How we built Gatsby’s user research program
User research on a small team can be tough, but building a solid foundation is everything.
Our quarterly recap
Last year, our design team launched Gatsby Design Labs: a space for us to imagine, explore, and test our ideas about the people that use Gatsby, the people that don’t, and the world in which Gatsby innovates. We’re sharing our biggest research efforts from 2021 — and what we’re cooking up for 2022.
Launching our user research program
In 2021, we struggled to run consistent user research. Finding participants for user interviews and usability tests consumed a lot of time, and response rates were low.
In late September, we launched the Design Labs user research program, aiming to recruit a core group of Gatsby users who want to be kept in the loop on research and test out upcoming designs. More than 40 people signed up, and 14 people participated in interviews and usability tests.
On behalf of every user we interviewed or tested with, we donated $25 to one of four non-profit organizations in addition to offering $25 of account credit.
What we tested
We usability tested new designs for features on the product roadmap along with emerging ideas — projects that could be on a future roadmap. Our aim with usability tests was not only to see how people felt about new designs but, more importantly, how they used them. We took that feedback to improve our designs before implementing.
A few things we prototyped and tested with users last quarter:
“Add a site” flow
How does an updated “Add a site” flow improve user understanding and adoption?
Build queues
How might users understand which builds are in their queue?
Navigation updates to the build view
What would a cohesive navigation for builds, PRs, and previews look like?
Environments workflow
How might people use a space to test different branches and environments?
What we learned
We gathered great insights from our user research sessions, which resulted in design iterations, roadmap pivots, and revisiting assumptions on what our users need.
But on a higher level, we learned that even with a dedicated pool of participants, running consistent, targeted research is still a challenge. It requires tenacity. It involves reaching out to users at certain times of the week, sending email reminders before research sessions, and always pairing with a teammate (one to facilitate, one to take notes).
Most of all, we witnessed the effort it takes to build a solid research practice tailored to Gatsby’s needs. Research might look different for our design team of three than at a larger org with more specialized roles — and that’s the fun part! We’re learning how to conduct effective research together and reap the rewards of talking to the people who use Gatsby.
What’s next
We’ve done the ground work to establish Gatsby Design Labs. In Q1, we’ll continue user research to support the product roadmap along with a few special projects:
More user research
Among other initiatives, we plan to test new Gatsby starter designs, understand enterprise account management, and improve the product experience for new Gatsby users.
Design system
Throughout 2022 we’ll be working with the front-end team to ensure consistent styles and components in our design system, which means a better user experience for everyone.
Gatsby Design on Medium
Hey… that’s what this is! We’ll keep publishing case studies, reflections, design tips, and more to invite you into Gatsby’s design process. Stay tuned!
Closing thoughts
In 2021 we built the foundation of our research process and our design team. In 2022 we’ll use that foundation to keep exploring, testing, and dreaming bigger for everyone who’s a part of the Gatsby community.
Cheers to a brand new year! ❤,
The Gatsby Design Team
Raisa, Flo, & Molly
