How to conduct field research for mobile apps
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Mobile application use has grown exponentially. Testing mobile experiences brings additional challenges and opportunities because the context-of-use is not a static location like a workplace, but instead wherever a user happens to be with his or her phone. Field studies are useful because they help researchers collect more naturalistic data since they observe users in their context-of-us instead of a lab. In this course you will learn: The variety of methods and tools for field testing mobile experiences, and the pros / cons of each How to develop a research plan for mobile field testing Recruitment strategies for field testing How to moderate a field test and record participants’ behaviors You will learn by doing an actual field study of a mobile application near the conference location.
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How to conduct field research for mobile apps
- 1. How to conduct field research for mobile apps MAY 2016
- 2. Workshop Goals Understand the pros/cons and different considerations for field research How to develop a research plan for mobile field research Practice conducting a field study Present findings and reflect on field studies for mobile apps
- 3. Schedule 5:30 – 6:15pm Designing, planning and conducting field research 6:45– 7:30pm Form groups and develop a field study plan 7:30 – 8:00pm Break 8:00 – 8:45pm Conduct field study 8:45 – 9:30pm Analyze and present findings and reflections
- 4. Suzanne Boyd FOUNDER & CEO Introductions Ian Wyosnick USER RESEARCHER
- 5. INTRODUCTIONS We’re a user-centered design consultancy focused on government agencies, nonprofits and enterprises with a social-impact mission.
- 8. Getting out of the lab and into the field
- 9. The “field” Coffee shops Libraries Conferences Hospitals Court house Ferry terminals Farmer’s markets Busses, trains and light rail Stations and bus stops
- 10. Behaviors and products we study Wayfinding Trip planning Purchasing Info seeking Gaming Web sites / prototypes Kiosks Apps
- 11. Focus on mobile apps
- 12. Some stats Mobile Marketing Statistics Compilation by Dave Chaffey - 2016 Internet usage mobile desktopmobile desktop 51% 42% 2.8 hrs / day 2.4 hrs / day Time on screens
- 14. Why do field studies?
- 15. What is a field study? A field study is a general method for collecting data about users, user needs, and product requirements that involves observation and interviewing. Data are collected about task flows, inefficiencies, and the organizational and physical environments of users. Investigators in field studies observe users as they work, taking notes on particular activities and often asking questions of the users. Observation may be either direct, where the investigator is actually present during the task, or indirect, where the task is viewed by some other means like a video recorder set up in an office. The method is useful early in product development to gather user requirements. It is also useful for studying currently executed tasks and processes. Usability Body of Knowledge
- 16. Research methods Analytics Eye tracking Observations Surveys Interviews Usability testing Components of field research
- 17. user + tool environment / context user + tool The field
- 18. Let’s brainstorm Public transit trip planner app Social media app Grocery list app Air travel app Game app Busses, trains, light rail, stations, bus stops If you are researching Then the field may be
- 19. Your thoughts What have you heard about field studies?
- 20. Benefits of field studies Study context of use Efficient Ancillary findings
- 21. Early morning at King Street Station | Seattle, WA Directly observe context of use
- 22. Context of use People Light Weather Other apps Artifacts Others?
