3 Must-do’s for trouble-free remote research

There are many things that you take for granted when conducting in-lab research sessions. When shifting to remote research, those same routine things have the potential to ruin the most well-laid research & fieldwork plan.

All interaction with the participants used to be done on the day of the fieldwork once they had been screened and scheduled.

Now, we don’t meet the participants and all sessions are remote. This increases the complexity and the number of touch points involved. What was one step (Fieldwork) is now split into multiple steps and spread across multiple days.

These 3 steps are additional steps and take up time but also a MUST during remote research! You have to ensure that

1. Digitally signed NDA and consent forms are procured from the participants before the sessions. We have been using DocuSign and it has been working well for us.

2. Participants are onboarded on the digital platform(s) that will be used. Run a test session to make sure everything is ok and the participant is familiar with controls.

• For example, if you are using GoToMeeting, ensure that the GoToMeeting app is downloaded on the participant’s phone and they know how to use enable screen sharing and video.
• Have an additional application like BlueJeans ready as well so that in case one doesn’t work, the switch over is quick.
• Use a recording application like Quicktime or Camtasia to record the screen and have a backup recording on GoToMeeting/BlueJeans to ensure redundancies.

3. Online incentive payments are made and digitally signed cash receipts are procured after that. Again through DocuSign in our case.

It’s extremely important to have the non-disclosure (NDA) and the consent forms signed by the participants. Hence, as it cannot be in done in person, we get it done digitally. We are also learning to cope with the situation and figuring out ways to ensure that no step of the process is missed.

Inspite of ensuring that participants are onboarded and their internet connectivity is tested beforehand, be prepared to face unforeseen problems with technology, internet bandwidth fluctuations, power outage, disturbances etc. Budget additional time to take care of these situations.

Interacting with a participant over a conferencing tool is not the same as sitting in front of a participant and talking to them. Looking forward to reading about your adventures conducting remote user research.

All the best.