Managing negativity in user research
Tailor your approach to get the most out of every user interaction — even the negative ones
Sometimes, you can tell a user test isn’t going well. The participant seems confused and they’re struggling to get through the tasks.
This is a great source of data even if it hurts your feelings a bit. Other times, you can tell a user test isn’t going well because the user isn’t afraid to say it — they just hate it.
This happened to a couple of my colleagues recently—a user was reeling about the product they were testing on, at times unable to focus on tasks due to their need to tell them how much they disliked every detail.
Some people feel really comfortable sharing negative feedback; others hold those feelings back and show their frustration through negative behaviour. Know the difference between these types of people and tailor your approach accordingly.
User A: Seems frustrated, says they like your product
This user’s behaviour says that they’re confused, but they say they like your product. The most important way to capture this negative experience is to have an observer who is taking notes during the test with a focus on what the user does—not what they say.
Remind the user to think out loud: This is a great rule for any form of user research. It lets researchers keep tabs and probe deeper into areas of difficulty, confusion and frustration.
Pay attention to body language: What is their facial expression as they run through a task? When they describe what they think about the product, are they showing any indications of nervousness or uncertainty?
Capture quantitative data: Capturing quantitative data like time on task also helps you see when a user might be struggling in silence.
Record sessions to look for what you missed: Re-watch users as they runs through tasks and look for areas of friction.
Ask clarifying questions after the test: Go off-script if you noticed a user was having issues. Ask them specific questions—being careful not to lead them. For example, if they struggled with a check out flow, you might take them back to the beginning of the task and ask, “you seemed to run into a bit trouble with this task. Talk me through your experience.”
User B: Hates everything about your product
They hate everything and they aren’t afraid to say it! This is valuable data but it can throw user research off the rails. All the suggestions above still apply: take notes, record, and watch out for body language. The key here is to try to understand the root of their issues with your product and why it’s inspired such strong emotion.
Encourage but don’t lead: Encourage your user to continue to provide negative feedback but don’t overdo it. Explain that you welcome the negative feedback, but also try to parse what—if anything—is working about the product.
Focus on actionable insights: That the user hates it is valuable data—but even more valuable is knowing why they hate it. Use probing questions to understand why your user feels the way they do and how that could impact your design work going forward.
Also remember—you can’t win them all. Look at your feedback from different users as a whole and watch out for anomalies. You want to probe those cases and design for edges without getting bogged down in negativity. Try not to take it personally and always remember to take the good with the bad!
TL;DR
If your users hate your product, try to understand why they hate it so much and how (or if!) you can change that. If they show confusion in their behaviour but say they like it, observe their behaviour and body language and ask probing questions.
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