- 23. Efficient Research with many people in a day Minimal recruitment cost Representative participants No lab costs
- 24. Ancillary findings Pain points Unmet needs Behaviors
- 25. Challenges of field studies Logistics and organization Weather Privacy and recording Off topic conversation ‘Difficult’ participants Rejection Observers Fatigue
- 28. Considerations for your study design generative evaluative Why are you conducting research? summative formative Who is conducting the research? solo team recruited intercept How will you find participants? How will you capture the data? video/audio no video/audio Where will you go? on the go set up shop Whose device will you use? participant researcher
- 29. + Go where the participants are + Find a captive audience - Less control over circumstances and permissions. + More control + Easier to record + Use your own devices - Less ancillary findings ON THE GO SET UP SHOP + Go where the participants are + Find a captive audience - Less control
- 30. Journal studies Recruited participants log their behaviors with the app over a period of time Capture experiences whenever and wherever they happen Many emerging tools available
- 31. Recording Equipment – Camera – iPad – Clip board – Paper and pencil – Sled
- 32. Recording Software & apps Input is the app Input is the video camera
- 35. Prepare study materials Study plan and research questions Recruitment criteria and screener Consent form Facilitator script Scenario(s) Note taking sheets Post-test interview and metrics Honoraria
- 36. Work the logistics Obtaining permissions Electricity availability and considerations Internet availability and considerations Official identification Staff schedules and points of contact in the field Scheduling and communication during the study Tip: Schedule sync-ups during the day to revise study plan accordingly
- 37. Don’t forget the details Weather appropriate clothing Extra pens and pencils Clipboards Camera/Recording devices Backpacks or other bags to carry everything Snacks to keep you going Clear instructions for any recruited participants on where park and meet up
- 39. Recruit and screen participants Find willing participants What are the behaviors or approximate personas you are looking for Hook ‘em Give them the pitch Screen for fit to user profile
- 40. Facilitating sessions Keep sessions short and within the promised amount of time (i.e. if you say it will take 15 minutes, make sure it does) Stay on script as it will ensure some rigor and consistency to the study
- 41. Take good notes Take a picture of the participant Agree on codes with other researchers Use forms Leverage checkboxes Anticipate usability issues and count instances If the study is free flowing, blank note sheets may be best
- 42. Example Usability Issues P1 P2 P3 Participant has Yelp downloaded on phone x x Participant uses multiple apps to complete scenario x Participant does not use filters x x x Scenario 1 P1 P2 P3 Completion S F S Post scenario metric score 4 2 5 # of requests for help 0 1 0 # of errors 1 3 1
- 43. Capture and synch up on themes as you go Log problems and positives after each participant Debrief with team along the way
- 44. Recruitment and screening Timeline Specific behavior Random Agrees to participate Declines to participate How do I select a participant? “Ok thank you, have a good day!” Hook ‘em! Initial Screener Qualified Disqualified Consent Agrees to participate Declines to participate Start Study! 15sec 15sec 30sec
- 45. Interview and study facilitation Timeline cont… Qualified Disqualified Taking all qualified participants Result of recruitment & screening “Ok thank you, have a good day!” Follow up demographics “Thank you, have a good day!” 2min 10min Optional: Do they fit in a needed user segment? No Yes Determine scenario Run usability test Post-study interview and metrics 2min 15min total
- 46. Analyze
- 47. Analyze data Compile quantitative data – Task success, Time on task, Satisfaction, Error rates, etc. Analyze qualitative data – Problems experiences, comments / recommendations, pathways, think a loud protocol Develop exact and concise problem statements – Good problem statement: 12/14 participants clicked on notifications instead of newsfeed – Poor problem statement: Clicked on wrong link. – Poor problem statement: Was confused about links.
- 48. Reminder Focus on what participants did and said.
- 49. Your field research mission
- 50. Mission You have just signed a contract to do usability work for Yelp. They have been experiencing a decrease in users and realize that they may need to improve their product. Yelp wants you to do field research to get qualitative and quantitative feedback on user behavior with mobile devices when deciding to find a restaurant while on the go. Design a field research study to understand how apps or websites are determining a user’s choice of where to eat, how they use those apps or websites, and how they may integrate with other apps or websites to do auxiliary tasks (i.e. getting directions and travelling to the restaurant).
- 51. Steps Create study plan – Research questions, roles and responsibilities, scenarios Conduct field research (at least 3 participants) Analyze data Report on findings – Study approach – Findings – Lessons learned and takeaways
- 52. Your thoughts What have you learned about field studies? Feedback survey link www.uxpa2016.org/sessionsurvey?sessi onid=292
- 53. Thank you.
Editor's Notes
- UCD takes the guesswork out of designing usable experiences A philosophy that places users at the center of the development process A systematic approach to gathering, understanding and applying user data throughout the planning, design and development stages of a website. There are five basic characteristics that define the UCD process: Goal-driven and user focused: Identify who the target users are, how they work and what their goals are. Align user goals with business goals to lay the foundation for a successful project. Empirical: Based on data not opinions. Usability, usefulness and value are measured by target users’ behavior with the web site, not opinions about the web site Iterative: Try out ideas in a low-risk format. Success requires drafts and revisions in an agile and customer-driven process. We investigate solutions with users prior to coding by creating prototypes and mockups. When problems are found in the web site or applications during usability studies, they are fixed in subsequent versions before the system is launched. Collaborative: Multidisciplinary, requiring a team approach. Leverage a variety of skills sets, such as project management, user-centered design, graphic design, interaction design, writing, and coding. Scalable: Adapts to fit resources and time. The user-centered design process scales to different challenges such as budget constraints, scheduling, and resource constraints.
