How can you ensure that the insights gathered from end user interviews are actionable?

Uma vez no meu processo de valida??o de uma hipótese para a startup que fundei em 2017 ouvi de um mentor que nunca podemos ir a campo, conversar com potenciais usuários, com a ideia de validar uma hipótese, pois de uma maneira ou outra, vamos conseguir validá-la, por mais que n?o seja verdadeira. Realize pesquisas e incurs?es a campo com o intuito de invalidar uma hipótese, tente de todas desacreditar aquela pseudo certeza, e se, ainda assim, você n?o conseguir, está hipótese é verdadeira e poderá ser trabalhada, mitigando as chances de insucesso do produto. Durante a minha experiência vi hipóteses ruins serem validadas, o que fez com que features, das quais os usuários n?o tinha interesse fossem desenvolvidas.

In my experience, it is key to involve cross-functional partners when crafting goals for user research. This has several advantages: - You uncover your partners' priorities. This helps ensure that your findings are valuable for the decisions they need to make. - You can drive alignment around what's in scope (and what is not) Prioritizing specific goals always means de-prioritizing others. Involving your partners in this process helps increase transparency and buy-in. - You avoid "the big reveal" If you only include cross-functional partners at the end of the research project (i.e. when sharing results), they may feel out of the loop and be reluctant to act on insights. This is applicable to interviews and any form of user research.

Définir des objectifs en entretien utilisateur c'est avant tout valider des hypothèses précises (ex : est-ce que la navigation est comprise de tous). Les OKR sont à définir également. à partir de combien, ou de quel chiffre, quel retour on se dit que c'est ok. Tout ca est à bien définir en amont, car il permettra d'éviter tout biais d'interprétation suite aux résultats, que ce soit de la part de l'UX Researcher ou du client

The most important thing to have when starting a research is a clear goal, a question you want to answer. Once you got that, all other steps will more easily align to guide your way to solid results. So, know the question you want user input to answer. It might come from business, product, operation, or other team, you might need to narrow down to it, and chose your batles, and you can even try to squeeze in some other important questions depending on the context, but make sure you know the main purpose of the research, then your good to go.

Beyond research goals, consider framing questions through the lens of user needs. Uncover their pain points, motivations, and mental models. This ensures insights directly translate into solutions that address their needs. Linking goals to concrete deliverables is crucial. Instead of just "learn about user preferences," aim for "identify top 3 features users need most." This guides interview questions and ensures results directly feed into design decisions.

Choosing participants by demographics is ok for marketing research but they are not so important for UX research. Psychographics (behavioral criteria) are way more important criteria for UX research, seeking key psychological and psychosocial insights that drive consumer behavior. Its not like demographics should be forbidden in UX research, but psychographics are more valuable, and demographics can be included in some contextual UX research.

Don't bias. Offering incentives can attract participants, but be mindful not to influence their responses which is quite easy. Choose neutral rewards and emphasize honest feedback for the best results.

The scope of the research and research questions should be clarified before selecting participants. Skipping this step and moving on to the next step will result in participant profiles that may not align with the objectives of the research. It will lead to the synthesis of superficial and non-relevant insights lacking in describing the context of use and interactions.

Les participants doivent-être représentatifs du produit, c'est à dire des utilisateurs actuels ou potentiels. L'idéal est de grouper un panel d'au moins 5 testeurs par typologie de personas quand c'est possible. Cela permet de couvrir le plus large spectre possible et de prendre en compte les retours de tout type d'utilisateur. Bien sur on va se concentrer d'avantage sur les personas majeurs, mais ce n'est pas débile d'inclure des personas moins importants dans ces tests.

Define your persona, the target kind of user for the research, the characteritics and actions or habits that make their inputs relevant to your project. The more broad your definition, the less accurate the insights. Using a Persona Canvas can help you with this definition.

L'objectif est surtout d'avoir une trame identique à tous les entretiens pour avoir des résultats 100% comparables. L'ordre des questions est important et doit être respecté à la lettre, ainsi que les différents scénarios afin d'éviter tout biais cognitif.

Scripts are an important part of preparing the interview, don't skip that. List the questions you have in mind, maybe get a colleague to contribute. Analyze the list and prioritize the one that are more connected with your purpose, and get out of the way the ones that might mislead the conversation. Put the questions in an order that makes sense, that might come up in a sequence in a normal covnersation, make it as natural as possible, linking them with logic. But, once you have your questions, don't get attached. The conversation might go another way, and still, be very rich. Be flexible, but be prepred.

