DB: Assumptions are the backbone of all erroneous findings – unfortunately they’re
often unavoidable, as research can only show us part of the picture.
When asked, users often won’t give accurate responses in the first place due to
cognitive biases: they may twist their answers in order to accommodate existing
assumptions (confirmation bias), feel inclined, pressured or subconsciously led into
giving feedback when they have no strong feelings on a subject or simply might not
care (consider paid remote-usability tests, where they make money regardless).
But it’s not just on the users – we as practitioners can also be at fault: we are prone
to confirmation bias or we may make additional assumptions based on stereotypes
when considering individual users.
The artificiality of the subject’s environment can have a huge bearing on the
authenticity of the findings. You have two choices: create an environment where you
have direct access to the subject and can dive as deep into their answers as you like
(lab or remote usability testing or focus groups) or watch candidly without
interference but then have to interpret the results from a distance (analytics or tools
such as Hotjar and Crazy Egg).
One of the biggest mistakes still committed by the industry is that of relying on
user-personas to inform design decisions. Even when driven by research, personas
lean heavily on assumptions and can drag
a project down the wrong path. At the
other extreme, I feel too much stock is
placed on raw data in analytics form.
When it comes to time on site, is higher
or lower better or is it contextual? Bounce
rate is high but we have a phone number
at the top of the homepage, so maybe
we’ve already given them all the info
they need?
As much as user-research is
methodical, on the whole it’s still far
from an exact science.What are the biggest mistakes people make
when doing user research?
Avni Bonner, Carlisle, UKQUESTION OF THE MONTHSend your questions to [email protected]
Practical
advice from
industry experts
DAVE BOWERS
Bowers is head of
strategy at Likely Story,
an award-winning
strategic creative agency
that’s focused on digital,
branding and storytelling.
w: likely-story.co.uk
t: @likelystorydaveBRETT HARNED
Harned is director of
education at TeamGantt,
founder of the event
Digital PM Summit,
author of Project
Management for Humans and podcaster at
Sprints & Milestones.
w: brettharned.com
t: @brettharnedTHIS MONTH FEATURING...
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