{"id":5394,"date":"2020-01-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-29T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hedgehoglab.com\/user-research-dont-start-with-solutions\/"},"modified":"2023-11-06T09:55:14","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T08:55:14","slug":"user-research-dont-start-with-solutions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hedgehoglab.com\/user-research-dont-start-with-solutions\/","title":{"rendered":"User research: don’t start with solutions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This item was originally written by Caitlin Vitty<\/b><\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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User research isn\u2019t something that brands can merely pigeonhole into the beginning of the product development process. It is something that should be valuable before\u201a during and after designing a product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conducting research before getting underway helps to ensure that both the product and your business goals match the needs of real target users. Continuing research throughout the stages of wireframing and design enables us to identify precisely how our findings contribute to the design. Furthermore\u201a user research can validate designs through exercises such as usability testing\u201a providing insights around how users naturally interact with the product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well-conducted research returns information about users and competitors\u201a as well as producing insights into the latest UX\/UI trends. Conducting research throughout all stages helps to give the product an advantage over its competitors\u201a with a more developed understanding of long-term strategy increasing the product\u2019s chances of success once released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"[object<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Members of our User Research team with <\/b>Coglode’s behavioural insight nuggets<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his list of 18 mistakes that kill startups<\/a>\u201a entrepreneur Paul Graham said: \u201cThere\u2019s just one mistake that kills startups: not making something users want.\u201d Believe it or not\u201a figuring out what your users want isn\u2019t complicated. All you need to do is talk to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The importance of questions:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Too often\u201a customers will present the product development process as a sprint to the finish. Customers arrive with a great idea and want nothing more than to see it visualised and replicated straight from their mind\u2019s eye. It\u2019s a common occurrence – customers believe they’ve found a solution and often consider it to be the only right answer. There’s nothing wrong with this – I mean who doesn’t like being correct? However\u201a rushing to be right often increases your chances of being wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accordingly\u201a you can’t start a process with the answer – you first have to ask questions. In product development\u201a a good question is always much more powerful than having an answer. Questions allow you to gain more information\u201a all of which can be used to inform your future decisions better\u201a and all based on data from those you are targeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately\u201a brands and product developers talking to users happens far less often than it should. Much of the time\u201a brands will operate on a belief that they already know what their users want and need. In the case of startups for example\u201a opinions will often be based on their own experiences of a problem they are trying to solve (though these communication issues are by no means limited to small businesses only\u201a as we\u2019ll cover later.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"[object<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Image by \u0160tefan \u0160tefan\u010d\u00edk<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However\u201a your own experiences don’t always provide an accurate validation of a solution. No matter how much subject matter expertise we hold\u201a we may never have accumulated nor encountered the same experiences of users. All that we think we know about users are assumptions\u201a and the reality is that you can’t rely on solutions that have been created and based on these to meet the wants and needs of your users successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every decision throughout the product development process that isn\u2019t validated by user research becomes an assumption. Because we can’t sit with every user who decides to try the product after it is released\u201a we can\u2019t work through how features work\u201a nor guide them through what to do during different stages of use. It is for such reasons that those assumptions become risks. Making assumptions isn\u2019t always a bad thing – in fact doing so is a part of the working process\u201a but assumptions become problematic when perceived as facts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here at hedgehog lab\u201a we understand our duty to acknowledge real-world users and ensure they are represented throughout\u201a carrying out user research at the start of and during product development. It is an approach that allows us to validate the assumptions of ourselves and our customers\u201a ultimately mitigating needless risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The customer’s customer is always right<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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“Embrace what you don\u2019t know\u201a especially in the beginning because what you don\u2019t know can become your greatest asset. It ensures that you will absolutely be doing things different from everybody else.” – <\/i>Sara Blakely. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Sara\u2019s words don\u2019t translate to an expectation that users must describe in detail what they need as a solution. Often\u201a users don’t know what change is needed specifically but will know that something isn’t right. Adding weight to this theory is former Hewlett Packard CEO\u201a Carly Fiorina\u201a who notes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cCustomers always know what\u2019s wrong. They can’t always tell you what they want\u201a but the always can tell you what’s wrong.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Resultantly our job as user researchers becomes a case of taking such insights and working out how they can be used to positively influence the design to the benefit of the user while ensuring we are adding value to the product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"[object<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

