Why is user research important? Why, specifically, is field research important? What are some types of field research? How does one conduct field research? How do you report findings? (Find out here!)

1. Field Research
for User Experience
Introduction to
User Experience Methods
Danielle Gobert Cooley
@dgcooley
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2. About me
• 12 years as user researcher/usability specialist
• BE, Biomedical & Electrical Engineering
• MS, Human Factors in Information Design
• Selected Employers & Clients
danielle@dgcooley.com
@dgcooley
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3. About User Research Techniques
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4. Please Remember
The purpose of these techniques is to
inform your design.
They are not validation methods.
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5. Let Me Repeat That
The purpose of these techniques is to
inform your design.
They are not validation methods.
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6. You Are Not Your User
YOU
NOT
YOU
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7. You Don’t Want to End Up With This
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8. Why Field Research?
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9. Types of User Research
• Field Studies
• Usability Testing
• Surveys
• Focus Groups
• Card Sorting
• Tree Testing
• Journaling
• Analytics Analysis
• A/B Testing
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10. Does your lab look like this?
2 clocks
fun desk toys
3 terminals
http://www.rohdesign.com/weblog/archives/000516.html
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11. Or this?
-baby rattle
annoying -gerbera daisy
closet seeds
door -1.5L water
bare
bottle
walls
Inconveniently
-located trash
can
annoying
annoying keyboard tray
printer in
desk door dining chair
cabinet
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12. Or this?
family photos
feather boa
PC
three coffee cups
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13. Or this?
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14. Field Research vs. Other Methods
Easy to
Qualitative Quantitative Inexpensive Observational Contextual
Implement
     
Focus ?
Groups
Surveys
     
Usability
Testing      
     
?
Journaling
Field
Studies      
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15. Types of Field Research
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16. Formal Contextual Inquiry
• Part 1 – The conventional 1998
interview
• Part 2 – The transition
2005
• Part 3 – The contextual
interview proper
• Part 4 – The wrap-up
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17. Remote Contextual Inquiry
http://miupa.org/events/how-remote-contextual-inquiry-got-us-up-close-with-users/
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/remote_contextual_inquiry_a_technique_to_improve_enterprise_software
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18. On-Site Usability Testing
• Conducted at
participant’s
workstation
• Provides some
environmental
context
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19. Conducting Field Research
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20. The Usual Rules Apply
• Get written
consent for
anything you
do
• Ask open-
ended
questions
• Minimize bias
• Build trust
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21. Practical Challenges
• Scheduling issues
• Productivity concerns from
management
• Site security
• Rules about photos and videos
• Getting there
• Considerable additional
pre-planning required
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22. Collect Artifacts
Take photos.
Make copies.
Record videos.
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23. Analyzing Results
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24. There Will Be Notes.
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25. There will be a LOT of notes.
Notes collected
during one hour of
observation.
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26. Start Visualizing Findings
Work (14)
Distractions (19)
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27. Reporting Findings
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28. The Usual Rules Apply
• Provide a concise summary.
• Explain your methodology.
• Share both positive & negative findings.
• Provide visual explanations whenever possible.
• Protect your participants’ anonymity.
• Include your artifacts!
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29. Include Artifacts
“Cheat sheet” of mainframe
codes. The Financial Assistants
“rarely use” the systemand
need a reference when dealing
with the home office. (B22)
One Financial Consultant kept an
extensive list of home office
personnel he had spoken to about
various matters. Each folder
includes people’s names, their
extension, and comments about
how helpful or unhelpful they were
when the FC spoke with them. (B8)
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30. Include Artifacts
The Financial Consultants, particularly those in Manhattan, care about
projecting an image of absolute excellence. Clients visiting one office
(B25) are seated in a specific location so they can see… … any hustle and
bustle in the office
…that, no to convey that
matter what, we’re busily
the market working on
goes up. earning people
money.
… the FC’s
many
diplomas,
certifications,
and honors.
… an organized set of
files containing the
necessary forms for
various products.
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31. Include Artifacts (e.g., Workflow Processes)
The follow-up process for problem (HO3)
accounts/issues is very cumbersome and
paper-intensive. There isn't an efficient
systematic process for reconciling issues.
The current process relies on the <company>
resource to "remember" to go through these
folders with some frequency, send follow-up
wires (which may or may not be
acknowledged in a timely manner), and try
to reconcile the issue.
Note the names on the folders: Two items in the far background:
•Pending OK to Trades (Accts in date read •MGR Index - This hardcopy of about 50+
order, need them by Acct # order) pages is held together by a binder clip
and contains information/instructions
•*IMPORTANT* Daily Immediate Follow Up
from the corporate intranet, along with
•Need Sign-off from Money Manager (Accts in personal emails and other artifacts on how to
date read order, need them by Acct # order) handle certain situations. The emails and
artifacts are peppered with hand-written
•Problem Follow up
notes.
•Select Advisor Account Checklist
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32. Include Artifacts
3 different teams showed us
their homemade instructions
or checklists for setting up
fee-based accounts.
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33. Include Artifacts
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34. Explain Things Visually
YAY! A
book!
Loved
it!
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35. Leave Here Knowing That…
• …you are not your user.
• …what users do is very different from what they
say they do.
• …people don’t work the way they “should.”
• …context is HUGELY important in people’s work.
• …YOU can do field research!
(And it’s fun!)
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36. Additional Resources
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37. Questions? Ask Me!
danielle@dgcooley.com
@dgcooley
linkedin.com/in/dgcooley
dgcooley.com
http://edUiFieldResearch.notlong.com/
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