How I UX Research

I'm a big fan of the Jobs to Be Done Framework. I especially like how Ryan Singer presents it. He describes asking clarifying questions that get at the attributes of the products a user is pulling into their lives.

For instance, the Snickers bar has many attributes. It can be hired to do many jobs. It might be hired as a post-meal succulent treat. It might be hired as a mid-day snack. It might be hired as a way to satisfy an insistent child at checkout.

But what Snickers focused on is the job of sustenance for truckers and other on-the-go workers. "Hungry? Why Wait? Grab a Snickers." And how did they come to identify this attribute of the Snickers bar? Through in-depth, collaborative user research.

User research is a broad term. Through years of practice, I've become adept at focusing on the high value, specific user research that gets results.

I start the way Google Ventures UX Researcher Michael Margolis advises in his talk: Start at the End. By clearly identifying how the stakeholders intends to use the research, I craft a tailored research plan which takes into consideration the project's specific goals and constraints.

I collaboratively craft a clear hypothesis. I then identify the precise methodology which will most effectively falsify the hypothesis and lead to actionable insight.

This is often a mixed methods approach. By combining quantitative and qualitative approaches, I'm able to pinpoint problem and opportunity spaces and gauge the size of the opportunity or problem.

Observation and inquiry are my stock and trade. Clear, poignant questions are my bread and butter. By carefully attending to what people do, feel, say, and think, I'm able to construct models of the user journeys, including their behavior, motivations, goals, emotions, etc.

And importantly, I'm able to convey to design and development the essential features and attributes to help guide exploration of the opportunity space.