Sooner or later, you're going to want to know more about your users. What do they like about your product? What do they hate? How do they use it? What sorts of problems do they run into? Perhaps most importantly, what will convert them from mere "users" into "devoted fans" of your product? We're a soup to nuts shop when it comes to research. We design the research plan, recruit participants, conduct the research, and develop a report of the results. Then we can apply what we've learned to your product design and begin making improvements right away.

What kinds of research do you do?

Usability testing - the tried and true method of asking users to sit down with your product or with a demo of a future product release and perform typical tasks. This will expose problems in the designs. That way, you can figure out where to most effectively apply your time and effort in making repairs. A usability test can help you figure out what needs fixing. It is also a wonderful eye opener. If you have team members who just "don't get it" when it comes to design, there's nothing like watching real users struggle with the product.

Focus groups - are moderated discussions with your users or potential users. A focus group is a great way to learn more about your users and what they think of you, your product, and your ideas for future products. During focus groups we can talk about product plans, show ideas for future products, discuss the competition, or talk about the product you have now. This information can be critical in shaping future product plans.

Field studies - a visit to your customer's office. There we will interview your customers, find out how they work, and observe them in their own work area using your product and/or competitive products. This in depth research is hard to match for the breadth and depth of data that it can bring to the company. Not only do you get a complete picture of how your users work with the product, you often run across desperate needs for other features, or even related products. A field study will show you things you won't learn any other way. Imagine walking into the office of a user who plasters his monitor with post-it notes to help him remember how to use your product. What's on those notes? Why does he need them? We'll notice those notes, take pictures of them, ask about them, and right away we'll know how to make big improvements in your product.

Surveys - an online survey is a quick easy way to ask your users questions about your product and its design. We've used surveys to gather data about customers (for example, age, gender, products they use), to have them choose between several product designs (which one do they like best, and why), and to just "get a feel" for the people using your products.

What do we get from the research?

Knowledge - You'll know a lot more - and we mean a LOT more - about who uses your product, what they use it for, why they like it. All the really important qualitative stuff that can make or break a product.

Persuasion - Sometimes you just need to get other people in the organization convinced that there's a problem. Research is powerful and persuasive because it is the voice of real users talking about your product. There's no ignoring it or denying it.

Concrete next steps - You'll know how to proceed. Where should you fix first, what's the worst part of your product's design? What features are most needed? What features are least used? Which proposed design is the most promising? If you only have a few weeks of engineering time to spend on "design improvements", then spend them wisely.

User Personas - All of this information can be used to help construct "Personas" that you use in your organization to represent your users. A persona can make your users more tangible and, although it sounds like a bit of mumbo jumbo, it really does help everyone on the team start thinking of your users as real people with real needs.

Designs - Because we are designers, we can take all these results and turn them into concrete next design steps. It's what we do - we're really good at it.

What does it cost?

Research can be time consuming, but we can get you useful data in just a few days of work ($3,000-$5,000). Surveys and focus groups are much easier to do, and depending on your situation we may be able to get usability data for you rather easily. Field studies and large usability studies take more time - they aren't for everyone, but we have seen them transform organizations.

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Telephone: 978.352.2585 and ask for Hagan Rivers
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