- 80% of internet users own a smartphone Mobile includes smartphone and tablet. Usage includes both work and home. Facebood and other social media Youtube Entertainment and gaming
- Contextual inquiry (CI) is a user-centered design (UCD) research method, part of the Contextual Design methodology. A contextual inquiry interview is usually structured as an approximately two-hour, one-on-one interaction in which the researcher watches the user do their normal activities and discusses what they see with the user. Ethnography (from Greek ἔθνος ethnos "folk, people, nation" and γράφω grapho "I write") is the systematic study of people and cultures. It is designed to explore cultural phenomena where the researcher observes society from the point of view of the subject of the study. An ethnography is a means to represent graphically and in writing the culture of a group. The word can thus be said to have a "double meaning," which partly depends on whether it is used as a count noun or uncountably.[1] The resulting field study or a case report reflects the knowledge and the system of meanings in the lives of a cultural group.[2][3][4 ethnography: “Ethnographic field research involves the study of groups and people as they go about their everyday lives. … First-hand participation in some initially unfamiliar social world and the production of written accounts of that world by drawing upon such participation [is the core of ethnographic research].”—Emerson, Fretz, and Shaw - See more at: http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2010/06/ethnography-in-ux.php#sthash.s8oqsD2N.dpuf
- The field is the environment / context in which your users interact with or use your product. If you’re doing research with planning trips – busses an stops If you’re researching social media – while in transport, waiting anywhere If you’re researching a grocery app – If you’re researching photo app If you’re researching
- Contextual inquiry (CI) is a user-centered design (UCD) research method, part of the Contextual Design methodology. A contextual inquiry interview is usually structured as an approximately two-hour, one-on-one interaction in which the researcher watches the user do their normal activities and discusses what they see with the user. Ethnography (from Greek ἔθνος ethnos "folk, people, nation" and γράφω grapho "I write") is the systematic study of people and cultures. It is designed to explore cultural phenomena where the researcher observes society from the point of view of the subject of the study. An ethnography is a means to represent graphically and in writing the culture of a group. The word can thus be said to have a "double meaning," which partly depends on whether it is used as a count noun or uncountably.[1] The resulting field study or a case report reflects the knowledge and the system of meanings in the lives of a cultural group.[2][3][4 ethnography: “Ethnographic field research involves the study of groups and people as they go about their everyday lives. … First-hand participation in some initially unfamiliar social world and the production of written accounts of that world by drawing upon such participation [is the core of ethnographic research].”—Emerson, Fretz, and Shaw - See more at: http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2010/06/ethnography-in-ux.php#sthash.s8oqsD2N.dpuf
- Generative research helps you define the problem you’d like to design a solution for. Evaluative research evaluates an existing design (in prototype form or in final form).
- You have just signed a contract to do usability work for Yelp. They have been experiencing a decrease in users and realize that they may need to improve their product. They are interested in doing field research to get qualitative and quantitative feedback on user behavior with mobile apps when deciding to find a restaurant while on the go. Design a field research study to understand how apps are determining a user’s choice of where to eat, how they use those apps and how they may integrate with other websites or apps to do auxiliary tasks (i.e. getting directions and travelling to the restaurant).
- Contextual inquiry (CI) is a user-centered design (UCD) research method, part of the Contextual Design methodology. A contextual inquiry interview is usually structured as an approximately two-hour, one-on-one interaction in which the researcher watches the user do their normal activities and discusses what they see with the user. Ethnography (from Greek ἔθνος ethnos "folk, people, nation" and γράφω grapho "I write") is the systematic study of people and cultures. It is designed to explore cultural phenomena where the researcher observes society from the point of view of the subject of the study. An ethnography is a means to represent graphically and in writing the culture of a group. The word can thus be said to have a "double meaning," which partly depends on whether it is used as a count noun or uncountably.[1] The resulting field study or a case report reflects the knowledge and the system of meanings in the lives of a cultural group.[2][3][4 ethnography: “Ethnographic field research involves the study of groups and people as they go about their everyday lives. … First-hand participation in some initially unfamiliar social world and the production of written accounts of that world by drawing upon such participation [is the core of ethnographic research].”—Emerson, Fretz, and Shaw - See more at: http://www.uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2010/06/ethnography-in-ux.php#sthash.s8oqsD2N.dpuf