Blog Posts

Five tips for working with stakeholders in a UX Research project

In a typical UX project the stakeholders you deal with include engineers, product managers, UX designers, quality assurance as well as senior managers and c-level executives. This diversity presents significant challenges. Each has different skills, contexts, and pressures. Some are so specialized that they may not understand each other and many of them will have only the haziest understanding of what you do! At last week’s QRCA “Flex Your UX” summit, I offered ideas for how to work effectively with stakeholders, so that UX becomes a binding force. Here is the gist of my advice:

1. SEEK ALLIES
Teammates who value what you do and apply research learnings directly to their work. Focus on forming trusting relationships with peers as well as stakeholders at high levels, even if they are not actively participating in the research. High-level support needs to be visible because it reinforces the integral nature of your contribution which makes it easier for you to be effective.

2. SHOW STAKEHOLDERS THEIR IMPACT
Show the stakeholders how their contribution makes an impact on the research. Stakeholders should be able to see concretely how their needs will be met by your research. For example, the usability study discussion guide should call out objectives for questions and tasks that map directly to stakeholder information needs and concerns. Use private conversations and workshops to uncover the diverse needs of your stakeholders.

3. INVOLVE THEM IN THE ACTUAL RESEARCH
People learn about end users through direct observation, so always invite stakeholders to observe your sessions. If you know and trust the person, it’s fine to ask 2-3 stakeholders to accompany you on an in-home visit or other research activity, but make sure to explain your role clearly and tactfully as the moderator and theirs as the note-taker, camera man, etc. To accommodate a larger group set up a back room with piped in video from a study. Ask a colleague who understands UX to manage the group and help folks process what they are seeing.

4. LET THEM ANALYZE THE RESULTS
Debrief continuously with stakeholders as you move through your study. This gives you a chance to really understand their perspective and the impact the findings have on their area of responsibility. In a usability study debrief, compare notes on how well participants completed tasks, what went well, where they struggled. At the end of a study sponsor a “roundup” workshop where the team reviews all the findings, decides on issues, solutions, and priorities. The Affinity Diagramming technique is a very effective team decision making tool for these types of workshops.

5. MEET EVERYONE’S NEEDS WITH YOUR REPORTING
Your report needs to be succinct and actionable. It can be multi-media or written, but its primary purpose is as a record of team decision making with a punch-list of action steps. The report should also contain no surprises because throughout the whole research process you have worked with stakeholders to identify the issues, prioritized them, and develop solutions. Layer the information – separating summarized from detailed findings because some stakeholders (e.g., C-level executives, product managers) care most about the summary while others (engineers and UI Designers) need to see the details.

Overall though, your success always hinges on how well you work with the people around you. So keep it human!

Here’s a link to a published article on my talk from the Spring 2022 edition of the QRCA VIEWS Magazine.

Liz Sanders on Generative Design Research

by Kay Corry Aubrey

If I had to rely on just two books to guide me through my career in UX they would be Dumas and Redish’s “A Practical Guide to Usability Testing” and Sanders and Stappers “Convivial Toolbox”. The Dumas and Redish book describes in exquisite detail how to design and carry out a usability study. It’s task oriented approach makes it indispensable step-by-step guide for anyone who needs to run a complex study on their own. This is the book I used in the 90s to learn this craft on my own because there were no training programs at that time.

The Liz Sanders and Peter Jan Strappers book, on the other hand, is a beautiful and comprehensive guide on how to systematically draw out creativity from other humans in a research situation. Their guiding belief is people are tired of living in a consumer-driven world that can’t be maintained. They crave the chance to make better choices around how to live vs. just spend and consume. People want to engage with others in creative activities. Convivial Toolbox offers a framework for understanding human creativity and how to tap it for a variety of design-oriented purposes.

I had the opportunity to talk with Liz about her work and ideas for the Spring 2021 issue of QRCA VIEWS Magazine. Here is a link to the published interview and a link to the podcast recording on the VIEWS Website.

