For UX researchers and designers, user feedback is one of the most important, if not the most important, data during the research process. However, it's easy to miss the mark during the user research and not fully obtain the information that could take your design to that next level.
When conducting user interviews and usability tests, you get the opportunity to interact with your potential users and pick their brains. However, it's easy for designers to come prepared with the wrong game plan, or worse, be unprepared altogether.
From my experience working hands-on with clients during my account management, sales, and marketing roles, I have learned some tips and tricks when it comes to active listening and communicating with end-users.
1. Organize every step.
During my role as an account manager, I was responsible for scheduling meetings with my clients. From this experience, I gained a unique perspective on working with other people's schedules and the importance of coming prepared for any kind of meeting. When planning user interviews or usability tests, you are responsible for:
Recruiting test participants
Scheduling a time around there and your schedule
Determining test objectives and goals
Coming prepared with the necessary equipment and making sure the equipment is working properly
This is a small list of steps necessary to take before user research, and even these tasks can be broken down to a more specific list of to-do tasks before the session. To keep track of every step you need to take, utilize an organization system such as Notion or the old-fashioned pen and planner to make sure you are prepared for the research sessions.
2. Create a script as a guideline, not an obligation
One of the best skills I learned during my roles in account management and sales was relationship building. I walked into meetings with an overview of what I wanted to go over, but I never read notes or a script word for word. Instead, I focused on building rapport and getting to know my client on a more personal level before diving into business. From doing this, I was able to gain a lot of trust from my accounts. Translating this to design, building trust from participants can allow for much more honest feedback compared to an answer from a participant who feels uncomfortable or unwelcome in the setting.
3. Be present
This step ties in with using your script as a guideline. When researching with your participants, make sure your attention isn't focused on a script or keeping notes. You should be paying attention to your participant's behavior, attitude, and reactions. Jot down quick notes about things you notice that you won't be able to see when you're going over your recording of the interview or test. Outside of that, save the note-taking and analysis for after the test when you go over your recordings.
4. Treat your participant as a human
My best account relationships I had during my previous roles were those that I was able to connect with on a more personal level. They treated me like a human, and I returned the favor. Remembering that you're talking to a real person can be easy to forget when researching. Don't look at your participants as test subjects, see them as the real people that will be using your product. To create user empathy for stakeholders, you have to feel that empathy yourself. Do not call your user a participant, test subject, interviewee, or user, call them by their name! This brings me to another quick point - memorize your user's name before the test. This is a simple way to create a better relationship before the session even starts.
5. Come with a problem-solving mindset
Your goal for the interview or test shouldn't be robotically going through each question or task scenario. Come with the mindset that you want to solve the issues that come about, and a great way to do this is by asking follow-up, open-ended questions when problems arise. Get the most out of your participants by continuously asking why. This is your chance to gather as much user insight as possible before you launch your final product. When I came to account meetings with an open mind and feeling ready to solve their issues at hand, I was ready to pitch solutions to their problems because I was practicing active listening. Don't just listen to your user, hear what they have to say, and solve their problem.
User research can be so rewarding and beneficial in the design process. The best way to know how to solve your users' problems is by directly asking them.
Before you go into your interviews or usability tests, keep in mind that you're about to research a real human, not just a test-subject. Creating rapport and building the relationship before you get into the nitty-gritty of the research can help you gain some valuable insight that you might not have been able to gather otherwise.
If you have any questions regarding making the most out of your user research, please reach out! The transferrable skills I have acquired from past roles have proven to be incredibly useful during this process, and I would love to talk through this with anyone needing further guidance.
- Kaity
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