A sample UX Research case study.
By far, the most frequent question I get asked is, “how should I write a user research case study?” The second most frequent question I get asked is, “what should I include in my case study?”
Case studies are difficult and stressful. I have spent hours sweating and crying while putting together a case study. To this day, despite my years of experience and confidence in the field, I still hate the process.
However, I want to provide an example of how I structure and write a case study in the hopes that it will make your journey better.
What is a user research case study?
A user research case study is your way to demonstrate the value you provide to an organization. It is a story about a project you have accomplished and gives your audience a step-by-step understanding of how you approached it. …
I always get asked about how I conduct research interviews, and each time I do my best to explain my techniques. I mention research plans, TEDW techniques, not asking about the future, and being careful not to ask leading questions.
However, I constantly struggle with how to describe my research interviews. Since I rarely follow a script for generative research interviews, it is hard for me to write down a list of questions because I generally base what I say on the participant’s response. …
From the first time I heard about user research to my first internship.
Since I was young, I had my sights set on becoming a vet or a psychologist. My parents laughed at the thought of me being a vet. If I saw an animal even stub their paw, I’d be in tears. I spent a brief time shadowing a vet when I was younger. I lasted about 2 hours before I ran out crying, swearing off my future as a veterinarian. I then dove into my second option, psychology.
During my Master’s program in Psychology, I worked in a mental hospital a few days a week. The patients I longed to work with had mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and dissociative identity disorder (it exists). I worked with these patients in the hospital and criminals in a neighboring hospital to get this experience. Over the two years, I completely burnt out and withdrew my Ph.D. …
And the questions I received were fascinating.
The other day I was invited to an informal product meetup as an informal speaker. My fiancé (yes, we got engaged!) is a product manager in Berlin, and he meets about once a month with a group of about ten other product managers. They swap stories and experiences, discuss tools, and seek advice from one another on all things product management. I, personally, imagined meetings filled with JIRA talk and phrases like, “it depends…”
A few weeks ago he asked me if I would like to come in and talk with the group about user research. He asked me if I’d be willing to answer as many questions as possible and be an open book about user research during those two hours. I said yes, but I was a bit apprehensive. …
And how I recovered.
I had just joined my second full-time job in user research at a company called Olapic. I was bushy-eyed and excited. A few weeks in, I was doing a good job learning and absorbing all the information I could. I was proud to have recently learned how to write research plans in a new way. I was also delving into the subject of discovery research, of which I had almost no experience.
I observed a few research sessions run by my manager. I tried to pay attention to the questions he was asking. I noticed he was entirely improvising his questions, following a loose guide of topics. …
When I was first starting as a user researcher, I had no basis of understanding how projects worked in tech companies. The only mental model I had of research was academia. I was unable to find examples of research projects online and had no idea how they worked. Eventually, I learned that once I saw research in action. However, it would have been highly beneficial for me to understand the overall process beforehand.
For those who have not yet worked in a tech or product company, it can be hard to envision what projects would look like. Previously, I wrote an article about a week in the life of a user researcher. …
Which user research track should you choose?
There is no right way to get into user research or one perfect next step on the journey. Whether you are just starting or have been in the field for years, there is no “correct” place for a given level of experience. There is no template for the perfect career path. We are user researchers, and we come from a large variety of backgrounds. Our paths will be just as varied.
I have questioned this next step frequently, to be honest. I am a classic “grass-is-always-greener” case. When I am an in-house researcher, I long for the days of freelance, and when I’m a freelancer, I wish for a stable 9–5. I transitioned between these two roles in the past seven years and, I must say, I love both for their reasons. …
And why it is one of my favorite methods.
There are a few reasons I love card sorting so much. The method is simple, effective, and fun to participate in (for both the moderator and the participant). I was surprised when I realized I hadn’t written an article solely on card sorting. It deserves it’s time to shine.
I first learned about card sorting about six years ago. I was talking to a colleague, and we wanted to redesign our platform for a different set of users. …
When 1–3 years of experience is necessary for an internship
A company’s expectations of user researchers are high. It is a competitive world out there, especially for people looking to break into the user research field. My heart sinks when I view intern or junior positions that require experience (stop doing this!) or act as though applicants should already be experts. While I believe we need to revamp our hiring process, this is the current situation.
I get so many questions from people trying to understand how to navigate what should be a simple interview process. Let me tell you. It is not easy. How are you supposed to have real-life experience and know everything as an intern or junior level? …
Creative ways to share user research insights
The first time I was asked to create a research report, I was lost. After spending my life writing academic reports, I was used to the long-winded, endless vocabulary in these presentations. Producing a report like that, as a user researcher, would prompt a lot of blank stares. And when I tried it, it did. After (many) failed attempts, I have finally found three ways to effectively share user research that is tangible, creative, and realistic for a user research team of one or fifty.
After creating and presenting my first user research report, I received many blank stares. I stood in front of the CEO, CTO, and head of product — shuffling through a pretty dull, and visually unappealing, deck. (To my humiliation, I’d used a preset gradient background). Each slide was filled with information I gathered from research sessions. And while it was helpful information, it was a lot. …
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