1. What is user research?
User research refers to obtaining the suggestions and opinions of the respondents through various channels, summarizing them and studying the general characteristics of the affairs. The purpose of user survey is to provide relevant data basis for production. Baidu baike
2. What problems have been solved by user research?
User research has different missions in each stage of product life cycle, and it is also the most effective, relatively low-cost, most economical, most convenient and cost-effective product behavior mode accompanying product growth.
From the strategic level, we need to determine the development direction of products from the macro levels such as market status and development, target user positioning and pain points, user group market and development boundary.
From the product level, before the product is released, it is necessary to collect the real needs of users, why users use this product, what scenarios users use our products, what problems we can help users solve, what preferences users have, and so on. The information architecture and form of the product are solved here.
From the point of view of user experience, whether the use of the product makes users "cool" after the product is launched or when it is significantly revised, whether it meets the needs of users, whether it meets the expectations of users, whether there are other problems to be solved, and so on. There are all the problems to be solved here, easy to use and easy to use.
From the concept of the product to the continuous online operation of the product, at different stages, we can conduct user research according to the actual business needs, establish the most authentic communication with users in the most economical way, and ensure that the product does not go astray or go out of shape.
1, and define the research objectives.
Before the investigation, we must first establish the objectives of the investigation, and what problems to solve or what valuable information can be obtained through the investigation.
At different stages of products, there are different requirements for user research. It must be clear about the current stage of the product, whether to control the product direction in the concept stage, or dig out the details of the real needs of users in the product design stage, or the data feedback on the user's data growth and experience after the iteration of the big version. Only by clearly understanding the background of the product and defining the goal of user research can the implementation be targeted.
The positioning of the target population should conform to the business positioning scenario.
It is also very important to invite interviewees during the research. Different business scenarios and product forms will also have great differences in the invitees. It is necessary to fully understand the target user group attributes of the current research products, that is, the users of the products, including executives/general administrators/actual operators, etc. , and what are the user attributes of these people (basic information attributes, such as men and women, consumption power attributes, white-collar/executives, etc. ), so as to achieve full sample coverage for different groups.
Step 2 adopt appropriate methods
User research has developed for so many years, and there are many mature methods, but the most commonly used ones are mainly the following three:
First, user interviews
User interview is a one-on-one conversation and the most direct and effective way. In the interview process, it will not be influenced by others, and the topic can be discussed in depth. It is usually more effective to discuss the solutions to known specific problems, and it is easier to get the truest ideas of users.
B. Panel discussion
Focus group is a group of people to discuss, usually 8- 12 people is the best, and it is guided by a moderator. What we play is group thinking, which can bring our collective efforts to the extreme and sometimes produce unexpected sparks. However, the requirements for moderators are relatively high. They should be able to control the scene to keep the discussion going smoothly, and at the same time, they should be good at adjusting the atmosphere and preventing the silence, so that good ideas can be generated freely. Group members have a heated discussion, and their ideas will influence each other. If they are good at guiding, they will be very successful. Otherwise, they may become platforms for conversationalists.
C, questionnaire survey
Questionnaire survey is the most commonly used method for users and can be used at almost any stage. Not limited by venue, time, place, etc. The cost is also the lowest, and an email and a short message can reach users. Data can be collected from large samples, and of course, special attention should be paid to the formulation of sample questionnaires. Questions should be in the form of multi-dimensional combination, and the content should not exceed 10 minutes under normal answering conditions. After a long time, users will be anxious, and the quality of answers will be greatly reduced or they will not answer at all.
In addition, there are more research methods, such as usability test, A/B test and eye movement experiment. Each method has different application scenarios and different costs, so it needs to be applied according to the actual situation.
3. Reasonable planning and implementation
The user's research objectives have been determined and the appropriate research methods have been selected. Next, a reasonable implementation plan will be formulated.
Careful implementation of the plan and adequate preparation are the cornerstones of success. What preparations should be made before the investigation, such as who to invite, when to invite, what questions to ask, what materials to prepare, PPT, Word, live demonstration system or making a video, etc. These need to be fully prepared. In the process of research, how to control the research time, how to make on-site records, and what small gifts to give to the respondents. After the investigation, how to analyze and sort out the materials obtained from the investigation and how to output valuable investigation reports. These all need to be planned in advance, so don't carry them out without adequate preparation. This is basically asking questions, and in the end you won't get any valuable information.
As the saying goes, the soldiers and horses have not moved, and reasonable planning and adequate preparation are the first step to success.
1. Never ask users what they want.
When you want to try to ask users what they really want, there will often be a Steve Jobs between you and users. He will be addicted to his own solutions and talk nonsense, or he doesn't know what he wants. Even if he has some ideas in his heart, he can't express them in an orderly and rational way like a product manager.
In fact, when we interview users, we don't want users to think about solutions for us, and he can't give a complete solution. What we need is whether users can have more effective solutions if they encounter any difficulties in their own actual scenes. More effective communication can start with the following three questions:
What problem do you want to solve? Why do you need to solve them?
We should make it clear that our purpose is to collect effective user feedback, so we don't limit users' ideas. It is very important to collect background information, which will be very helpful to establish good communication and understand users.
B, how to solve these problems at present?
Through this question, we can find that the real practice of users now may not go around, but eventually the problem is solved. Just like a place, in the past, in order to open an account opening certificate, it was necessary to run it ten times. Every time you run it, you will tell you that you need a material, and you will never tell you all at once, but if you have the perseverance to run it several times, you will still do it. Maybe you will go around a dead end, just like the classmate who went to reissue the ID card, and was asked to prove that "I am who I am", and the proof materials should show the original ID card. How can I prove "I am who I am" without an ID card? How can I reissue an ID card if I can't prove that I am who I am?
C, is there any way to help you do better?
If you talk about this step, you already have a certain understanding of the basic information of users and the problems encountered. Maybe users have some ideas to solve the problem better. Maybe this is your opportunity and breakthrough to optimize your products.
2. User research is not everything.
Cognitive limitations limit the imagination of a genius. Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motor Company, once said, "If I ask customers what they want, they will tell me: a faster horse. This is completely in line with people's current cognition and expectation. In that era when there were no cars, what other means of transportation was more convenient and faster than horse-drawn carts? If he doesn't know the existence of this car, then his cognitive limitation is to stay in the carriage. Maybe he will build a faster, more luxurious and more comfortable carriage than before, but this is not what people really want. People want to travel faster and more conveniently, and this pain point was caught by Henry Ford, so he made great achievements.
Users sometimes "deceive themselves". Many times, you will hide your thoughts in public, or users think they like them, but they may not.
Once we were doing a user interview, and the feedback was very positive about what information users liked to read. Many people chose: current affairs, sports, music, history, health and so on. However, after the product is launched, most people like to watch entertainment gossip news.
Another classic example: Sony has developed a new speaker and invited some customers to do interviews. When talking about everyone's preference for speaker colors, everyone said that they prefer youthful and beautiful colors, such as blue, green, yellow and so on. At the end of the interview, Sony gave everyone a speaker as a thank you. There are various colors for users to choose from. As a result, most people brought black speakers.
Final summary
User research is not only a physical activity, but also a technical activity. Rich experience, professional methods and careful planning in advance are the guarantee for users to succeed in their research.
Steve Jobs, the god of products, said, "People don't know what they want until you put it in front of them." Admittedly, user research has its limitations, but it also has many advantages. Since we don't have a great insight into human nature, maybe we can do more work on how to improve the accuracy of user surveys.
it's over
Don't be sad. Anything you lose will come back in another form. Rumi