UX research takeaways from improvements to Singapore’s criminal justice system (no kidding)

R Ho
R Ho
Jul 25, 2017 · 4 min read

A helpful read for junior user experience designers or non-UXers looking to gain a better understanding of what happens during UX research.

Damn right, this is where I get my news and UX inspo from.

I heard on the radio yesterday that the use of video recordings during witness interviews is being proposed as a change in the criminal justice process here in Singapore. This is aimed at enhancing fairness and accuracy of outcomes, particularly for vulnerable victims of sexual assault. At present, only written witness statements can be submitted as evidence in court.

The newscaster quoted Corinna Lim, executive director of Association of Women for Action and Research as saying, “Taping a victim interview provides a more reliable method of documentation than written notes… and provides the ‘best record’ of the interview.” (Source)

As a user researcher, proper documentation of user interviews is an integral part of my job, and I couldn’t help but begin to draw parallels of the news report to the user research process.

Show them, don’t just tell them

In user interviews, video recordings don’t just help to document your work more reliably; they are also effective tools of persuasion.

“Take it man, take my advice.”

If you’re looking to make design improvements to an interface that your client or stakeholder doesn’t think is necessary, showing them a usability test playback of a user struggling to complete their task is more persuasive than simply telling the client or presenting a written report.

How we present our findings is equally as important as how we conduct and document our research. Humans are visual creatures, why not leverage the fact to our advantage? As often as you can, show, don’t tell.

Observe what’s happening in the body and conversation

A Straits Times article on the same subject quotes Sui Yi Siong, a lawyer from Eversheds Harry Elias, as saying that video-recorded interviews “will allow the courts to observe body language and hear any nuances or emphasis in questions asked”. (Source)

It’s usually helpful when you can see an interviewee speaking. Usually.

In user interviews, video recordings indeed help the researcher to pick up on cues such as posture, eye gaze, or inflections like hesitation, frustration or delight in a user’s voice. This allows for richer insights than written notes are able to capture.

Watching a video recording — or even listening to an audio recording — also provides an added benefit: it helps the researcher to spot gaps in their technique and make improvements for subsequent interviews, like adjusting the conversation flow or reducing the number of interjections made.

Know which tool and technique to use, and when

The same Straits Times article states that law enforcement officers will be able to decide, based on the suitability of a case, whether to take a statement in writing or via video recording.

Nope, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution out there.

As with user research, we need to know which tool and technique to use, and when and how to apply them. Video recordings offer multiple benefits but also has its downsides. Processing large video files is often a time-consuming affair, and may not always be the most appropriate method of documentation.

For example, if you’re a team of one and need to perform contextual inquiries in an off-site environment, you might be better off using just an audio recorder and phone camera instead. Or if your research is being conducted in a location where privacy is important, such as a hospital, then you might have to rely on detailed note-taking instead.

Just as law enforcement officers do, user researchers have to make judgment calls on the best research approach to take given the scope, budget, time and resources available for a project.

Desiring feedback is good, actually collecting it is better

With rights and liberties of individuals at stake, a public consultation has been launched to get feedback on the use of video recordings, along with dozens of other proposed amendments to the criminal justice process. (Source)

“Helloo, can anyone hear me?”

Several of the articles that I’ve found on this news release mention that members of the public are invited to give feedback in the coming month. Oddly enough, none provide information on how exactly interested parties can participate.

Given the time frame, and in the absence of information on how feedback is going to be collected, I’m assuming that the intended research method is by way of a nation-wide survey.

I suppose then that this would be my final UX research takeaway: quantitative surveys are a useful tool when reaching out to a large population of users, but always remember to ensure that your collection mechanics are in place!

All images courtesy of Ryan McGuire from Gratisography.com

R Ho

Written by

R Ho

Writing helps me reduce my mental load. I think.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade