Real contextual research - a case study

All too often we do 'abstract' research with people who vaguely resemble our real customers. We use phoney figures and ask them to imagine or remember. We know this is not ideal but it's harder to do real research and is it even worth it? This is my story of my struggles to get this to happen and ultimately what I found out.

Presented by Anthony Wall at Design Research 2017

Transcript

1. Tony Wall March 14, 2017 Contextual Research Real
2. Real contextual research CUSTOMER + PLACE + DATA + TIME
3. Compromise CUSTOMER + PLACE + DATA + TIME
4. My question How much are you really losing?
5. My test case
6. My test case Business taxes Certain times Private place Personal data Specific needs
7. Intuit Confidential and Proprietary 7 We found willing participants
8. What happened
9. Intuit Confidential and Proprietary 9 What happened? We saw genuine confusion “Well I’ve been doing it that way for years.” “That’s why I use a pencil because I always make mistakes”
10. Intuit Confidential and Proprietary 10 What happened? People say they do stuff they didn’t actually do. “I usually write it down so I don’t forget. ” “I usually divide by 11 everytime.”
11. Intuit Confidential and Proprietary 11 What happened? We got their thinking “I’m trying to remember if I paid all these people or not.” “I’m checking that everything has GST.”
12. Intuit Confidential and Proprietary 12 What happened? Life got in the way “He’s not supposed to be here today. ” “This phone only rings when I’m busy.”
13. Intuit Confidential and Proprietary 13 What happened? We got the real end to end Miss the edges and the ends “We’ll pay this one by credit card to manage cash flow.” “Oh yes this one is different from the others.”
14. Conclusion
15. How much does it matter? Keep as close to reality as you can. Because without it you’re not getting the full picture CUSTOMER + PLACE + DATA + TIME