Margaret Heffernan on “Uncharted – How to Navigate the Future”

by Kay Corry Aubrey

Margaret Heffernan was born in Texas but has spent most of her life in the U.K. She is a TED speaker and has had many successful careers that include thirteen years as a producer of documentaries for the BBC and as a serial entrepreneur and CEO of several tech companies in the United States. She is currently a professor at the University of Bath. Margaret has written four internationally acclaimed books on business and how to live a meaningful life that meets the challenges of our time.
We talked recently about the ideas in her most recent book, “Uncharted – How to Navigate the Future”. Margaret describes how we have become reliant on invisible systems that we do not understand. In the process of outsourcing our intelligence we have lost human skills, such as the ability to read a map, direct our attention, deal with ambiguity, or with people who are different from us. The way we are profiled by technology and algorithms impacts our ability to get jobs or loans or gain access to other opportunities. The scary part is we are unaware of how these systems directly impact our lives. Apps that show us how to raise our children diminish our ability to trust our own judgment. The algorithms are invisible—we do not know how they work or the value system that is embedded in them. But one thing is certain—they are designed to serve the interests of their creators and not the average person.

Here is a link to our QRCA VIEWS Luminaries Interview and to a review of Margaret’s book and a link to the audio podcast on QRCA VIEWS magazine of our conversation.

Jane Frost of the UK’s Market Research Society on How to Raise the Profile of Our Profession

by Kay Corry Aubrey

I interviewed Jane Frost, CEO of the UK’s Market Research Society for the Fall issue of QRCA VIEWS magazine. https://lnkd.in/e2mxuYq. With over 5,000 members the MRS is the second largest market research professional organization in the world. Jane described the central role qualitative research plays in the UK, how her organization is working with government to help the industry stay strong during the pandemic, and the MRS commitment to diversity. The face-to-face market research industry in the UK has disappeared overnight and may never come back to its previous level.

Jane described how qualitative research in the UK is more “pure” using traditional face-to-face methods such as in-depth interviews and focus groups. On this side of the pond, clients expect numbers to justify insights so our approach tends to be mixed with quantitative methods, though that may be changing. The MRS plays a pivotal role in advancing the stature and skills of their members and offer high quality professional education to their members to help them stay up to date and competitive. They also sponsor excellent conferences.

Lately, Jane and her organization have focused on advancing diversity and equity within the sector. The MRS has created the “MRS Pledge” where market research industry organizations sign on and commit to actively recruit and promote employees from under-represented and non-traditional backgrounds. Jane is hoping to generalize the “MRS Pledge” to become a model for a world wide “CEO Pledge” to raise diversity within the profession beyond the UK.
Here is a link to the article

How older people are embracing technology

by Kay Corry Aubrey

According to AARP, 73% of caregivers are interested in using AgeTech to help them care for their loved ones, but only 7% actually do. Cost, usability issues, lack of familiarity and privacy concerns typically top the list as barriers to adoption. During a recent Connected Health conference Parks Associates described results from a survey that showed caregivers and loved ones want technology that promote safety vs. health. They see the value in emergency pendants that detect falls, alarm systems to warn of fire, water, or gas leaks. They are less interested in fitness trackers, smart watches and other devices that appeal to younger audiences.

But things are changing quickly due to the pandemic. Since March 30% of seniors have taken part in telehealth visits, and they are overwhelmingly pleased with its convenience and quality. Telehealth visits are now covered by Medicare and other insurance which is one positive outcome of our “new normal”. While in quarantine, older people are using zoom to stay connected with their families and friends. So quickly they are developing skills and comfort with technology and learning how to integrate it into their everyday lives.

Big corporations have noticed and are responding with products designed to help older people remain independent as long as possible. Comcast, Alarm.com and Cox Communications have developed services and enhanced home networks. Best Buy Geek Squad now installs and supports smart home and independent living products. Inexpensive and powerful sensing technology leverages machine learning that can separate normal patterns of everyday living from a fall or another emergency requiring immediate response.

ADT’s system, which costs between $40 and $60 a month, provides continuous monitoring with a human support person ready to step in. Their system uses sensors to detect falls and patterns that indicate trouble such as a door that is unlocked or has not been opened. The senior can connect with the support center through a panic button if they need help.

According to Andy Droney, Senior Director of Health, PERS, and Innovation at ADT Health the future of AgeTech will be to provide insights into what’s happening in the person’s home in an unobtrusive way. “When dealing with seniors, high technology is not always the right solution to keeping them safe in their home. With older people providing a relationship is just as important. You always need a live person in the loop who is empathic”. According to Andy the support provided can run the gamut from calling an ambulance for a health emergency to calling a neighbor to help the person get out of their chair. “If our system buys the person an extra year of independence it is a worthwhile investment.”

Even before the pandemic, demographics and need have been driving adoption of age technology. Most people want to remain in their homes as they age and cannot afford long-term care. However, the technology and services to help older people age are advancing at an impressive clip. From this conference I got the sense that we are almost there.