To understand users, and get answers to your hypotheses, it's critical to pick the right user research method. Each answers different type of questions or hypotheses.

1. User Research. Do or Do Not?
Borrys Hasian
Google Expert in Product Design
Google Launchpad Global Mentor
29 Oct 2017

2. Before we start...

3. Find a partner, and write down your
guesses. Don’t tell the other person
about your guesses. (2 min)
1. What’s his/her favorite drink?
2. What kind of TV show or movie does he/she refuse to
watch?
3. Where is he/she from?

4. Do this in pair: Ask questions, and
take turn. (3 min)
1. What’s your favorite drink? Why?
2. What TV show or movie do you refuse to watch? Why?
3. What is special about the place you grew up?
4. If you were an animal, what would it be? Why?

5. I know that I know nothing.
Socratic Paradox

6. Source: Quora

8. What (some) People Think
Research is expensive.
Hard to show immediate ROI.
Takes precious time at the beginning of the design and
development process.

10. UX / UI
User

11. Innovation
is the
sweetspot

12. Source: Dilbert Cartoon

13. User Research is about understanding
what people think, feel, and how they behave,
so we can help them to achieve their goals
(satisfy their needs, wants, and expectation)
and most importantly,
for the business to grow.

14. Design Sprint
Frog User Research Process

15. Frog’s User Research Process

16. Rakuten Viki App

20. Setting Research Objectives
1 2 3 4 5
Objective Hypothesis Methods Conduct Synthesis
Frame your design challenge and set research objective

21. Frame Your Design Challenge + Objective
1. What is the problem we’re trying to solve?
2. What’s the ultimate impact we want to have?
3. Framing Questions (5W+1H). Generate as many questions as we could.
4. What are the context and constraints?
5. Design Challenge
6. Set Research Objective

22. Frame Design Challenge
What is the problem we’re
trying to solve?
Increase the engagement of the viewers with the shows on
Viki.
What’s the ultimate impact we
want to have?
Viewers engage more with other users and with non-video
content of the shows they’re interested in.
Framing Questions (5W+1H)
(generate as many questions
as we could).
Who are our top users? What do they like from Viki?
When do they look for new show? Existing show?
Where do they watch drama? Why do they watch drama?
How do they get information about a new/good show?
What are the context and
constraints?
Main users are Americans. We’ll work on iOS first.
Design Challenge How might we design an engaging and straightforward
container screen that helps users to start enjoying the shows
quickly?

23. Set Research
Objective
“Understand how people engage
with popular dramas, online and
offline, either through Viki or any
other online services.”

24. Hypothesis
1 2 3 4 5
Objective Hypothesis Methods Conduct Synthesis
What we believe we already know.

25. How to create
Hypothesis?
Take questions from Objective stage,
and write down/sketch the solutions to
those questions.

26. Hypothesis Examples
Viewers feel cool when he/she’s the first to watch a new episode.
Viewers are not interested to read news on Viki platform.
Viewers share the TV show they like to their social media.
Viewers use Google to search for the latest.
Viewers don’t watch trailer to decide to watch a show.
It’s difficult to read/write review of a show on the container page.
Most of the viewers put timed-comment only if it’s a popular show.

27. Methods
1 2 3 4 5
Objective Hypothesis Methods Conduct Synthesis
Picking the right research methods.

28. It’s like a Victorinox knife...

29. Different
Research
Methods
Source: Norman Nielsen’s
Article

31. Criteria in Choosing a Show

32. Users Who Refer to Rating and Reviews

34. 5 Stars vs 10 Stars?

35. Diary Study
It’s like user writing a
diary, related to your
challenge or objective.

36. Field Study
There’s no better way to
understand the people
you’re designing for than
by immersing yourself in
their lives and day-to-day
activities.

37. Number of users for research
Source: Norman Nielsen’s Article

38. Number of users for
research
● Diary Study: 5-1200
● Interview: 12-20 (Qual), 30+ (Quan)
● Survey: 60+ (#participants >#questions)
● Card Sort: 15-30
● Focus Group: 4-12/group, with 3-4 groups
per type of participants.
● Field Study: 20-30
● Usability: 15-30 (Quan), 3-15 (Qual)

39. Group the Hypothesis
Viewers feel cool when he/she’s the first to watch a new episode.
Viewers are not interested to read news on Viki platform.
Viewers share the TV show they like to their social media.
Viewers use Google to search for the latest.
Viewers don’t watch trailer to decide to watch a show.
It’s difficult to read/write review of a show on the container page.
Most of the viewers put timed-comment only if it’s a popular show.
Attitude-Related
Behaviour-Related
Features-Related

40. Hypotheses and The Methods
Attitude-related hypothesis Understanding and foundation:
● Survey.
● Contextual interview/Observational/Immersion
● Secondary research: Market/trend/competitive
exploration.
Behaviour-related hypothesis Generating ideas and inspiration:
● Diary study.
● Card sorting.
● Participatory design.
● Prototyping.
Feature-related hypothesis Evaluating and informing design:
● Usability testing.
● Heuristic evaluation.
● Prototyping.

41. Conduct
1 2 3 4 5
Objective Hypothesis Methods Conduct Synthesis
Picking the right research methods.

42. Interview - Get Out of the Building

43. “Excuse me! I’m a researcher, and today I’m
conducting research on ways to improve online
video experience for Korean/Japanese drama
viewers. Hearing about your experience would
be really valuable. Do you have 10 minutes to
answer some questions, and we’ll give you a
FREE cup of coffee?”

44. Synthesis
1 2 3 4 5
Objective Hypotheses Methods Conduct Synthesis
Making sense of the data

45. Downloading
Share Your Learnings.
Each takes turn to paste
his/her learnings, and
share with everyone
about this stories,
learnings, or hunches.

46. Find Pattern
Create Insights
Statement.

47. Put Insights
into
Experience Map
Read more: The Anatomy
of an Experience Map

48. ありがとう
Borrys Hasian
Google Expert in Product Design
Google Launchpad Global Mentor
borrys@circleux.com
twitter @borryshasian
In Progress The Book of UX Design, in Indonesia Language:
www.belajarux.com