Shadowing

Shadowing is a method in User Research which aims to observe the behavior and activities of users in their natural environment. A researcher accompanies a user in their day-to-day work and documents interactions with products and services. Through this, they gain in-depth and genuine insights into the needs, challenges and habits of users. Shadowing makes it possible to identify hidden problems, opportunities and potentials that would otherwise remain undiscovered through conventional surveys. The result is a foundation of rich, contextualized data that then supports the development of a user-centric solution.

In an interdisciplinary context, Shadowing plays a crucial role in shaping design and development strategies by providing project members from User Research, Digital Experience Design and Software Engineering alike with direct insights into the user’s world.

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Shadowing is usually done face-to-face, as it aims to capture the real behaviors of users in their typical (physical) environment. If not otherwise possible, it can also be carried out remotely. Shadowing is particularly effective in documenting contextual and implicit knowledge.

Methods related to Shadowing often include synthesizing the observed notes, creating personas and deriving specific design recommendations from the insights gained.