Why product research is needed
Testing the product on real users is crucial
Research is complex and variedthe process of collecting and analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, which includes communication with potential users, collecting feedback about the product from current users, quantitative validation of hypotheses, testing new functionality. Such work shows whether the idea will bring profit in the future, whether it needs to be implemented at all, and how to improve an already in-demand product.
Companies that don't study customer experience(user experience - “High-tech”) is becoming less and less - and this is good news. Most of them are already taking this forced step forward because the world has changed. And, therefore, the research process also has to be adapted.
Moving from live to video
Previously, researchers communicated with people live:made contact and, together with the answers to the questions, collected many non-verbal signs that helped to receive worthwhile insights. Body language says a lot more about a person than just a voice. Only 7% of communication is transmitted through words, and the remaining 93% are non-verbal signs. The lack of such powerful tools has greatly influenced product research, and now they have to be done from video, missing the non-verbal. For example, we began to notice that sometimes qualitative information (what the respondent told us) was not quantitatively confirmed. In fact, it turned out that during the video interviews we missed the true meaning: we did not understand the respondent that way, did not read the essence, did not get to the bottom of the truth.
Another problem we facedresearchers over the past year: people are tired of looking at the monitor. If earlier the interview for the respondent was an interesting pastime with a trip to the company's office, now it is another call to Zoom or Google Meets. About 18% of people around the world work remotely on a full-time basis, and 52% work outside the office at least once a week. All of this leads to the accumulating fatigue of online life, which is why teachers, parents and children have become more likely to refuse interviews.
Also in the organization of remote researchmore technical difficulties arise. Firstly, users are in different conditions: not everyone has a computer, a camera, and not everyone knows how to use video communications. Secondly, some of the respondents forget about interviews, and they cannot do without a built-in system of reminders. On average, with the transition to remote work, about 30% of respondents began to drop out instead of the usual 10-15%.
However, there are pluses in the video interview.In online communication, you can immediately get down to business, while offline “requires” special rituals and preludes. In real life, it would be impossible to conduct 20 interviews per day: before the remote location, we arranged up to three or four meetings with respondents. In addition, the geography of users has expanded significantly. Of course, early interviews with users from Vladivostok are possible only with a cup of very strong coffee. But before we would not even try it, because there was a misconception that a good interview via video link is impossible. Well, now we don't think so.
Features of remote team communication
One of the popular ways to get information isinterview a focus group. Previously, we gathered several respondents in one office and discussed issues of concern together, in a moderated conversation. Forbes believes that this type of communication is much more productive than one-on-one communication.
Remotely, no one can imagine focus groups in the same format anymore. We tried turning them into video conferences, but it wasn't very effective.
Firstly, because people cannotreveal their emotions - respond mechanically and with restraint. With the help of additional questions, we tried to get the true opinion of the focus group participants, so we had to talk to each respondent separately. In such a situation, it is very difficult to maintain the format of the conversation and include other participants in the conversation.
Secondly, it became more difficult to moderatefocus group and monitor the course of the conversation. In group interviews via video communication, people often began to speak at the same time, disconnected due to communication problems, some did not hear others well, asked each other again. Such a conversation fell apart, the respondents lost interest in it and quickly got tired. And most importantly, it killed the discussion.
The set of rules made it possible to conductfocus groups and come up with really interesting hypotheses. Thus, the moderator always strictly adheres to the topic and follows the research goal. At the beginning of the call, we negotiate the rules with the participants:
- The moderator directs the course of the conversation, asks questions to specific participants in turn.
- The respondent speaks after the presenter calls him by name.
- You can answer out of turn by contacting the facilitator after another respondent gives him the floor.
In the questionnaires for online meetings, we became clearlimit the number of questions (at face-to-face meetings, for example, there can be much more questions), since the search for an answer now takes more time, additional clarifications are required, an outline of the context, a dialogue. We also try to limit the response time of the respondent - this is not entirely correct, but it allows us to maintain timing.
The art of polling
Companies conduct quantitative research as frequently as before the pandemic. Tools such as questionnaires, online and telephone surveys are used.
Telephone polls with complex scripts partiallysolve the problem of lack of video communication and a large amount of time for the respondent. Branching question trees and many answer options help you find ideas for creating new products and improving existing ones. Compilers of Uchi.ru scripts try to make the polls last no longer than 10-15 minutes: it turns out to be a cross between qualitative and quantitative research. This is not a dry survey where you can find out some facts, but also not a full interview. Sometimes it is enough to get insights.
Also among the constantly used tools- online surveys and questionnaires. For them, we work out complex scenarios, try various survey methods for business metrics. It often happens that after one survey we analyze the data and, depending on it, immediately send the next survey to the respondent. So we look for correlations and dependencies and can study different, even very narrow audience segments in more detail.
It is on survey techniques that we now spend the most time and effort, because they allow us to make data-driven decisions and prioritize the task backlog.
In general, research work in companies onthe remote has only grown. More and more people are coming online for services and leisure, whose needs and demands need to be studied. Therefore, for a high-quality CustDev, we learned to take into account the circumstances and combine models and methods of obtaining information.
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