Overcoming common obstacles preventing UX Research
In the last few years I’ve had several people come to me seeking advice about setting up easy-to-use, inexpensive, and effective usability testing kits. This includes an Amazon Research Team, a Facebook Research Manager, and a Principal User Experience Designer at REI. Why are these and others reaching out to me? Because they understand that research is vital to the success of their products and they don’t want technology, time, or money to prevent them from doing research.
These requests got me thinking about some common obstacles that prevent UX research from happening and what can be done to overcome them. Guided by the wisdom of one of the UX foreathers, Steve Krug, other seasoned UXers, and my experiences in UX tech and research I’d like to share three truths to show that you can overcome these obstacles and ensure UX research is not overlooked or dismissed.
You can easily create your own inexpensive and effective “UX Lab.”
Obstacle #1: Equipment is expensive and/or complicated.
During my time at Blink assisting with the technology side of UX research I was tasked with supporting numerous projects with needs beyond simple usability testing of a website. ‘Wizard of Oz’ testing of a smart kitchen appliance, testing of a app connected to a newly-designed gas-pump interface, testing the in-run experience of a redesigned running app, testing several iterations of components connected to the U by Moen smart shower, and a two-week diary study of a voice-activated speaker in participants’ homes are just a few of the more unique setups I’ve designed creative solutions for. While these projects have unique technical challenges, the majority of projects I’ve supported or led as a UX researcher are much simpler. The technical essentials are usually capturing a computer or phone screen, the participant’s face, and of course, audio from both the participant and the moderator.
I’ve utilized and I recommend two techniques for effectively capturing research sessions. With a few pieces of equipment and some training anyone can put these to use.
Technique 1 - Utilize Web Conferencing Software
Web conferencing software options are abundant and many of them are free or inexpensive. The tool that I recommend and have had great success with over the years is Zoom.
Zoom is designed to effectively capture whatever is needed during your research session. Zoom will automatically capture the participant’s face and audio and give you options for sharing either the participant's desktop or even mobile device. Additionally, the moderator is able to share their screen and give the participant control of the mouse. This is very effective when testing an HTML prototype or new designs you don’t want participants to have access to after the research session. Zoom also has the ability to automatically or manually record the meeting to your computer or in the cloud so, at the conclusion of your session, you have a PiP-configured MP4 file ready to be shared out or cut it highlight reels.
Getting stakeholders to watch sessions couldn’t be easier; just send them the Zoom meeting link and they can view from anywhere. The only downside is that there is the potential for your participant to feel like 10 people are watching them, especially if people are coming in and out of the meeting during the session. One way to limit this is to make an easy ‘Zoom Lab + Observation Room.’ Just do the following: the participant uses one computer in the 'lab' and one observer joins the meeting (muted w/ no video) and connects their computer to a large monitor, giving you a simple but effective 'observation room.'
Zoom’s many features, including all their screen sharing options make it a great, off-the-shelf research tool and the free version may be all you need.
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