User research is a key component to a successful project: whether its communication project, a new product or service, or even a new business model. Validating that your customers, partners, and employees understand your offering before launching can avoid costly mistakes and help to steer your design team towards the right solution.
But, a lot of companies avoid research because they are afraid that it’s too expensive, time-consuming, or just “not worth it.” Other companies do invest in research, but select the wrong methodology and get skewed results.
A few weeks ago, we told you about a framework that we use to organize over 20 user research methodologies. This framework helps us to select the right research tool for the situation. In the framework, we’ve mapped each method along two axes: user awareness and research gathering strategy.
Today, I want to tell you about the five methods in our first grouping of methodologies: Tell Me. These methods are best used for gathering information quickly and directly. Use caution with these methods, since what people say and what they do are often quite different.
1. Survey or Questionnaire
Prepare a web-based or paper survey and distribute to participants from your target audience. Word questions carefully to avoid leading or confusing the user, and interpret the results knowing that what people say they do and what they do are often quite different. Recognize the limits of questionnaires to provide any in-depth understanding behind the responses.
2. Focus Group
Bring together a small group of carefully selected participants to discuss a certain set of topics relevant to your concept. A facilitator should keep the group on topic and ensure that everyone contributes to the discussion.
3. Interview
Prepare a set of questions targeted to your concept, and ask users in a face-to-face setting.
It is useful to have two researchers per interview session, so one can guide the discussion, and the other can take detailed notes.
4. Knowledge Mining
Leverage the experience of people who are uniquely qualified to offer insights—early adopters, power users, wizened veterans. Draw out their knowledge in surveys, focus groups, interviews, or brainstorming sessions.
5. Guided Storytelling
In this interview technique, ask the participant to walk you through a real-life scenario pertaining to your concept. Guided Storytelling questions often begin, “Tell me about the last time you…” Capture unique or rich language as they tell the story.
Each of these methods is easy to administer– and you may only need to test a few subjects to gain meaningful insight. But for these to be effective, the research team must clear and specific about what they want to know and take time to craft questions or prompts that keep the test subject on target.
Check back in two weeks to hear more about the next grouping of methodologies, Show Me.