“We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
— Anaïs Nin
Pro Tip: Don’t refer to user research as just “user research”, but rather say “discovering user/customer problems”
A pre-defined set of questions designed to produce shorter answers – often lacking opportunities for true insight
No question script and more open-ended questions – can produce more insightful results
A core set of questions with ad-hoc questions for more details – insightful and more replicable
Ideally interviews should occur in the same environment that a person would be using the product in (e.g. workplace, home, etc.)
PROJECT GROUP
Write down 2-3 key questions that you might ask the primary user group of your chosen open source/SFU community project
Online surveys are a natural complement to interviews, and can be useful both before and after interviewing users.
Surveys are often best when a large sample size is needed for a number of simple questions (yes/no, multiple choice, item ranking, etc.)
Observing people in their own environment perform their actual work with a product
“A precise description of our user and what he or she wishes to accomplish.”
– Alan Cooper
A persona based on our assumptions, but is viewed as a hypothesis to be iteratively validated and refined
An empathy map is a collaborative method to capture and summarize the desires and needs of your audience
How do personas compare with empathy maps?
A description of people and their activities, including reaching their primary goal
“Emma, a sales manager, needs to arrange a meeting with her 5-member sales team (Becker, Kim, Taylor, Olsen and Singh) to work out the details of an upcoming promotion for their newest product ReadBetter. Using the meeting room booking system from her office computer she determines when they can all meet this week and reserves a room with a projector for the meeting.”
As a role,
I want to goal/desire
so that benefit
As a Central Canadian Bank customer, I want to withdrawal funds from an ATM so that I have the cash I need on hand.
As a Central Canadian Bank customer, I want to transfer funds from one account to another so that I have the funds to cover a large cheque.
A framework, or really a lens, to focus on customer motivations
Whatever product you are involved in, considering asking the question, what job is your product hired to do?
A job story is an alternative to traditional user stories to collaborate and capture product requirements
When I am running low on cash I want to get access to some additional funds So I can have the cash I need on hand.
As a Central Canadian Bank customer, I want to withdrawal funds from an ATM so that I have the cash I need on hand.
When I need more funds to cover an upcoming large cheque I want to know ahead of time So I have the funds to cover the cheque.
As a Central Canadian Bank customer, I want to transfer funds from one account to another so that I have the funds to cover a large cheque.
PROJECT GROUP
Write down an 2-3 job stories for the primary user group of your chosen open source/SFU community project
When situation,
I want to motivation
So I can expected outcome
https://www.uxtesting.io/blog/18/trust-in-ux-3-ways-of-exploratory-research
http://www.webcredible.com/blog/personas-definitive-guide/
http://www.cccc.org/news_blogs/john/2012/02/10/empathy-maps-a-way-to-understand-your-donors-and-beneficiaries/
http://www.innovationlabs.org.uk/2014/04/25/empathy-maps/
https://vivifychangecatalyst.wordpress.com/2017/09/23/clayton-christensen-milk-shakes-cigarettes-and-facebook/
https://www.intercom.com/blog/using-job-stories-design-features-ui-ux/