3. Research

Once you have defined your product statement and aligned it with your team, and created personas based on your assumptions or initial insights, the next step is to conduct research. Research is the process by which you validate whether the problem you’ve identified is real, and if the personas you’ve created genuinely represent users who experience that problem. This document will outline different research methods, approaches, and the role of empathy in product research.

Types of Data Collection

There are two primary ways to collect data: qualitative and quantitative methods. Each serves different purposes and provides different kinds of insights.

• Qualitative data is about understanding people's attitudes and behaviors through direct interaction, like interviews or observations. It's more subjective and provides deep insights into why users behave the way they do.
• Quantitative data is gathered indirectly, often through large-scale methods like A/B testing or surveys. This type of data is numerical and used to confirm patterns on a broader scale.

Approaches to Research

When collecting data, there are two key approaches:

• Attitudinal: This focuses on what users say they do. It often involves interviews or surveys where users share their thoughts and feelings about a product or process.
• Behavioral: This focuses on what users actually do, typically observed through user testing, watching users interact with a product, or studying their actions in real-time.

The key to successful research is approaching it with a beginner's mindset. While you may have assumptions or ideas about the problem or the user, it is crucial to set aside these preconceptions and approach the research with an open mind. This reduces confirmation bias, where researchers only seek information that validates their beliefs.

Exploring the Problem

Before diving into usability testing, it's important to first explore the problem. This process helps generate empathy with users, allowing you to see the world from their perspective. The goal of problem exploration is to understand users’ real pain points and identify opportunities for innovative solutions.

Empathy in Research

Empathy is key to understanding your users’ needs. It means temporarily putting aside your own understanding and truly seeing things from the user’s point of view. In practice, empathy is cultivated by observing users in their natural environments and seeing how they interact with challenges in their daily lives. This leads to more informed design decisions.

Ethnographic Research

Ethnographic research is a method borrowed from anthropology, where researchers observe participants in their natural settings. This approach helps you understand users’ lifestyles, cultures, and current processes for solving problems. It is particularly useful in uncovering insights that can shape design priorities and the direction of product development.

Key Methods in Ethnographic Research:

• Observation: Simply observing users interact with their environment and products without interfering.
• Deep Hanging Out: Immersing yourself in the user’s environment to understand their language, behavior, and context.
• Contextual Inquiry: Allowing users to follow their normal routines and asking questions at relevant moments about why they do certain things.
• Process Analysis: Guiding users through specific tasks or processes to observe their steps and challenges.

Types of Research Approaches

There are several ways to approach research, depending on your product and its context:

• Guerrilla Research: Quick, informal research conducted in public spaces. This method is useful for products with a broad audience, where you can find users easily in everyday environments.
• Remote Research: Conducting research through online tools, ideal for interviews or usability testing when you cannot be in the user’s environment.
• Conventional Ethnographic Research: In-depth studies conducted in the user’s environment, which can take several hours and yield detailed insights into user behavior.

Planning and Conducting Research

Research must be well-planned to be effective. Here are key steps for preparing research:

1. Define the Objective: What do you want to observe or learn? This should be based on the problem statement you created earlier.
2. Set the Location and Timing: Where and when will the research take place? Will it be in-person or remote?
3. Select Moderators and Assistants: Define roles for note-taking, moderating, and technical setup (e.g., recording video).
4. Recruit Participants: Agencies can help recruit participants who fit your personas and product needs. Be clear about who you want to interview or observe.
5. Prepare a Script or Guide: Plan key points to explore or questions to ask, but be flexible to adapt during the session.
6. Offer Gratification: Provide participants with compensation for their time, such as a voucher or gift.

Example Research Plan

Objective: Understand how users plan vacations and book accommodation and transportation for multi-destination trips.
Dates and Location: August 2-4, participants’ homes.
Team: Natalia (moderator), Tassia (note-taker), Alex (assistant).
Participant Profiles: Five international travelers who travel twice a year and have never used our product.
Structure: Introduction, permissions, conversation guide with room for improvisation, and 10% discount voucher as a reward.

Tips for Moderation

• Stay Quiet and Listen: Avoid interrupting or over-explaining. Allow silence for participants to think and respond.
• Avoid Interaction: Observe without interfering or touching objects in the user's environment. Let the user guide you.
• Observe Discrepancies: What people say versus what they do often differs. Pay attention to both for insights.
• Ask for Stories: Instead of yes/no questions, encourage users to tell stories about their experiences to uncover deeper insights.
• Focus on the Last Time vs. Normal Routine: Asking about "the last time" they did something often reveals more about real challenges than asking about “normal” routines.

Avoid These Types of Questions:

• "Do you like or dislike this?" Instead, let the user express their feelings naturally.
• "Would you prefer X or Y?" This limits creativity and may overlook other possible solutions.
• "Would you buy this?" People are often too polite to say "no" directly; it’s better to observe their behavior.

Handling Feedback

During research, you may encounter feedback that contradicts your assumptions. It’s essential to remain neutral and avoid defending your product. Always thank participants for their input and avoid reacting negatively, even if their perspective seems incorrect.

Finally, remember that users may suggest specific features or solutions, but they don’t always know what they want. Use their input as data but rely on broader insights to guide design decisions.

Participatory Design

A participatory approach involves users in the research process, allowing them to help structure or prioritize problems. This can be as simple as using post-its to categorize issues or asking users to rank problems by importance. This approach fosters collaboration and deepens your understanding of user needs.

In conclusion, research is the backbone of product development. Through careful observation, interviews, and contextual inquiry, you can validate whether the problem you aim to solve is real and whether the personas you’ve created represent genuine user needs.