Data + Empathy

How to do user research to build a better experience.

1. Why do user research

1. How to do good research

1. How to turn insights into action

Data tells you what is happening.- What are they doing?- Which users are taking them?- How many and often?

User research can tell you why.- What is their motivation?- What were their expectations?- What were the biggest barriers?

What is user research?

We do user research to build empathy and get to insights.

Why empathy?

Empathy changes your brain.

Empathy helps us gain intuition for our customers.

Why insights?

Problem reported by customers directly via

Slack

PM sees a pattern in analytics, follows up with customers to investigate

Product feedback summary sent by success

team

Marketing interviews sales to find out customer

sentiment

Team observes customers on site

Design reaches out to user test a solution with

customers

Insights help us

- Gain clarity - Think about a problem differently - Align x-functional teams

Myths, busted...

- There is a right way to do research.- Adding research means adding time.

Research “how tos”

3 things to do before you start

1. Define goal & questions2. Define your audience3. Define your methods

1. Defining your goalResearch goal- Why are you doing this?

Research questions- What do you want answered by the end ?

Research Planning

2. Defining your audienceConsider the following criteria

1. Demographics and firmographicsExample: developer at a startup vs. CIO at enterprise

2. ContextExample: first time visitor to Segment website or non-customer

3. BehaviorsExample: customers who have visited the catalog 5+ times

Research Planning

3. Defining your methods

Research Planning

Method: Interviews1:1 interviews asking customers questions via a discussion guide.

Qualitative x Attitudinal

Great for

- Hearing customer stories- Understanding why - Understanding mental model- Getting their input

Pro-tip: The 5 whys, even if you think you know the answer.

Research Methods

Example use cases:

Understanding the biggest challenges of being an Enterprise

Understanding how people think about their audiences

Understanding the biggest gaps in tracking plan functionality

Method: Observation1:1 sessions with customers observing a specific task.

Qualitative x Behavioral

Great for

- Building empathy for the problem- Understanding workarounds- Understanding usability

Pro-tip: Ask permission for photos and screenshots! Having that documentation can be valuable down the line.

Research Methods

Example use cases:

Understanding what’s broken in our connections workflow

Understanding what consideration looks like on segment.com

Understanding the biggest barriers partners have when building integrations

Method: Concept testingA structured exercise with prototypes or cards to represent multiple concepts.

Qualitative x Attitudinal

Great for

- Low fidelity feedback- Comparing pros and cons of

different directions- Evaluating value of new features

Pro-tip: design your concepts for your test, not the other way around.

Research Methods

Example use cases:

Understanding which Personas features do Enterprise customers care about

Understanding how people pick their package on our website.

Understanding the biggest barriers partners have when building integrations

Create a research plan and share with team & stakeholders

Capture the intangibles

Turning insights into action

So you talked to customers. Now what?

Time to synthesize!

Synthesis helps us

- Spend time talking about the problem- Look for patterns- Get to insights & opportunity areas- Align as a team

How to get started?

DebriefCustomer by customerResearch questions

Look for insights

Understand the journey

Prioritizeproblems

But how to translate that into action?

Start with opportunity areas

How might we...

Insight

Planning the commute is just as painful as the commute itself.

Opportunity

How might we provide commuters with flexible transit options that require minimal planning and commitment?

Example

In an ideal world...

Customer problems

Before I got to bed, I have to check my calendar and the train schedule.

In the morning I check traffic to see if I should drive instead.

If i am running late and miss my train, I have to make a new plan from scratch.

Opportunity

In an ideal world, I can make it to my end destination without making a single decision.

Example

Go broad on solutions

How might we provide commuters with flexible transit options that require minimal planning and commitment?

Solution #1: Personal chauffeur

Solution #2: On-demand scooter drop

Solution #3: “No commute” benefit

...and more

EXAMPLE

Narrowbased on the right criteria

Impact to customer x Can solve with current functionalityImpact to customer x Solves for manyImpact to customer x Increases deal size

Summing it up

Data tells you what is happening.- What are they doing?- Which users are taking them?- How many and often?

User research can tell you why.- What is their motivation?- What were their expectations?- What were the biggest barriers?

1. Try different research methods to look at the problem from different angles.

1. Synthesize the patterns and look for true insight.

1. Turn your insights into action by framing the opportunity areas.