My colleagues in Ensembl asked me to give a talk on user research. There were a couple of questions they wanted to answer but I also made the point that it is worth taking the time to dig beneath the surface to get to the root of problems. In doing so, whole teams can gain insight and empathy for all those users out there.
- 1. User research: the gentle art of not asking users what they
wantUser research The gentle art of not asking users what they want
Francis Rowland User experience designerEMBL-EBIMonday, 4 March
2013
2. User research: the gentle art of not asking users what they
wantSo... who is this guy exactly? User experience designer at
EMBL-EBI Background in web design Distant background in
environmental science Organiser for EBI Interfaces and Cambridge
Usability Group I try to help people identify and describe [design]
problems, connect with users, and deliver useful, usable services
Day-to-day, I do a lot of sketching and prototypingMonday, 4 March
2013 3. User research: the gentle art of not asking users what they
wantMonday, 4 March 2013 4. User research: the gentle art of not
asking users what they want If I had asked people what they wanted,
they would have said faster horses. - attributed to Henry Ford (who
may have never said this*) *
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/08/henry_ford_never_said_the_fast.htmlMonday,
4 March 2013 5. User research: the gentle art of not asking users
what they wantMonday, 4 March 2013 6. User research: the gentle art
of not asking users what they wantThe trouble with marketresearch
is that peopledont think how they feel,they dont say what theythink
and they dont dowhat they say. David Ogilvy (might have said
this...*)
http://www.foolproof.co.uk/three-old-chestnuts-cracked/Monday, 4
March 2013 7. User research: the gentle art of not asking users
what they want So why bother with user research? curiosity ->
insights -> empathy Talking to users will help you learn more
about activities goals pain points opportunities Validate that the
problem you are solving actually exists ... [and remember] the user
is giving you data, not an expert opinion - Elaine WherryMonday, 4
March 2013 8. User research: the gentle art of not asking users
what they want Not this kind of empathy...Deanna Troi, Star Trek
empathMonday, 4 March 2013 9. User research: the gentle art of not
asking users what they want So why bother with user research?
curiosity -> insights -> empathy Talking to users will help
you learn more about activities goals pain points opportunities
Validate that the problem you are solving actually exists ... [and
remember] the user is giving you data, not an expert opinion -
Elaine WherryMonday, 4 March 2013 10. User research: the gentle art
of not asking users what they wantWhy are you doing the research?
Set out goals before you arrange user research What do knowledge
gaps are you trying to fill? Who are you going to report the
research to? How will you act on this? Whats next? Test
hypothesesMonday, 4 March 2013 11. User research: the gentle art of
not asking users what they wantBe prepared to dig... WHY?Monday, 4
March 2013 12. User research: the gentle art of not asking users
what they wantLong term user research Mine your data!log
analysishelpdesk tickets Diary studies Fly-on-the-wall
Fly-on-the-wall:
http://ebiinterfaces.wordpress.com/2011/06/19/science-stories-and-better-design/Monday,
4 March 2013 13. User research: the gentle art of not asking users
what they wantShort term user researchInterviewsSurveysFocus
groupsParticipatory designUsability testingMonday, 4 March 2013 14.
User research: the gentle art of not asking users what they want
How do you know when youve done enough? Look back to your research
goalsDid you answer your questions?Monday, 4 March 2013 15. User
research: the gentle art of not asking users what they want How do
you know when youve done enough? Look back to your research
goalsDid you answer your questions? A note on usability testing
Using small numbers of participants [in usability testing] is
acceptable because were hunting for usability issues. When you try
to extend the purpose of your test its not possible to rely on such
a small number of participants. - Dave HamillMonday, 4 March 2013
16. User research: the gentle art of not asking users what they
want Only users? What are your competitors doing? Information from
related projects? Idea generation might just start at
home...Monday, 4 March 2013 17. User research: the gentle art of
not asking users what they want Reporting back:
in-reachSynthesising meaning from research
resultsStorytellingPictures; videoPull quotes &
annotationsPersonas & scenariosActivity diagramsMonday, 4 March
2013 18. User research: the gentle art of not asking users what
they wantThank you Any questions? Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @francisrowland If youre interested in learning more, come
and talk to me, havea look at upcoming Cambridge Usability Group
events [1] and the BCS East Anglia event [2] on March 7, 2013 [1]
http://lanyrd.com/profile/camusability/ [2]
http://bcs-paul-jervis-talk.eventbrite.co.uk/Monday, 4 March
2013
