Constant Contact
Kickoff
Because of the size of the research team and the amount of research being requested, I usually have to be more reactive than proactive, in the sense that someone (usually a designer or a project manager) comes to me with questions, instead of me going to them with ideas for research studies.
We setup a meeting when someone comes to me with a research request and talk about what they want to learn from customers, what they’ll do with the results, timelines, and other relevant details. Based on that, I suggest the type of research study, talk about any constraints that might come up, and when I can start working on it depending on my bandwidth and priorities.
Designed by Freepik
Designed by Freepik
Preparation
The first step is usually figuring out recruiting. If the stakeholder already has a list of customers we can reach out to, or if I’m using a tool like UserTesting, recruiting is quick. Otherwise, I request a list of customers fitting certain criteria based on the study, which might take some time.
Simultaneously, I draft a script of questions to ask customers, and collaborate with stakeholders to tweak it if needed. If the study involves a prototype, I work with designers to finalize that during this phase.
Sessions
I usually aim to run all sessions in 1 or 2 days, and invite stakeholders to watch them live if they have time (otherwise they can watch the recordings later if they’re interested). No-shows might happen, in which case I have to schedule additional days to gather enough feedback.
Designed by Freepik
Designed by Freepik
Analysis
Analysis looks different for different studies, but usually, I take notes from the session recordings, consolidate them based on frequency and importance, and create a document with top findings. I convert that into a report format, which is either a google doc or a slide deck in most cases, and add recommendations.
Once the report is ready, I schedule a meeting with stakeholders to go over findings and recommendations, and discuss next steps as needed.
Timelines
Now I’m sure you’re wondering how long it takes to do all this, right? Like a lot of things in UX, the answer to this is the infamous “it depends” :D I’m going to leave a little bit of mystery here and I’d be happy to talk more about this when we meet!