Why reporters are natural UX Researchers

The most important skill? Coming up with the right questions

Amanda Bruno
Jul 28, 2017 · 4 min read
A sample of my notes for a UX/UI project I did for a gamification app last summer.

UX and journalism have a lot in common than one may think. At first glance, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Usability and functionality of a product? How is that related to journalism?

But if you already understand UX and the design process, it makes perfect sense, especially now as mobile apps and VR experiences are a huge part of the industry. I’m going to break everything down for you here.

The design process

On an existing product …

Analyze product: I like to take screenshots of the step-by-step onboarding process whether it be mobile or a web application, and rank overall user experience. Along the way, I’m asking myself the following questions:

Does the navigation make sense for this particular platform?
Is the UI clean? Busy? This includes layout, typography and text.
Am I pressing where I’m supposed to?
Does anything differentiate?
Was it clear where I should have been navigating?
Is this hitting the target user audience?
What is the goal of this application/site?

Take notes: Jot down assumptions, problems, bugs, and overall experience.

Research: Maybe it’s the market, learning more about the company, competitors, etc. It’s a must to check out similar products.

How is it already being done?
Why do you think it’s working?
How can it be done better?

Example: Uber vs. Lyft vs. Gett

Lay out questions, conduct interviews: Based on your analysis, create questions to ask potential users. Don’t just ask anyone on the street, make sure you’re targeting the right people who may be using the product. You may have to ask preliminary questions to confirm this.

Cross-analyse: Create a spreadsheet to see if there is similar or repetitive feedback. This will help piece together your workflow and wireframes.

Workflow: Based on interviews, research, create a revised workflow on how the user should navigate through the product. You may need to create multiple iterations.

Wireframes: Based on interviews, research and revised workflow, sketch (I like using old-fashioned paper and pencil in early stages) various wireframes. You could even conduct design sprints. Once you have these set, lo- and hi-fi mockups (you could use Moqups, Sketch, Adobe, Balsamiq etc.) are generally next steps.

Review: Go through and edit your work. Have a few extra set of eyeballs who can help point out possible discrepancies, typos, typography, etc.

Prototype: Once you get the green light, use the tool of your choice (InVision, Marvel, etc.) to create hi-fi mockup to demo, or you can do a lo-fi displaying screens. There are many factors that go into choosing which to do. Deadlines are one of these factors.

Final review: This may/should consist of a meeting of multiple teams.

On a product from scratch …

All of the above steps are taken minus analyzing the product and the first round of taking notes.

I understand that I laid out the whole design process, which consists of UX and UI, but it’s important to understand how thorough UX research leads to the UI.

The reporting process

Research your beat: Whether you’re just starting out or a veteran, you always need to conduct research to find out the latest. In sports, it’s prospects, trades, signings, rule changes or other league news — to name a few examples.

Take notes, compile questions: You should be able to create questions based off your research in whatever you’re reporting about.

Interviews: Whether it’s the player who scored the winning goal on a sports team, CEO of a startup company or fire victim, talking to your subjects adds a layer of trust to your story. Keep in mind, we’re focusing on reporting. Opinion writing is different, though supplying facts makes for a better argument. You may have to think of questions on-the-fly also depending on the situation.

Take more notes: It’s good practice to use a voice recorder and notepad. Voice recorders can’t track body language, mannerisms, what the person is wearing, etc.

Write story: After gathering all of your info, it’s time to piece this sucker together!

Submit to editor/copydesk: No one is perfect, that’s why there are editors to double check your work and potentially save your behind. Did I mention that this has to be submitted before deadline?

Let’s review

It takes a thorough, curious, patient, and detail-oriented individual to do reporting. Reporters are natural researchers. It’s part of the job. You have to dive deep into your subject manner and learn everything about it. You are the expert.

Also as a reporter, you have to know how to establish a rapport and asking the right questions is key — just like UX research. Ask the wrong questions, and you may swerve into the wrong direction or waste a lot of time backtracking. The last thing you want to do is cost the company money.

UX research is crucial to designing innovative products. Without UX research, there is no product. Without reporters, there’s no news, and no publications — print or digital.

Just think about that for a second.

Are you seeking a QA/UX/Support guru? Want to hear more tales of my career pivot? Like this article and check out my portfolio at amandakbruno.com

Amanda Bruno

Written by

I’m a former hockey reporter & newspaper editor who now works in Quality Assurance at DRAFT. Check out my work at http://amandakbruno.com

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