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Segmenting for clients

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Q. Do clients have a good sense of what segments are and how to segment, or does that take extra work for #userresearch?

A. It depends on how #UX mature the client is. Some can easily articulate which segments we should study and why. Others understand segmentation as a concept, but default to #marketing #segmentation, usually more demographic (i.e. “ages 25-34, college educated”).

For example, imagine we’re interested in #learning who might be open to a specialty food service. I’d identify the characteristics of the people I would, and would NOT, want to include. We’d likely end up with a combo of attitudes and behaviors, but many demographic variables may not be important, like #gender or #ethnicity.

We work with clients to identify segments most relevant for our particular #UXR question.

Perhaps participants need to be in a certain mental space such as they are about to purchase skis; it may not matter to me where they purchase them.

Segmentation is important so the learnings are applicable to the specific audience you’re serving.

Sometimes segments collapse, or new segments surface. Segment identification can vary in ease however >> PLOT TWIST << the identification aspect has no bearing on how difficult it will be to recruit people in those segments!

You need a UX portfolio

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A portfolio still seems to be a foreign concept for many people. IMHO everyone should have a portfolio but today let's focus on #UX ers. Including #userresearch.

A portfolio is different from a resume and CV. It includes student and or professional project work.

Whatever you call it, it’s important to have one and it’s maintained over time because resumes and LinkedIn profiles don’t tell hiring managers or recruiters a lot about you as a #userexperience candidate. A #portfolio, or series of case studies, provide a richer, more intimate, opportunity to demonstrate how you may fit their needs.

Your portfolio should:

  • Be available online 24/7. Yes, you may password protect it

  • Capture your professional essence and breadth of expertise

  • Convey your thought process, skills, and experience

  • Demonstrate how you communicate and collaborate. #UX and #UXR are team sports!

  • Document your key accomplishments and industry activities

  • Evolve over time. You and your work are not static

  • Be authentic to YOU

  • Show what is interesting to or about you professionally and personally (stand out!)

I covered #UX and #UXR portfolios w/ examples, and how to kill 3 birds w/ 1 stone, in my November newsletter. Please lmk if you have questions, or if you’d like a copy, below.

Watch my webinar!

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Success! Check out my "Tips For Reducing Bias when Incentivizing Participants" Webinar. It’s more "dynamic" than you might expect and it focuses on reducing researcher bias throughout the research process so anyone conducting studies should benefit.

"I'm so glad I tuned in to your webinar. Thank you for doing it. Your insights around piloting were especially helpful. It's all too easy to just jump in thinking everything will go as planned. The only thing I wished for was a longer webinar! Bias is such a big, complex, hairy topic to tease out in an hour because it permeates every aspect of user experience; you could facilitate an entire workshop, or create an entire curriculum around this topic alone (if you haven't already)!" - Marilyn Frank 


The gorgeous "Cognitive bias codex" poster I referenced (which breaks down cognitive errors into four quadrants of memory, meaning, information overload, and need for speed) is available for purchase from Better Humans (link in Comments). I wish I had tied the 13 steps back to the most common situational pressures or "bias cookers."

Thanks, Alba, for the feedback! Hindsight is indeed 2020. Check it out. ALL Links are in the comments below.

When is the best time to conduct user research?

 
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Q. When is the best time to conduct user research?

A. Yes.

Many people think that #userresearch is a specific step in the product development cycle, but it's not. It's iterative. I think of myself as working alongside my product development and design teams, ideally one or two steps ahead of them. My goal is to continually collaborate, and think ahead, to curate and provide meaningful, “just in time” information in order for my teams make better, and more confident decisions.

User research in a #UX mature organization is never actually “done.” We complete projects, yes, but the “practice” is ongoing. User research should be conducted early and often.

Let’s take Netflix as an example; they are a market leader, are a mature UX company and they also know their customers. But they are constantly doing research about how their customers’ needs and attitudes are changing, how the product landscape is changing, how technology is evolving and how the competition is adapting. None of those things are static. So even if you are the dominant leader in your category, you’re never done.

Ideally it's like breathing. (And we all know what happens when you stop breathing.)

PS. Yep, guilty! Who else binge-watched Netflix over the holidays?


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Pilot your studies. Period.

 
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I had 14 students in a user research class last week. Eleven of them did not pilot their studies before they went full-speed ahead. WHOA?! That made me realize plenty of others might miss the necessity of doing this.

You should road test your discussion guide, tasks, technology, stimuli and everything else you can simulate ahead of time. Get feedback on whether or not the questions are provoking the right kind of responses, fit within the timeframe allotted, are understandable, in the right sequence, are not redundant, and more. Pilot to get more comfortable with the content too.

If it’s an interview, literally interview someone. Think of it like a beta test.

If it’s a survey, share it with a few folks first. Solicit feedback.

Pilot your study with people who closely resemble your actual recruit. If that’s not possible, get as close as possible.

After you pilot, iterate on what could be improved before spending time and money rolling it out.

I was shocked people weren't doing this. I pilot 85% of my studies even though I'm pretty senior at this point and confident in my skills and judgment.

BTW, I don't just pilot live interviews. I pilot unmoderated sessions, surveys, card sorts and almost everything else.

And now you know.


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I'm hosting a webinar!

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SUPER pumped, proud, and excited! I’ve been asked to host a webinar to expand on my recent LinkedIn post about "participant incentive and bias.“

PLEASE SAVE THE DATE & REGISTER!! Registering will grant you access to the live session AND a recording to watch on your own at anytime thereafter.

