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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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User Research summary
Stephanie Marsh
A Practical Guide to Designing Better Products and Services
19 mins
Table of Contents
User Research
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Key idea 1 of 8
User research is a key business strategy, but make sure it’s above board.
Being a natural-born number cruncher probably didn’t do much for your popularity in the playground, but it does set you up for success in the job market. Today’s data-driven world is mad about numbers. The folks who know how to collect and analyze them are ideally placed to help companies conduct user research.
User research is key in any business strategy, and there’s never a bad time to do it. Let’s say you’re developing a new product. The first thing you’ll want to find out is straightforward – will folks like it enough to reach for their wallets? Well, you’ll only know if you ask them – that’s user research. When you’re still in the early stages of product development, it’s enough to sketch your idea on a piece of paper and see how people react to it.
This way, you gain a sense of whether your product addresses a common problem. If you get positive feedback, you might be onto something. Now’s the time to start investing time and money. Your aim now is to perfect your product. If you’re working on something that already exists, user research will help you beat the competition.
Like all experimental trials, user research should be carried out according to legal and ethical requirements. The key here is transparency. Make sure participants know what they’re taking part in and be upfront about your objectives and methods. In practice, that means using your first research session to explain everything and ask participants for legal consent to have their data collected, saved and used.
It’s also important to tell them whether you’re recording their data. If you’re using video or audio equipment, point that out. You should also make sure you’re clear about whether or not you’ll use their data for other research purposes. Once you’ve explained all that, you need to explicitly ask for their consent. If they withhold it, end the research session immediately and destroy the information you’ve collected so far.
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What is User Research about?
User Research (2018) is a practical how-to guide for entrepreneurs, researchers and managers interested in answering the most important question in business – does your product meet your customers’ needs? Drawing on author Stephanie Marsh’s years of experience in user research, these blinks present the most commonly used methods, clearly describing the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Best quote from User Research
Make sure the research participants have understood what you have told them, and that they are happy to go ahead with the research.
—Stephanie Marsh
Who should read User Research?
- Entrepreneurs working on the next big thing
- Managers looking to optimize their business strategy
- Researchers investigating user experience testing
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