Decoding Product Research
At the recently hosted SDD Meetup on Decoding Product Research by SDD India, industry experts Leena Jain, Sailee Adhao, and Ayushi Johari were featured to share their insights on the end-to-end research journey of a product. Let’s delve into the key takeaways from their presentations.
Stages of Product Development
Discover Research, presented by Leena Jain
The Principal UX Researcher at Peepal Design kicked off the workshop by explaining the stages of product development. From inception to ideation, screening, concept creation, testing, and prototyping, she emphasized the importance of asking crucial questions at each stage. Leena particularly focused on discovery research, which involves understanding the problem, context, pain points, and opportunities. She illustrated the significance of asking these questions through real-world examples, including the Oral B + IDEO kids toothbrush case study. Furthermore, Leena shared her own projects, such as exploring the sexual wellness landscape in India, where research played a vital role in understanding societal viewpoints and developing a brand voice.
Key takeaway: Discovery research is instrumental in uncovering valuable insights that shape the direction and strategy of a product.
Unveiling Insights After Discovery, presented by Sailee Adhao
Sailee at delved into the research process beyond the discovery phase. Drawing from her experience in the medical industry (working at Qure.Ai), Sailee discussed the challenges of breaking and classifying contexts, understanding the resources available, and comprehending the nature of organizations. She also highlighted the need to create users out of experts, particularly in the context of doctors, who may underestimate the risk of error. Sailee emphasized the importance of observational skills, asking specific questions, and addressing biases as researchers. She concluded by introducing the concept of “healthcare researcher syndrome,” emphasizing the need to be open-minded and constantly seek new perspectives.
Key takeaway: Overcoming biases and embracing a broader perspective allows for a more comprehensive understanding of user needs and contexts.
Continuing Research Post-Launch presented by Ayushi Johari
Ayushi, shed light on the importance of ongoing research even after a product is launched. She shared an experience at BJYU, where designing a note-taking feature resulted in unexpected usage patterns and low success rates. Ayushi stressed the significance of considering extreme users, who represent the range of difficulties or easiness in performing tasks. By incorporating “extreme users” into the design process, a better user experience can be achieved. Additionally, Ayushi discussed the challenge of stakeholders relying solely on numbers and provided solutions such as referencing research papers, sensemaking of data, quantifying qualitative answers, validating hypotheses, and involving stakeholders in workshops.
Key takeaway: Addressing the needs of extreme users and effectively communicating research findings help create user-centric products while aligning stakeholders’ expectations.
In conclusion, the event brought together a diverse group of professionals and students, fostering knowledge sharing and inspiring attendees to enhance their research practices. By understanding the importance of asking the right questions, breaking biases, and considering extreme users, participants gained a deeper understanding of how research can shape successful product development.