This is free, remote event is open to everyone. The live session is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec 17th at 9am PST/12pm EST. There will be a 30-40 minute presentation and a live Q&A.

Thank you Remesh.ai for reaching out and sponsoring this event. Thank you Susan Fader for the referral.

Here’s my original post for context.

How many people do you think you have to speak with to recognize patterns?

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In usability, how many people do you think you have to speak with to recognize patterns? Hundreds? Thousands?

Nope. Maybe just four or five.

If, for example, you’re looking to understand how easy or difficult it is for people to book flights on an updated website, 80% of the problems that can be identified will likely be identified with the first four or five people you study. If you don’t identify such problems after five people, you're either asking the wrong question or you're asking the wrong people for feedback.

This assumes, of course, that you have properly defined the segment(s) to gather feedback from. Do you want to talk to people who book 10+ flights a year? Do you want to talk to people who book for entire families? This four or five person rule applies to groups of people with different behaviors, or “usability segments."

Clients are often surprised when I say extraneous participants are a waste of time and resources. Instead of adding more than five participants to any one behavioral segment, my suggestion is to repurpose your budget and invest in either additional segments or additional studies.


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Does offering an individual an incentive to participate in a study introduce bias?

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Does offering an individual an incentive to participate in a study introduce bias? Does it predispose a participant to tell me what they think I want to hear?

In almost every class I teach, someone raises this question.

The answer is no, not if I’ve done my job properly, which entails selecting the right people and screening out the people who don't fit the criteria.

Then, I set them up for success by creating a safe space, building a rapport with them, clearly explaining what they can expect, and letting them know that whatever we talk about today... there are no right or wrong answers.

We might be testing a hypothesis, a prototype or something else entirely, but we're never testing "them".

I often ask them specifically to talk out loud and to be candid, but I also tell them that no matter what they share, they are not going to hurt my feelings. I'm here to learn from them. The more candid they are, the easier my job will be. So I continue to develop that rapport by looking them in the eye, affirming what they say, using positive body language, digging deeper into their responses, and demonstrating my authentic curiosity about them and their opinions.

Thankfully, most of my conversations are successful & enjoyable!


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Learning paths in user research

 
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I think a lot about user research education. I practice and teach in three camps: 1) At a university 2) In a bootcamp setting 3) At companies trying to upscale their employees .

All three have critics. Some detest bootcamps because “they can’t teach you in 12 weeks how to get a $100k/year UX job.” Others criticize universities because they can’t update their curriculums as fast as the industry changes. Also, companies “are more focused on generating profits than educating employees.”

Learning is a living, breathing and constantly-evolving process. It’s unrealistic to expect a one-stop-shop to meet all learning needs. People with such inflated expectations end up frustrated, sound harsh, ill-informed, and out of touch.

Different educational programs have different strengths and weaknesses. To maximize your skills and career track, you’ll likely need a variety of programs and experiences. For example, a bootcamp can quickly give you an overview of a topic, but it won’t instantly transform you into an expert. You’ll need one or more programs, and lots of applied experience, to accomplish that.

My suggestion: Pursue programs that meet YOUR needs. Don’t judge people’s learning paths. Stay in motion and keep moving forward.


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If I won the lottery tomorrow

 
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If I won the lottery tomorrow, I wouldn’t change a thing about my career, but I would get cleaning help more frequently!

After spending many years in the design space, I discovered design and user research and have remained in love with it ever since. Being genuinely curious about what makes people tick, I feel so lucky to be able to explore this subject every day. It enables me to help others while also filling my own “curiosity tank.”

My research tends to fall into two camps:

  1. Understanding how/what people think and why

  2. Understanding what they are doing and how they are behaving… and what is motivating them to behave that way.

To me, this work is the perfect mix of art, science and improv. It’s perfect for someone like me who loves gray areas and never felt comfortable in a box.

One of my great joys is to tear down the (mis)perception that research—and researchers—are stuffy, formal and take a long time. I can and will talk to anyone, and have more interests than time! Some say my superpower is my ability to have a meaningful conversation with literally anyone. People fascinate me.

If you care deeply about others, you have the ability to become a good researcher. And that’s the exact opposite of being stuffy or formal.


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7 reasons NOT to conduct user research

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Here are 7 reasons NOT to conduct user research. Not everything is a #userresearch problem people...

  • 1. If you can better answer a question with analytics, use #analytics. How often does someone abandon their shopping cart? Analytics can tell you.

  • 2. If time doesn't permit it, don’t rush into user research. Example: in two days, you cannot conduct a diary study about the college application process.

  • 3. If you’re only trying to sell your #design, don’t mask it as user research. That’s unethical and largely ineffective. We do research in service to the user, not ourselves.

  • 4. If the #research question is too broad/narrow, given the type and scope of the information that you need, don’t proceed. Right size the question(s).

  • 5. If you don’t have a good idea of the type of people you should gather feedback from or about … ’nuff said.

  • 6. If you don't know WHY you’re doing the research, and HOW and WHEN the learnings will be applied. Pause right there.

  • 7. If you don’t have stakeholder buy-in. IMHO, this is the #1 indicator whether you’ll move successfully from insights to action, or not. Remember #userresearch is a team sport!

Help me out here… what circumstances have you encountered in which others wanted to do user research when it didn’t make sense?


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