User Research Process.
What do we mean by the 'user research process'?
The user research process aims to uncover the barriers or frustrations people face as they interact with products and services. The user research process focuses on understanding user behaviours, motivations and needs through various techniques such as direct observation, surveys, testing, interviews, analytics, etc. User research is beneficial throughout all stages of the product or service design process. User research should be embedded in all phases of the design thinking process and as early as possible! Test early and often for the biggest return on investment.
Typical steps in the process.
No matter what the project, there are some steps that should be carried out (wherever business constraints allow):
âš¡Identifying the need for the research
âš¡Schedule a kick-off meeting with key stakeholder(s)
âš¡Collect all the information you need to create a research brief document
âš¡Send the brief to stakeholders to ensure alignment on:
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research goals
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objectives
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sampling
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approach
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timelines
âš¡Create research strategy
âš¡Recruit participants
âš¡Pilot your research (if appropriate)
âš¡Conduct your research
âš¡Analyse and synthesise findings
âš¡Deliver your findings and insights
âš¡Review any lessons learned
To carry out the above steps, there are various approaches and methods that can be employed depending on where you're at in the process, what you're trying to find out, and what is feasible.
These steps should be followed throughout all phases of design and development wherever possible:
Pre-discovery phase.
Often, this phase is not conducted due to time constraints but it is valuable for laying the foundation for an effective discovery phase. It's a false economy to skip the pre-discovery phase.
This stage should be highly collaborative, with the User Researcher working with the entire project team to progress through the following steps:
âš¡Prepare questions to ask key stakeholders during the project 'kick-off' meeting
âš¡If possible, conduct a content audit, review the competitive landscape, and complete an initial heuristic analysis
âš¡Research the company and stakeholders that the project is for
âš¡Learn about project contributors and their teams, the company's vision, and any other perspectives that might inform the project
âš¡Learn about key decision-makers (at the company and for the project)
âš¡Create a stakeholder map showing the relationships and hierarchy of decision-makers who will need sign-off for all key project milestones and strategy decisions
Discovery phase.
User research in the discovery phase seeks to understand:
âš¡Who likely users are and what their goals and motivations are
âš¡How they achieve their goals currently (e.g. what services, tools or workarounds they use)
âš¡The problems, frustrations, barriers and pain points they experience
âš¡What people need from your product or service to achieve their goal
The above should be done before the strategy, design or development work is started. What you learn in the discovery phase will allow you to scope your service.
Alpha phase.
User research in the alpha phase helps to:
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âš¡Learn how to build or improve your product or service so that it allows people to achieve their goal in the most efficient way possible
âš¡Test different design ideas and prototypes with people who are likely to use the product or service
âš¡Improve the team’s understanding of users and their needs in relation to a specific product or service
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Beta phase.
In the beta phase, user research seeks to:
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⚡Reveal and resolve any usability and accessibility issues ​
âš¡Test the developing product or service with real users to ensure it meets (and where possible, exceeds) their needs
Live phase.
During the live phase, user research helps the project team to:
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âš¡Learn about evolving user needs
âš¡Understand people’s experience of using a product or service
âš¡Test new features, functionality, updates or improvements to the product or service