Utilize open-ended questions to elicit comprehensive, nuanced responses, thereby gaining deeper insights into user experiences and perceptions. Moreover, integrating a methodical approach to analyzing and synthesizing the data collected during these interviews is crucial. Techniques like thematic analysis can help identify recurring patterns and themes, which can then be translated into tangible, actionable insights. By connecting these insights with the predefined goals, you can formulate specific, achievable recommendations that directly inform design decisions and strategic directions

It's essential to ask "why" to reveal the reasoning behind their actions and preferences. Moreover, flexibility in your interview approach allows you to explore unexpected insights that emerge, enriching the depth of your findings. Equally important is the practice of summarizing key points during the conversation, which clarifies understanding and encourages participants to expand on or correct interpretations

When conducting an interview, try to remember the simple human truth, what you have in front of you is a person! Yes, not an user or client, but a person. Make them feel welcome, and let them know it's a huge help getting to hear what they have to say. Try to conduct the interview in a way that it passes trhought the important questions you have listed, but don't force it to go in the same order. Be a good listener, and don't ask something if another part o the conversation already implied that answer. Be present during the interview, and make your observations later. Being thoughtfull with the person who's giving their time and attention to contribute with your work, that's minimum empathy. Do that and you will ace it!

Procedural processes of interviews are important but don’t forget the small things that can make a big difference : - compensate participants to ensure they arrive and value their time - have participants sign a disclosure - test your recording device - print out your questions so you can take notes for each participant - make the interview area comfortable

Go beyond coding and categorizing: Encourage thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns, themes, and user needs. Group findings by user type or context: Analyze data based on different participant segments for nuanced understanding. Quantify qualitative data where possible: Use metrics like sentiment analysis or frequency counts to support qualitative findings.

For analyzing the data after doing all the interviews, one way to go is putting the notes in a table, questions versus names, and filling it up with all the answers you got. Don't forget to let space for observations you made about behavior, expressions, that is part of the answer too. You can also put all the observations to the same question in a board and try grouping them by a pattern. If you were there for all the interviews, you probably already noted some patterns. If you didn't, make sure you capture the impressions from who did, it helps!

While communicating insights it is always challenging to put the relevant information forward. What worked for me best was building Experience Principles that guided me to help communicate the insights so that these principles could serve as a framework for team members and stakeholders. They help you stay aligned with your user needs and expectations along with the business goals.

Communicating the insights is the translating challenge of all UX Researcher, but it's worth! The goal here is to transform all the rich and real information ou gathered and studied into a statement that sounds clear enough for the people who weren't there to understand the conclusions you made. Don't make the mistake of taking them trough every details of the whole process, they are probably not there to learn how to do research, but let them know you followed a logical process. Use storytelling, and show them the connection between the conclusions you made and methodologies you used. Think your audiance as presentation users, and try to meet their needs with the material you will present.

"If great research gets done and no one looks at it, did it even happen?" For me, this area is one of the hardest and most frustrating parts of UX research. But when you get it right, it's the most rewarding. Here are a few key things to keep in mind. Actionable insights: Present research not just as numbers or charts, but as recommendations to support strategic or tactical product and business goals. Bite-sized takeaways: Distill key findings into summaries, cheat sheets, or actionable recommendations for easy consumption. Provide ongoing support: Build a feedback loop where stakeholders frequently access researchers/research for clarification, further analysis, or brainstorming sessions. Be the oracle.

Showcase real-world examples: Share case studies where user interview insights led to successful design solutions. Discuss common pitfalls: Warn against biases, leading questions, and overlooking non-verbal cues during interviews. Promote continuous learning: Encourage designers to stay updated on user research methodologies and best practices. Offer additional resources: Share links to articles, templates, and tools for conducting effective user interviews and analyzing data. Bonus Tip: Encourage collaborative analysis and discussion after interviews. Sharing perspectives and insights with colleagues can lead to richer and more actionable conclusions.

Here are some unique strategies that push the boundaries of user research to ignite product innovation. Future User Journeys: Airbnb's "Design Futures" team collaborated with diverse stakeholders to create "future user journeys," that anticipated emerging needs and shaped products like Airbnb Experiences to stay ahead. Inclusive Design Sprints: Microsoft used accessibility testing and diverse user recruitment in design sprints, to drive more inclusive design solutions. This led to features like the Xbox Adaptive Controller for gamers with disabilities. Ethnographic Co-Creation in Action: IDEO partnered with Nike to embed designers in runners' communities, co-creating the revolutionary Flyknit shoe based on direct user insights and needs.

F*ck what Linkedin is recommending you. To actually use insights from interviews, first select them through a matrix (most useful, least useful) and then turn them into HMW (How Might We's). Search on Google for the How Might We framework to learn more.

Generally, Asking the right questions from the right participants through interviews which will allow them to express their opinions can not be overemphasised, because that will make up your insights and direct you on what to do.