The Three Phases of Research

[MUSIC] 0:00 Hi, everyone, I'm Anya. 0:01 I started as a UX researcher and designer before joining Google and 0:03 being a UX manager there until very recently. 0:10 I'm now excited to share with you what I've learned. 0:14 Specifically, I wanna talk to you about an essential a part of the Helix process, 0:20 evaluating your design. 0:25 Together, we'll see how AB testing and surveys help us determine whether or 0:27 not our designs are effective. 0:32 And we'll take a critical look at usability testing so 0:34 that you can learn how to prepare, run and report on your own usability study. 0:38 User research falls into three phases that span your project timeline, 0:44 generative, tactical, and evaluative. 0:49 The generative phase is about researching user needs. 0:52 The intention of this first phase is to inspire and 0:56 to uncover the needs of the users well in advance of starting your design work. 1:00 For example, if you're working for a medical device company, you may observe 1:05 surgeons to understand how they work and what unresolved needs you can address. 1:10 At this phase, you don't even need to have a product idea. 1:15 The tactical phase is about evaluating what you've created so far. 1:19 For example, if in your previous research, 1:24 you discovered that the surgeons need help staying awake during long procedures. 1:27 The tactical phase should include a prototype of how you plan to keep your 1:32 surgeons awake. 1:36 You may even set up a mock surgery environment, 1:36 where the surgeons experiment with your idea and give you feedback. 1:39 The third and final phase of testing is evaluative. 1:44 This is the chance to see how your product is doing in the real world. 1:49 Let's say that your device has been approved for use in actual surgery. 1:53 Your job is still not done. 1:57 Now's your chance to collect data on whether your product is improving 1:59 the surgery success rate and the surgeons' well-being. 2:03 You may tweak the device along the way to make incremental improvements. 2:06 For this course, we'll focus on tactical research, but 2:11 we'll also touch on using evaluative methods after your product has launched. 2:14 After looking at all of those opportunities for research, 2:19 you might wonder, when do I actually design and build a product? 2:23 Isn't it better to put my ideas out there and fail fast? 2:27 How will I convince my team to wait for me to do this research? 2:31 Well, imagine developing your products for months, or maybe even years. 2:35 Then you find a critical design flaw after launching. 2:39 Maybe the surgeons didn't want to wear any additional devices. 2:44 All they really needed were more frequent cups of coffee. 2:48 Now what? 2:52 Alternatively, you could have tested early and discovered the critical design 2:53 flaw before any of your hardware was built, or code was written. 2:58 So quick recap. 3:02 Test early so that you can make sure you are addressing a real user need. 3:04 Designing something only you are excited about is not enough. 3:11 Confirm your design is usable. 3:17 Are you making it easy for people to Save total development time. 3:20 Discovering issues early means you won't need to build the thing twice. 3:25 Minimize the cost of product support. 3:30 A usable product simply doesn't require as much customer support. 3:33 Remember, people expect great design. 3:39 Imagine downloading a new calendar app. 3:42 You install it, add your dinner plans for Friday night, 3:45 save it, and realize you forgot to add the restaurant. 3:49 You look for the Edit button, but you don't see it right away. 3:54 How long will you search before abandoning this app for something else? 3:58 What's going to convince you to try this app again later? 4:01 If only someone tested their design before launching, 4:06 you might still be their customer. 4:10 So if you want to practice user-centered design, 4:13 always keep the user at the center. 4:17 And that means making sure to test your ideas early. 4:19