I up-leveled my design with user research and here is how
A designer's confidence never comes from imagination or intuition; it is based on solid user research. However, not all teams are willing to spend the time and money to sponsor it.
Skipping user research can be a tempting shortcut
"Why do you prefer design option A over B?" Asked by stakeholders.
"Option A is more aligned with our current product requirement," I replied with a low voice.
I know that that wasn't a good enough answer. Ideally, the product should be designed with actual user needs. However, I find myself skipping user research when facing operational challenges like:
A pressing timeline
Limited research resources
No team commitment
In these circumstances, I tried to compensate for the loss by carefully analyzing product requirements, studying product competitors, or discussing with teammates. These exercises are essential; they tell a lot about what people need to do, yet they won't tell why people need to do it.
Why taking perspectives from others doesn’t work as expected?
According to the Harvard Business Review, perspective-taking does not help one understand another person better.
“An attempt to understand the mind of another person, whether a stranger, your spouse, or your customer, is unlikely to benefit from imagining yourself in that person’s shoes and guessing what that person feels or wants. Rather, what seems to work best at helping someone understand what another person wants is simply asking them.”
In seeking the best design solution, a designer needs to understand people's pain without aversion or attachment. This means that designers should not start the design if they have not heard anything from the user. This holds no matter how well-summarized the product requirement is. Those requirements are still based on assumptions. Without proper validation, they can be inaccurate, biased, and even harmful to the design.
We can avoid this problem by talking to the end-user directly. Through the process of questioning, listening, and thinking, a designer will:
Get a more profound feeling of user pain
Validate existing assumptions
Fill in new knowledge gaps
All of these are the ultimate drives of a good design. As a result, it is crucial to know when to advocate for user research and overcome the challenges.
How do I know I need more user research?
Do you really need user research before starting your design? Test yourself with the scenarios and questions below.
Scenario 1: You are starting a brand new product.
Test if you can answer these questions
Who is your target user?
What is a day like for the user?
Why is it hard for the user to complete their tasks?
Scenario 2: You are not clear on the end-to-end user flow.
Test if you can answer these questions
What are all the steps for a user to finish their task?
Who else is involved in each step, and what do they do?
How does the user feel in each of these steps?
In all other scenarios, test if you know all the whys.
For any given assumption, test if you can answer 5 why questions. For example, if your project is to make it less time-consuming for the user to file a tax form.
You can ask:
Why is it time-consuming? Why is time-consuming a problem for this group of users? Why does the user need to file a tax form? Why is it not time-consuming for other users? Why does it have to be filed through a form?
Not knowing all the whys behind an insight is the signal. It indicates that you have knowledge gaps in the user's needs. Further foundational research is needed to inform your design better.
The following graph listed some common user research methods you can use in the above scenarios. Also, refer to this When to use which UX method to learn more.
What can we do to advocate for user research?
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” -Napoleon Hill
The truth is that user research is not provided to designers by default. Some companies want to plan it out months before the design gets started. Others require designers to submit specific requests to get resources. The moment you want to quit is the moment you need to keep pushing. For if it is not us, who else will advocate for the user?
Below are some common challenges and practical tips in fighting for user research.
Challenge 1: Have a pressing deadline
Try these:
Interview a friend or a family member
Talk to a smaller amount of people like 1 or 2 customers
Conduct a quick lobby test
Send out a brief survey
Challenge 2: Limited research resources
Try these:
Highlight the impact of this research, how you will use the learnings to advance your design and why the team should prioritize for you
Run and research by yourself. It is totally ok for a designer to run the research sessions, and there are plenty of resources available for you to learn how
If no access to customers, talk to those on the front lines (Customer representatives, Sales teams, etc.)
Challenge 3: No team commitment
Try these:
Educate your entire team that user research is the first step of your design process
Flag the knowledge gap and call out how user research can help save the team's time
Work with your stakeholders and convince them of the importance of user research. Find common ground between user research goals and business goals
*Note that user research is not a one-person job. Bring your partners to the research and leverage it as a way to bond the team together.
Boosting design confidence with user research
Confidence does not come from the changing body language or powerful phrase you can learn from web blogs. Instead, as Jamal explained in his article,
‘‘true confidence is rooted in a knowledge of your strengths and limitations, and a slow and steady buildup of small successes’.
User research helps me design with a solid user knowledge foundation. It empowers me to make every design decision based on users’ needs. Whenever there is a chance for me to talk to the user, I question, listen and think. All of these small successes eventually make me a more confident designer than I was yesterday.
When asked about the design choices, I can comfortably convince my stakeholders with stories and quotes. I can answer loudly with confidence:
“Yes, option A is better.”