Set of slides that were presented internally for the UX Team in Stockholm.

1. This thing called
Customer Research
Christopher McCann
Wednesday 23 July 14

2. “Designing without research is like getting into a taxi and
just saying, ‘Drive’”
- Nate Bolt, Design Research Facebook
Why Customer Research?
Wednesday 23 July 14

3. Why Customer Research?
“Insights about your customers or users were never
discovered sitting at your fucking couch”.
- Will Evans
Wednesday 23 July 14

4. Repeat after me…Repeat after me….
“You are not the user”
The tendency to believe that everyone uses technology
the same way you do. Andrea Glusman
Malkovich Bias
Wednesday 23 July 14

5. Insight Graph
Source: Norman, Landauer 2000
Will Evans
Insights
People
0
12$
Lots$
People&
Insights&
zero&users&give&zero&insights&
Wednesday 23 July 14

6. Types of Customer
Research
1. Optimization
2. Product Development
3. Strategic Product Direction 1. Strategic Product
Direction
'Validate your convictions'
2. Product
Development
'Expose user to hypothesis designs'
3. Optimization
'Refine the design'
• In-person interviews
• Observational Walkthroughs
• Diary Studies
• Storyboard Feedback
• Prototype Validation
• Scenario Testing
• Usability testing - pre
release
• Live testing - post release
• A/B Testing
Qualitative
Quantiative
Wednesday 23 July 14

7. How do I do this ?
Identify who you are researching
Develop the ‘Hunt Question’
Map out the your conversation
Prepare
Photo:The Royal Tenebaums
Wednesday 23 July 14

8. The Hunt Question
I am going to research X, so I can do Y
X is often an activity,Y is usually a project goal or
specific area / feature.
Purpose for this piece of research
Source: Design for Interaction: Design Research – D. SafferPhoto:The Talented Mr. Fox
Wednesday 23 July 14

9. Practical Guidelines
• Prepare well
• Try to interview with 2 persons - one persons facilitates.
• Record entire conversation.
• Interview in their natural environment.
• Document the persons and environment.
Wednesday 23 July 14

10. Shut up. Listen
Wednesday 23 July 14

11. Do’s and Don’ts
‘He who knows, does not speak. He who speaks does not know’ – Lau Tzu
• Smile
• Provide context to questions
• Ask open questions - converse
• Avoid asking people opinions on ‘imaginary’ a design.
• Watch what people do more then what they say.
• Don’t talk about yourself
Wednesday 23 July 14

12. Analysis
“We tend to project our own rationalizations
and beliefs onto the actions and beliefs of
others”
- Don Norman
Wednesday 23 July 14

13. Common Biases
• Confirmation Bias
• Observer-expectancy Effect
• Primacy and Recency Bias
Wednesday 23 July 14

14. Confirmation Bias
Your tendency to search for or interpret information in
a way that confirms your preconceptions or hypotheses.
Don’t test your own designs.
Use a script and stick to it.
Review script to avoid bias questions /
language with rest of team.
Wednesday 23 July 14

15. Observer - Expectancy
When you expect a given result from your research
which makes you unconsciously manipulate your
experiments to give you that result
Develop research procedure as together as a team
Wednesday 23 July 14

16. Primacy Recency
Bias
The tendency to weigh the first (primacy) or more
recent information (recency-your very last interview)
more heavily.
Define sample size or participants.
Make a interview plan and stick to it.
Resist urge to stop when results become similar.
Wednesday 23 July 14

17. Analysis
‘Always pass on what you have learned’
- Yoda
Wednesday 23 July 14

18. Research Debrief
Not a conclusion but a springboard for action.
Your research findings must connect with the product design process.
What the team learns from the research must effect change to ...
• The design or system
• The process
• The way the team views the users.
Get the team to discuss what should happen next.
Wednesday 23 July 14