Three mistakes in user research

The author of this article @ Linsisi autumn for the first time as a user to participate in user interviews, this interesting transposition of thinking prompted it to reflect on the current user research, what are the common misconceptions? How to user-centric, but not only user-centric?

The author, in his own perspective, analyzes the three misunderstandings in the process of user investigation in the experience of user interviews.

Myth 1: Create a user Portrait with questions and answers

Alan Cooper puts forward the concept of persona, which is the virtual representation of the real user. Through research to understand the user, from each type to extract the typical features, to form a user portrait.

Theory is correct, but in the implementation, user research is too eager to classify and label users, so that the user characteristics are easily one-sided and inaccurate. Because people have a lot of faces, different time situations will show different self description, and self-awareness may not be accurate.

So how do you create a user portrait? I think it is more appropriate to investigate beforehand.

Take the social reading product as an example, through the user account can know the personal data, time of entry, activity level, interest point, book list and purchase situation, social network and so on. You can also learn more about users ' information and interests through the user's microblog, blog and so on.

Doing a good job of the user portrait can improve the starting point of the interview and focus on the questions, rather than the user's ignorance.

Myth 2: Investigate user behavior rather than psychology

In the research, I was frequently asked questions about the ratio distribution, frequency statistics.

Previously as a questioner do not feel that there is any problem, today answered only to find that the number that is really pat head.

The use of the process is not specific statistics of time, frequency, can only approximate estimate

Ordinary users are only concerned with the experience and are not sensitive to statistics

Take the proportion of the frequency of reading products, not the product as a dimension, but the content of the dimension, and recently read what book determines the most recent use of which products. Therefore, it is best not to ask too quantitative questions, if you want to quantify, user data and user logs can be more honest and accurate response to user behavior.

User research than data, more can reflect the user behavior, but user psychology, is the user in the Act before the series of goals, motives, needs, feelings, experience, more need is not to do statistics, but to guide users to tell stories. I think such questions can help guide the user in telling stories and digging their minds:

1. How does the user know and reach the product?

2. How will users describe product characteristics to others? (Ask yourself: is the user's description consistent with the product positioning?)

3. What features are must have for the user and which are nice to have?

4. Under what circumstances does the user "think of and find" the product?

5. What are the obvious differences between user perceptions and competing products?

Myth 3: Confusing individuality and commonness

The characteristics and ideas of a user are personalities and cannot represent the entire user. But one psychologist said, the more personal, the more common. User research is an art that excavates the commonness of individuals.

For example, I mentioned in my research that when I look for a book I will go to the byte club first, because the byte society's book can copy the text to make notes is very convenient.

This actually revealed two users psychological pain point: take notes, the resources are full. For products, most users of the must have is common, if you can not meet this demand users will turn to use other products; nice to have is personality, which is a variety of needs, to meet better, can not be used.

Distinguish user's individuality and commonness, can let the research result not only opinion, also can discover the common characteristic and common phenomenon of the user, thus as the strong basis of product decision.

Finally, if I design questions to investigate myself, I would ask:

1, I noticed that your reading list contains 19 books, of which 8 are purchased and 11 probation. Could you tell me how each book was discovered? (Search, bookstore, social referral, micro-credit account recommendation, participation activities, etc.)

2. What are the reasons for your use of this product compared to competing products? What are the characteristics of the competition to impress you, the product and competing products are respectively what are the deficiencies?

3. Will you recommend this product to your friends? If so, how would you describe it?

4. Under what circumstances do you think of and use this product?

5, to demonstrate or describe the new features in the plan, to see which of the most exciting users.