EVALUATION
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#1 RULE FOR UX RESEARCH
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DON’T LISTEN
TO USERS
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OBSERVE
BEHAVIOR
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FIELD FRIDAY
1
A technique for learning oh-so-many
things about a design.
A usability test conducted by
engineers, speed-dating style.
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USABILITY
TESTING IS NOT
A BIG DEAL
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IT’S A SMALL DEAL
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Things to keep
Opportunities for improvement
Data about speed, success, & satisfaction
Missing features
Unforgettable quotes
RESULTS
1
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“I think that this is sort of
funny, but if I wasn’t
amused by this, I’d be
really fucking pissed”
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“The one thing that stood out
for me was how embarrassed I
was to see how bad our
product was and how awkward
it was for me not to be able to
give good answers to any of the
customer’s good questions.”
Answer the research questions
Core
Realistic
Probably one or two
More than what you need
Print or read
TASKS
1
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Imagine you are planning a
vacation in Bora Bora in May 2013
with your spouse. Use United.com
to find a flight that suits you.
TASK EXAMPLE
1
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PLAY-BY-PLAY
1
Meet & greet participant – create rapport
Brief, warm-up, and give tasks
Insist on thinking out loud
Mostly observe and take notes, shut up
Don’t lead the witness
Don’t think about solutions yet
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ANALYSIS
1
What has repeated?
Any head-bangers?
What were good and bad things?
What surprised you?
What are the answers to your research
questions?
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A BETTER OPTION
1
“IF YOU WANT TO BE A
GOOD ARCHEOLOGIST,
GET OUT OF THE
LIBRARY!”
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READ MORE ABOUT IT
1
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GROUP CARD SORT
A research technique for learning
how to structure information in a
product.
Groups of users are asked to put
a set of items into logical groups.
2
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No content
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RESULTS
Dendrogram
Terminology
Relationships
Missing features
2
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PREPARATIONS
2
Selecting content (current or future)
Preparing the cards (<100, + empty, #)
Selecting a tool
Open or closed sort?
Group work
In-person
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PLAY-BY-PLAY
Brief participants
Mostly observe and take notes
Keep the momentum going
Don’t lead the witness
Prompt quiet participants
2
“ONLY AN EYE
TRACKER CAN TELL US
IF USERS NOTICE
STUFF.”
- PEOPLE
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“REALLY?”
- ME
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EYE TRACKERS
ARE NOT MIND
READERS
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EYE TRACKERS ONLY
TELL YOU WHERE
PEOPLE LOOK AT, NOT
WHAT THEY NOTICE
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NOTICEABILITY EVALUATION
3
A research technique for learning whether
people notice key elements in your design.
An exercise you can plug to a Field Friday
interview during which users are asked to
re-create a screen based on their memory.
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No content
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No content
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RESULTS
A crystal-clear answer
Design tightness
3
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PREPARATIONS
Print any screen
Cut it into elements
Print and cut out non-elements
Mix
Blank paper and scissors
Sharpie and tape
One kit per user
3
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PLAY-BY-PLAY
3
Hand kit to user after completing a task
Explain these are elements of a screen+
Ask to re-assemble the screen
Ask to draw parts that are missing
Shut up and watch what happens
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DATA ANALYSIS
3
Did they put key elements in place?
Did they leave out what doesn’t belong?
Did they draw elements that weren’t there?
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READ MORE ABOUT IT
3
Not yet, sorry.
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RECAP
The epicenteredness of research questions
Usability speed-dating coolness
Card games are it
Arts & crafts is better than eye tracking
Yummy challenges can be healthy
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IF THERE ARE TWO THINGS
I’D LIKE YOU TO REMEMBER
FROM THIS TALK
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DON’T LISTEN
TO USERS
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OBSERVE
THEIR
BEHAVIOR
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“DON’T BELIEVE
EVERYTHING YOU SEE
ON A POWERPOINT
SLIDE JUST BECAUSE
THERE’S A PICTURE
WITH A QUOTE NEXT
TO IT.”
- THE SITUATION