Operationalising & Scaling UX Research Practice

Transcript

1. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA Benson Low UX Research Manager @sprae
2. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA What to expect One-way mirror is gone UX Researchers empower others UX Research repositories are rare Governance is a full-time job Mobile-first research is on the rise Strategic Prioritisation Approach & Partnerships
3. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA Our journey
4. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA Australia’s #1 address in property
5. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA REA Group started as a seedling of an idea: could the internet change the way the world experiences property? 25 years ago From startup to global business Now
6. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA 18 Brands 1500 People globally
7. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA Helping people at every stage of their property journey Unique visitors per month 9m Property Insights Home Loans Professional tools Property search
8. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA Design Practice at REA: Helping millions of people find their place. 50 People UX Design UX Research UX Writing
9. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA Scaling our UX Research practice Scaling up As our business scaled other functions such as Product, Design and Tech, our UX Research team needed to evolve too Increasing demand With exciting new ventures and problems to solve, our UX Research team was in high demand. Opportunity Opportunity and backing to supercharge the practice and amplify the business impact
10. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA Research on research Supercharging our practice
11. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA How we are supercharging user research at REA Learnings What did we learn from our research on research from our; • Interviews • On-site visits REA Opportunities Define our opportunities and challenges that are ripe for change • Internal survey • Stakeholder interviews • Research audit How we are doing it What have we done to date and share our progress into the future. • Resetting process • Revitalising how research is done • Advocating values
12. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA OUR PROCESS Connecting Interviews Analysis and insight 1 2 3
13. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA One-way mirror is gone The emergence of new streaming and sharing tools, the lack of real-time observation, the costs involved in the set-up, and some discussion on potential biases of lab-based research have seen the traditional Usability Lab with a one-way mirror almost disappear. Most teams are adding remote techniques to their toolbox, while others are now only conducting remote research using tools like Google Hangouts, Zoom & Lookback. LEARNING
14. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA REA opportunities ONE-WAY MIRROR IS GONE Research space REA has a dedicated space for UX Research, but never had set-up any one-way mirror, and starting to investigate remote research. Wider user access The challenge of assessing specific research participants across Australia had been difficult. Ineffective tools Tools such as UserTesting.com did not provide effective recruitment and cost prohibitive to maintain.
15. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA How we are doing it ONE-WAY MIRROR IS GONE Introducing remote research Almost all moderated research projects include a combination of remote and in-person methods. Impact of this has enables us to better understand different property markets such as Sydney and Brisbane with less physical travel required. Updating recruitment criteria Improving our recruitment approach, helps us consider other regions and remotely connect with specific participants. Using better tools Zoom is a widely tool which has been useful for moderated interview and relatively simple setup for most participants we are looking to access.
16. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA UX Researchers empower others Increasingly the role of researchers is to provide others with the skills, tools, and processes to conduct their own evaluative research. Ostensibly this frees up research capacity to conduct more strategic pieces, though this is very much a work in progress for many places. For example, a good research brief outlining the question that requires answering is key to conduct high-quality research and inform key stakeholders. LEARNING
17. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA REA opportunities ONE-WAY MIRROR IS GONE More discovery Internally, we had found there was more desire for more strategic discovery. Research quality Whilst designers were comfortable evaluative research such as usability testing, the quality of research suggested the need to improve process and approaches across the board. Other priorities Prioritising for strategically important research is often a balancing act to support inexperienced designers.
18. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA How we are doing it ONE-WAY MIRROR IS GONE Setting standards To help most of our designer to run their own research, we established standardise templates such as research brief, recruitment criteria, moderation guide, note taking, research reports and so on. Establishing rituals and ceremonies Support designers with research rituals and ceremonies, research kick- offs, retrospectives following each research project, and feedback such as peer reviews and critiques. Developing methods for self-serve Additionally developing detailed research playbooks helps align application of methods. Impact has been stronger approach to research and clearer outcomes are define on why research was done and how insights contribute to our user experience.
19. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA UX Research repositories are rare Only a few companies have a robust, fully working research repo in place, although most others mentioned it as an area for investigation. Maintaining a repo is a time-costly exercise though, prompting many conversations about relative value. LEARNING
20. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA REA opportunities UX RESEARCH REPOSITORIES ARE RARE Little engagement Although there were previous efforts in developing are research register, REA did not have much engagement and little alignment to centralise it. Mixed storage Past research were store differently in Wikis and tools such as Trello. This hides and limits access to people looking for past research. Ask Research team The research team still holds on most of the IP and context of past research projects. This is another overhead and increase risks to our IP.
21. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA How we are doing it UX RESEARCH REPOSITORIES ARE RARE Defining needs A centralised research repository is required by our teams, so we have been progressively tracking types requests and working with other insight teams to consolidate. Trialing repository options Starting late last year, we have been investigating specialised tools such as EnjoyHQ to progressively test and learn if a repository is beneficial with the right amount of effort factored in. Integrating it into our process We are still challenged by integrating this into our research process, defining taxonomy and how others can access it.
22. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA Governance is a full time job The more research processes and quality assurance checks put in place, the more need for a dedicated person to oversee this approach emerges. It is clear many of these ‘Ops’ tasks are currently performed by UX Researchers and distracting them from conducting ‘real research’. LEARNING
23. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA REA opportunities GOVERNANCE IS A FULL TIME JOB Minimal process There was a lack of process recognised in our design community and research had struggled to manage consistencies in the past. Recruitment challenge Recruitment for our customers (property agency roles) is often difficult and time-consuming. Time for Ops ResearchOps is a critical role that is time consuming. Key activities such as process improvement had been reduced due lack of capacity.
24. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA How we are doing it GOVERNANCE IS A FULL TIME JOB Defining a brief Ensure a Research Brief is completed to kick off each UX Research request. Commonly a request for research is initiated by the designer/PM by completing a research brief, then ‘rounded out’ with a researcher/research manager. Improving recruitment Improving our recruitment approach, helps us consider other regions and remotely connect with specific participants. Additionally, collaborating with our sales and account management teams helps increase access and we are developing a customer panel. Planning Ops Specifically planning for ResearchOps activities have made it achievable and progressively improve our research framework.
25. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA Mobile-first research is on the rise In line with usage trends, most companies are taking a mobile-first approach to their usability testing, and in some cases a mobile-only research. This focus necessarily changes the way teams and designers think about their roadmaps and prototypes. LEARNING
26. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA REA opportunities MOBILE-FIRST RESEARCH IS ON THE RISE Desktop focused Designers had been focused on desktop designs and have not done a mobile benchmark for a long period. Market changes In the past few years, mobile visits now account for more than half of our consumer audience. Available tools Although there were a number of tools and apps available, we need to define the best set up and repeatable for others to use as well.
27. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA How we are doing it MOBILE-FIRST RESEARCH IS ON THE RISE Benchmarking Our research team kicked off mobile experience benchmarking mid-2019 to baseline usability and task completion. We have seen increased focus based on research findings across our native and responsive platforms. Focusing mobile-first Collaborating across our product design teams, almost all our designs are mobile first. Our concept research have been trending towards mobile designs as well. Standardising tools Establishing a consistent set up was simple and as we support the roll-out, more designers can set this up themselves moving forward.
28. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA Strategic Prioritisation Approach & Partnerships Most teams we spoke to were regularly forced to make hard calls about what to work on. UXR requests prioritised via company strategy, product roadmap, and business priorities ensuring strategically important initiatives have the right research focus. Beyond the standard request-for-service model, many teams are moving towards a more proactive approach that empowers researchers to take more ownership of their program of work. LEARNING
29. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA REA opportunities STRATEGIC PRIORITISATION APPROACH & PARTNERSHIPS Good direction We benefitted as an organisation that has a very clear purpose by how we are changing the way the world experiences property. Strategic priorities We have clear strategic priorities in three key pillars on property advertising, lifestyle and financial services and global. Research alignment UX Research area was not immediately clear how we align to these strategies and the way we prioritise our work.
30. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA How we are doing it STRATEGIC PRIORITISATION APPROACH & PARTNERSHIPS Aligning to strategy Focusing on the key prioritised strategies across our product areas, we now plan accordingly with managed demand and capacity. Growing our team In order to establish UX research as a core capability, we have started increasing our team size to better meet growing demands. Building partnership We look to start establishing business partnerships with dedicated researchers into specific product areas, especially where significant priority and investment has taken place.
31. Takeaways One-way mirror is gone More remote research UX Researchers empower others Set standards and consistent methods UX Research repositories are rare Define needs and consolidate into central access Governance is a full-time job Operationalise key processes paired with quality rituals Mobile-first research is on the rise Drive research priority to mobile experience Strategic Prioritisation Approach & Partnerships Align to org strategies to grow with key partnerships
32. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA Establishing Research Ops
33. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA How we are establishing ResearchOps Being more strategic • Establish research strategy with ReOps perspectives • Prioritise uplift that aligns to key goals • Enable insights to shape strategic outcomes Consistent approaches • Iterate on research standards and governance • Provide templates - Research briefs, reporting and more • Ritualise feedback such as retros, peer reviews and critiques Enabling better research for all • Coaching individuals and upskill groups • Establishing Research Playbooks • Regular research training and events • Contributing to our REA University
34. Operationalising and scaling UX Research at REA Thanks to our research & support crew Remya Ramesh Cameron Rogers Daniel Ng Senior Digital Designer Chris Murgatoroyd Head of Design
35. Thank You! Q&A BTW, we are hiring!