“The Biggest Mistakes in User Research ” gave me a lot to think about — from the dangers of vague research goals to the importance of preparing participants and including stakeholders. It reflected many of my past research experiences, but also challenged how I think about interviews and participant recruitment. Here’s what stood out to me.
I agree with Jim that General User Research is not useful. Every research project has resource limitations, and to make the most of our investment and achieve the most valuable outcomes possible, we need to have clear goals and directions for our research within those limitations. when a client says, "I want to improve the usability of my website," that is the toughest thing to do. Unless the client has an infinite amount of time and money to invest, it is preferable to focus on improving a particular area to achieve this goal, like navigational usability.
The article's most insightful concept, in my opinion, is that people often struggle to articulate their needs and wants in terms of products, thus we must consider what they require in their natural context. I don't think it's all right because I think there's a level of credibility to the only interview but his approach made sense: establish a standard task if you are unable to access the user's home or work environment. This tells me that we can combine user testing and interviews to conduct user research. If conducting research through interviews is the only option, at least we can provide customers with a scenario to assist them in recollecting their experience with the product and clarify their demands when asking questions!
