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USING DATA TO INFORM DESIGN
Akhilesh Pant and Jessica DeJong | October 16, 2015 | LMA Tech
@jessdejongOne North Interactive
Art Director
@pant_akOne North Interactive
Strategist
Jessica DeJong Akhilesh Pant
What We’ll Cover Today1. Why you should care about user research
2. Which inquiry methods are most useful to law firms
3. How to gather and analyze data for a range of budgets
4. How to implement that data in a truly innovative solution
5. How to convince your stakeholders to let you try something completely new
What We’ll Cover Today6. And the burning question on everyone’s minds …
How much longer until lunch?
Disclaimers
• We are talking about a mindset shift
• Any research is better than none
• All cat gifs are solely Jessica’s doing
Why Are We Here?
Understanding our users has never been more important.• The legal industry is rapidly evolving.
• Legal marketing needs are rapidly changing.
• Audiences are expanding.
• But this is all we really know.
The Old Way
Assumptions Solution
Common Misconception
Assumptions Existing Data Solution
Optimal Way
HypothesesAudience-Specific
DataIntuitionExisting
Data Solution
What might this look like?
Example: MassMutual
Existing Data: Large majority of life insurance buyers are between 50 and 60.
Challenge: Getting healthy 40-year-olds to buy life insurance.
Example: MassMutual
Research Insight: Members of the target population seem to broadly fall into two categories: 1) financially foresighted, 2) not.
Intuition: We cannot market life insurance to healthy 40-year-olds who are simply not financially foresighted. But we can market financial foresightedness itself.
Example: MassMutual
Solution: An unbranded, comprehensive personal finance education program (Society for Grownups) targeted at this age group.
What do you mean … “user research?”
Let’s look at a simple, non-digital example
If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses. — NOT Henry Ford
A lot of times, people don’t know what you want until you show it to them. — Steve Jobs
Ford & Innovation
“Ford’s adherence to his vision of the mass-market car was instrumental in both his early success … as well as his later failure to respond to rapid innovation in the marketplace.”
-Harvard Business Review, August 2011
Apple
Apple does doesn’t do market research, but they do conduct contextual user research.
Apple
Additionally, they have a deeply embedded culture of UX that maintains a clear focus on users and design.
Market vs. User Research
The stories of Ford & Apple highlight the difference between market research and user research, as well as the importance of using an iterative approach and fostering a culture of design.
Data vs Intuition
Not everything that matters can be measured, and not everything that is measured matters. — Elliot Eisner
Role of Intuition“Data has a way of turning a suspicion into a verifiable fact.”
-Nishant Kothary, A List Apart 2015
Data vs Intuition
Data and Intuition
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
But why should we care about UX research?
Market differentiation is dependent on innovation.
Innovation requires abandonment of comfort, but not reason.— AKHILESH PANT, PHILOSOPHER
What we aren’t saying
We’re not asking you to do anything ridiculous, like …
Scratch-n-Sniff Websites
Virtual reality office tours
… yet.
Or something even more absurd, like …
Or something even more absurd, like …
Removing awards from attorney bios
Let’s Dive In
Research Validates Assumptions
User Goals Brand & Marketing Goals
Digital Presence
When Research Can Help
Meet the FirmBaker, Little, Atkins & Hill
AnnChief Marketing Officer
Ann’s Stakeholders
GaryManaging Partner
“Our users aren’t millennials.
They don’t scroll.”
Our first reaction
OH YES THEY DO!
Solution: Research
We aren’t criticizing Gary. We love Gary.
But digital marketing and design are constantly changing and legal marketing should keep up.
Our job is to keep Gary (and ourselves!) educated by constantly researching our users.
So who is right?
Neither
We’re both wrong.
Data allowed us to understand the nuanced nature of the “scroll issue” – it’s much more than “everybody scrolls” and “nobody scrolls.”
It’s about engagement.
…and we still may be wrong
Secondary research showed us what general user behaviors are, but we still aren’t sure about law-firm website audiences.
This is where more targeted research can help.
Part of using research means accepting that we may be wrong.
What if we could…
Observe scroll behavior in task-based interviews with client representatives?
and / or
Test engagement on short and long versions of a page that are running simultaneously?
Can I actually do this?
How much does it really cost?
We admit: large-scale user research and testing can be expensive and time intensive.
But there is some good news. It’s nothing like market research; you can start small.
Any amount of research is better than nothing.
Usability Studies: 5-8 people
Source: NielsenNorman Group
To Summarize:
Yes. You can and should be doing user research.
User Research 101
A quick note
The recommendations that follow are specific to legal marketing.
There are a ton of inquiry methods available, but we’ve curated the list to the ones that make the most sense for the legal industry based on our experience in this space.
