No time, no budget – no user research?

Completely new solutions, replacing old software licenses with the latest product generation or the optimization of existing processes: In digital work, these decisions are often made top-down and under great time pressure. There is no room for user research, is the assumption - but it is in times of trouble that listening to user feedback is the most important.

Users are only human.

Humans are complex. This also applies to users. User research allows valuable insights into the behavior of current and potential users of a solution. Working in a user-centered way doesn’t require a huge budget. Even in project scenarios that run a tight ship in terms of time and money, there are many opportunities to incorporate the users’ day-to-day and their unique expert knowledge into strategic decisions.

Of course, there is such a thing as improving things for the worse in digital work. Building software and processes exclusively on the requirements of stakeholders harbors the risk of bypassing the daily business of future users, or simply carrying the problems of the old solution into the new. Rudimentary user research can already identify key questions and uncertainties by the product team, and helps to properly reflect on the most critical features of the solution to avoid expensive redesigns and dissatisfied users.

User experience beats untested assumptions.

At D-LABS, we often work with clients who have yet to discover the potential of a user-centered approach and therefore tend to allocate minimal resources to it. Here are our recommendations for successful - if limited - user research for such projects.

For Requirement Analysis:

• Choosing the right experts: Talking to domain experts is useful for the contextualization of a solution or process within the work environment of the target group(s). They themselves are not users of said solution, however, and shouldn’t be treated as substitutes for real user feedback.
• Using online tools: Inexpensive online survey tools such as UserTesting offer easy access to users’ opinions and preferences. Social media can also be a good gateway to a broad user base.
• Desk research is your ally: Already available information on a target group such as studies, reports and other sources can be used to support a user-centric view and ask the right questions. Relevant wiki pages and forums may offer further insights into the world of users and supplement findings from interviews.
• Few interviewees in many rounds: Interviewing a handful of users during different development phases allows for iterative adjustments to the prototype. Each adjustment is then tested with the next group.
• Beating writer’s block with AI: AI cannot replace user research - despite all our love for technology, user research is about humans using these applications. On projects that only feature one user researcher, AI tools can still help to, for example, write an interview guideline, summarize protocols or formulate early hypotheses. This can be a real time savior.

During validation:

• Iterative approach to moderated testing: Especially at the beginning of the design process, moderated usability tests serve to uncover illogical concepts or barriers for users. These tests can also be done remotely, with a small number of participants or with low-fidelity prototypes. Instead of interviewing individuals, one can use discussion groups consisting of 2-3 people to benefit from the exchange between the participants.
• Unmoderated usability tests: A clearer or more mature concept requires less extensive improvements. For navigation and usability issues, unmoderated tests are quite effective in showing where users encounter difficulties. These tests have to only be prepared once and can be carried out via automated platforms, heightening their cost-effectiveness.
• Analytics and user behavior data: If available, web analytics and other behavioral data can further aid in identifying patterns in user behavior and design weaknesses.

Of course, limited resources for user research are never ideal. Even so, these and other user research methods offer a valuable start, and a much better scenario than one in which users do not get a say at all. In the end, their experiences are real treasure troves when designing and implementing solutions that simply work and do exactly what the users need them to do.