What I learned about user research from a project with people living with dementia

Annefloor “Anna” Carels, Associate User Researcher at Kainos

I recently worked on a client project doing user research with people living with dementia and their carers here at Kainos.

In this article, I will share my reflections and what I learned about doing user research from this project.

Personal reflections
As the junior user researcher on this project, I learned new things about doing user research and it felt like what I had previously been learning started to fall into place.

Be authentic
One of the first things I learned was how to be more ‘authentic’ in the usability testing sessions, to make users feel more comfortable, gain their trust, and gather insights. By being myself in the sessions I found that users were more comfortable to share, I was more comfortable to ask follow-up questions, and we gained more insight from sessions. I did this by speaking more freely, rather than using a script. I had a guide and aim for what I wanted from the session but tailored my approach to the user instead.

Process emotions
Another important learning point was taking time out to process any emotional impact from sessions. People’s stories were very touching, and to hear about how their lives have been affected by dementia felt like an honour they wanted to share, but this could sometimes be upsetting for me (and the other researchers and observers). It was good to take time between sessions to reflect on how I felt and to prepare for a next session. We planned sessions that were slightly longer and added a break between sessions. Additionally, we checked in with each other to have time to speak about how we felt.

Make users comfortable
I also learned a lot on how to conduct myself in user research sessions. As a junior user researcher, I have not yet had a lot of experience of usability testing. However, testing with people living with dementia made me realise the importance of making users comfortable, to create a connection with them, and to be relaxed and flexible during the testing. For example, worrying less about getting through the entire prototype or asking every single question on the discussion guide. Testing is also just as much about going with the flow of the user and making them feel comfortable enough to share their ideas and thoughts openly and honestly.

Lessons for future research

What will I take forward for future research?

· Be flexible. Have a discussion guide and key testing points but be flexible around your users.

· Get users comfortable. Sometimes it may be beneficial to make sure a user is comfortable and able to get onto the chosen platform prior to the research session.

· Be authentic. This helps users feel comfortable and not feel like it’s a testing environment and they are being asked a lot of questions.

· Be prepared. Being prepared or overly prepared is always a good thing.

· Be clear on expectations and time management. People have made arrangements to speak with you. Be clear how long it will take and what you will ask them to do.

· Empathy is a double-edge sword. To get into the headspace of users dealing with challenging situations and show empathy, you can expect it to have an impact on you emotionally. Over the course of several sessions, this can build up and that’s normal and okay. That’s why it’s important to take time between or after sessions.

· Reflect on how a research session went. Ask yourself what you could do or ask differently next time. There is always room to improve, no matter how experienced you are as a User Researcher.

Acknowledgements: This project was a team effort but special thank you for helping with this article to Lizzie Coates and Olivia Sharp. Big thanks to the rest of the Kainos team too — Karl Olsen, Henna Mistry, Khush Mistry, Duncan Millar and Rhys Davies.