Types of Research
• Primary vs. Secondary
• Qualitative vs. Quantitative
• Behavioral vs. Attitudinal
• Direct vs. Indirect
User research landscapeBEHAVIORAL
Eye-tracking
Usability Testing
Ethnographic Field Studies
Web Analytics
A / B Testing
Concept Testing
Diary / Camera StudiesCustomer Feedback
Card Sorting
Desirability Studies
Intercept Surveys
Email Surveys
Co-creation exercises
Focus Group
Interviews
QUANTITATIVE
ATTITUDINAL
QUALITATIVE
User research landscapeHIGH VALUE
Eye-tracking
Usability Testing
Ethnographic Field Studies
Web Analytics
A / B Testing
Concept Testing
Diary / Camera Studies
Customer Feedback
Card Sorting
Desirability StudiesIntercept Surveys
Email Surveys
Co-creation exercisesFocus Group
Interviews
LOW COST
LOW VALUE
HIGH COST
Methods
75
User InquiryUsability TestingValidation
76
Email Surveys
Example
Ann’s team sends out a 10-question survey to a strategic set of 200 clients from their CRM system.
Questions are targeted at professional research, firm evaluation and web usage habits.
Email Surveys
Data Gathered
The team is able to analyze a set of (mostly) quantitative data and determine general correlations and hypotheses to test using interviews.
Internal Interviews
Example
Researchers from Ann’s agency of choice (or even a member of the Marketing team) talk to Gary for 45 minutes.
Internal Interviews
Data Gathered
Gary lays out his vision for the firm, the firm’s history, how he uses the firm’s digital properties.
Internal Interviews
Other candidates:• Practice leader
• “Rising star”
• Recent hire
• Recruitment representative
External Interviews
Example
Researcher holds a brief (30-45 minute) conversation with the General Counsel of Initech, one of BLAH’s clients.
External Interviews Data Gathered
• Client’s web and device usage habits
• How they research and evaluate firms
• What content they find most useful (i.e. persuasive)
• Characteristics of their ideal firm – the way such a firm “makes them feel”
External Interviews
Other candidates:• C-Suite
• General Counsel
• Procurement department representative
• Entrepreneur or small business owner
• Head of HR (Labor & Employment issues)
User InquiryUsability TestingValidation
85
Usability Testing
Example
Having gathered insights from basic user inquiry, the team develops an initial prototype.
They recruit another small group of users and ask them to perform tasks on the prototype while speaking aloud about their thought process.
Usability Testing
Data Gathered
The “think-aloud” process allows the team to identify major pain points preventing users from completing basic tasks. It also reveals what is working as intended, and what may even be working better than intended.
User InquiryUsability TestingValidation
88
Web Analytics
Example
Using a research-backed testing plan, the development team tags all major “events” on the site for measurement.
Web Analytics
Data Gathered
The team tracks informed “micro-conversions” to measure site performance, rather than relying on generic indicators (e.g. general traffic, bounce rates).
After 3 months, they identify a number of underperforming elements and pages.
A/B Testing
Example
They design and implement a “version B” of each underperforming element and have 50% of users interact with it, while the remaining 50% see the original version (A).
A/B Testing
Data Gathered
After a month, they measure performance of version A vs. B and implement the “winner” 100% of the time.
That is, till the next innovation cycle!
Bringing Them Together
Bringing them together
We just took you through a single hypothetical scenario, from Inquiry to Validation.
But this process should be repeated as often as possible.
Quantitative Analysis
User Inquiry
DESIGNAnalysis
Inquiry
DESIGN
DESIGN RESEARCHPROCESS
Research Synthesis
Research Outcomes
• Themes
• Personas
• Content Touchpoints
Now …Develop the Solution
Convincing Stakeholders
Identify ChallengeOutline MethodsPresent FindingsShow the Connection
100
Identify ChallengeOutline MethodsPresent FindingsShow the Connection
101
Identify ChallengeOutline MethodsPresent FindingsShow the Connection
102
Identify ChallengeOutline MethodsPresent FindingsShow the Connection
103
What might this look like for BLAH Law?
Challenge 1:
Thought LeadershipMethods Used: Surveys, Interviews, Analytics
Hypothesis: Short-form thought leadership receives higher engagement.
Insight(s) Gathered: Short-form content performed better on mobile devices but long-form thought leadership performed better on desktop.
Solution: Add a “X min to read” indicator at the top of all thought leadership content
Challenge 2:
Social MediaMethods Used: Internal & External Interviews
Hypothesis: Curating content from external sources will drive social media engagement.
Insight(s) Gathered: When curated content is posted on a company page, engagement is not affected significantly.
Solution: Encourage Partners to curate and post relevant articles on their personal social media profiles.
Challenge 3:
Homepage RedesignMethods Used: Usability tests, A/B test
Hypothesis: Users will scroll to the bottom of the homepage if the design indicates there is more content “below the fold”.
Insight(s) Gathered: In our A/B test, 52% of users scrolled to the bottom on option A and 86% of users scrolled to the bottom of the homepage on option B.
Solution: Use option B with the clear “Scroll for More” call-to-action.
So, what should I do next?
Embrace design thinking
Use targeted research to produce powerful data
…and use that data as a rhetorical tool
Design Thinking
We’re talking about more than just testing usability and understanding your users.
We’re advocating for shifting the way you think about your users and digital efforts.
Recommended Approach
Define Design Develop
Plan
Discover
• Interviews• Contextual Inquiry• Ethnographic Field Studies• Secondary Research
Deploy
Optimize
• Heuristic Evaluation• Usability Testing• A/B Testing• Surveys
In Summary
Design has to work, art does not.— Donald Judd
“All service which a [person] can perform for humanity must serve to promote truth.”— Franz Boas
Thank You!
Thank You!