Conducting User Research in Difficult Circumstances

Whether you are a scrappy device start-up, a multi-national drug manufacturer, or a military contractor, there are times when circumstances don’t allow for a large-scale or traditional user research program. How does one conduct user research in the middle of a global pandemic? How does one conduct research if your users are located in the middle of a battlefield? In this webinar, researchers from Emergo by UL’s Human Factors Research & Design (HFR&D) team share tips for being nimble when budget, timing, or user access are barriers for utilizing tried and true research methods.

During the webinar, the presenters will cover some ways to scale early research to suit your circumstances, tips to ensure you collect quality insights regardless of methodology, and notable benefits and drawbacks of alternative research methods. Understanding your users’ needs, preferences, behaviors, and environments can be critical to your product and project success. Don’t sacrifice the advantages of user research – work within your constraints and discover new opportunities.

This webinar covers:

• Why you shouldn’t just forego user research
• How to collect user insights with limited time and budget
• What to do when you can’t speak directly with the user or visit the actual use environment
• Tips for building user research into your development process
• Knowing the limitations of alternative research methods

Webinar attendees will come away with flexible strategies for learning about users and their needs, beyond the typical go-to tools and techniques.

PRESENTERS:

Kathryn Mizuchi | Senior User Researcher, HFR&D
James Parker | Senior User Researcher, HFR&D

This webinar was recorded on September 29, 2020.