hedgehog lab designer Alex Poole making research-based design alterations.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is nothing better than successfully developing a product which customers will not only use frequently but also one that provides them with a value that was previously non-existent. We cannot achieve this without research!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designing and prototyping a solution straight off the bat without conducting any research can rapidly result in problems. The product itself might be delightful to use\u201a loved by everyone and beautifully designed\u201a but if it doesn’t address key user solutions\u201a is unlikely to succeed once released as the target market won’t have the necessary need to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you afford to give UXR a miss?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Further demonstrating how interacting with users can completely alter a solution are these words by experience designer\u201a Victor Lombardi:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you only test bottle openers\u201a we may never realise customers prefer screw-top bottles.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quote provokes thought into how users can completely alter the mindset of product designers in how to tackle a problem. But what happens when problems arise that go ignored?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is\u201a of course\u201a the infamous case of Blockbuster. At their peak in 2009\u201a the company had 5000 stores across the globe. By 2010\u201a they had filed for bankruptcy and their assets had been sold. When companies like Netflix came along\u201a Blockbuster dismissed them\u201a believing they didn\u2019t pose a threat and considering themselves as \u2018too big to fail\u2019. While customers started leaving stores for digital on-demand alternatives\u201a Blockbuster was attempting to increase customer basket size with sweets. Despite having sufficient access to customers and information to know their customer behaviour was changing\u201a the company failed to adapt and paid the price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another well-documented fall is that of BlackBerry. In an item for The Globe and Mail\u201a an unnamed insider admitted the company had \u201cstopped listening to customers\u201d\u201a instead persisting with their own idea of what customers wanted from a smartphone. Their chosen path took them from a market share of over 20% of all smartphones in 2009\u201a down to 0% by 2016.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"[object<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 Source: <\/b>Statista<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such examples demonstrate why it is vital to start by understanding what people need\u201a and not the solution that you’re excited about building. They also show the value of continuing to conduct research well beyond the initial phases of a product\u2019s development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One size doesn’t fit all <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While we can learn lessons from countless unsuccessful startups and the failures of giants such as BlackBerry & Blockbuster\u201a it’s also important to note that no two projects are the same. At hedgehog lab we never approach a product with the same steps and methodologies as another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To decide how we’ll start\u201a we first analyse the topic\u201a purpose\u201a time and budget of a project\u201a as well as dedicating time to forming an understanding of the problem they are trying to solve\u201a before planning what type of research will best serve dependent on these variables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our approach ensures there’s never a reason not to do research. Excuses like \u201cwe don’t have the budget\u201d or \u201cthere isn’t enough time\u201d aren’t acceptable as we can accommodate and adapt our methods for such circumstances\u201a helping ensure we can still provide insightful outcomes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When planning a user research study\u201a it is crucial that it matches the research question and focuses on what we don’t know to ensure we collect the right data and employ the most suitable research method at the right time. hedgehog lab\u2019s team of User Researchers are there to guarantee any efforts we undertake are conducted following best practices. After carrying out the research\u201a we\u2019ll then analyse and draw key insights from the data that is produced. These findings help us align product strategy with the user\u2019s real needs and desires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UX Research is a continually evolving area <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to what our UXR team can bring to the table for our customers\u201a the benefits are clear:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • \n

    Helping to create a shorter product development time by providing our understanding of what is being built and who it is for.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

  • \n

    Providing a more informed and reliable way to solve differences of opinion by enabling decisions to be made based on data provided by real users.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

  • \n

    Preventing the need for costly problem fixes.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n

  • \n

    Identifying problems to inform future decisions.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Members of our UXR team each bring different skills to the process\u201a owing to our diverse backgrounds. Currently\u201a the team are collating our varied knowledge to refine and optimise our process. Part of this is showcasing the importance of our work to both our team and clients from the off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    As researchers\u201a we\u2019re constantly looking at ways we can adapt our methods to increase the usefulness of our output. In such a role\u201a we have to ensure we\u2019re always learning. In addition to identifying and integrating rising trends in user research\u201a we\u2019re also looking to lead in effective UXR – and as such\u201a we\u2019re even making the decision to drop some aspects we don\u2019t believe provide value to our customers\u201a or more importantly\u201a their customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However\u201a to ensure we stay on top of industry trends\u201a to allow ourselves credibility when we describe ourselves as a leader in UX Research and to ensure we\u2019re improving our process to the benefit of end users\u201a we have to abide by the same mantra we\u2019d encourage any of our customers: don\u2019t start with solutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This item was originally written by Caitlin Vitty User research isn\u2019t something that brands can merely pigeonhole into the beginning of the product development process. It is something that should be valuable before\u201a during and after designing a product. 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