The Good, the Bad and the Very Interesting User Research
Why create a new weeknote title when you can just remix a previous one?
Its not like this week hasn’t been interesting…. here’s 3 highlights from my work on Catalyst’s Service Recipes and Resources projects.
The Good
Easily the best thing this week has been getting to work with the folk at Neontribe again. Harry and Kat, more specifically. And a new team member — Hannah!
I met Harry 11 years ago when we ran Innovation Labs together. Then he headed up the Mind Of My Own dev team when I founded it in 2013. We ran many dev sprints and ate many Norwich bagels together.
In 2017 I left Mind Of My Own just after Kat started work with Neontribe. Since then we’ve all been a bit like ships in the night, with just the occasional boarding party. Working with them this week has reminded me how much I enjoy their company and approach to social business and tech for good.
The Bad
The only problem this week has been a power issue. Not a power struggle or conflict, just generating power in my mobile office. I use around 600W a day on laptop, lights, devices etc.
Usually driving it about charges the house batteries (like leisure batteries on a campervan). But this week the charge system has failed. As its winter there isn’t enough sun to charge through the solar panels so I’ve watched my Batteries 10kw capacity drop.
I’ve replaced the alternator and the engine batts. Not fixed (although both were nearly dead anyway!). More tests required!
The Very Interesting User Research
My favourite project at the moment is Service Recipes. There is lots to love about it, and lots that doesn’t perform very well — yet!
This week, with Kat, Harry and Hannah we’ve run 6 x 90 minute user interviews and testing sessions.
All six participants were recipes fans. They helped us validate and invalidate some assumptions.
Assumptions like:
There is a mixed reaction to how clear current recipes are. They were described as both variable in effort and as having clear steps and goals.
When looking for useful content this cohort are assessing how: recent a recipe is, digitally mature the submitting charity is, accessible and engaging it is, whether it might be sponsored and whether it covers implementation (not only how to create it).
Here’s our whiteboard showing interface and content testing notes and screenshots, and some interview synthesis on the right.
Next week we’ll be generating more insights by analysing the interface an content test results.
Bye ‘til next week 👋🏻
Shout out to Jude Williams from Literacy Pirates who wrote her weeknotes with me 🤩
