Uncovering Latent Needs Through Design Research

What users don’t say

@PaulJervisHeath!

paul@modernhuman.co✉

Uncovering Latent Needs Through Design Research.

What Users Don’t Say.

Photo credit Flickr user G8lite - http://bit.ly/151fWVN

©ModernHuman.MH

Presented by Paul-Jervis Heath on Saturday 9 November 2013

I’m not an anthropologist, ethnographer or even a user experience researcher

🕅🕆🕋

Photo credit Flickr user Lewaedd-Q - http://bit.ly/1cTyhdm

I’m just a designer who wants to create better products and services

Photo credit by Head London - http://headlondon.com

©

Indifference

Hyg

iene

Fac

tors

(U

sabi

lity)

Diff

eren

tiatio

n (E

xper

ienc

e)

Understandable

Interesting

Useful

Compelling

Indispensable

Advocacy

Dissatisfied

Low Investment High Investment

Excitement

Perform

ance

Basic

Source: Attractive quality and must-be quality - Journal of the Japanese Society for

Quality Control (in Japanese), Noriaki Kano, (1984)

Getting inside peoples’ heads is the only way to uncover their latent needs.

Early Adopter Early Majority Late Majority Laggards

Adapted from: Diffusion of Innovations, Everett M Rogers. (1962).

Crossing the Chasm, Geoffrey Moore. (1991).Photo credit

Flickr user evan.chakroff - http://bit.ly/1ak8HMs

©

Primary

#4cb015

Secondary

#d7267d #b8c01f #2d7faf #82219b

Neutrals

#dAe0e7 #bec7cf #505d65 #1f3342 #142630

Colour Palette.

#edf2f5

Focus groups are not design research.

Usability testing is vital but it will not uncover users’ needs.

Formal Casual

Primary

#4cb015

Secondary

#d7267d #b8c01f #2d7faf #82219b

Neutrals

#dAe0e7 #bec7cf #505d65 #1f3342 #142630

Colour Palette.

#edf2f5

Meet & Brief

Diary Study

Diary Analysis

1:1 Interview

Shadowing

image of mental model

Analysis Methods

Go where your users go

Immersion

Do what your users do

• the context

• the physical environment

• decor and atmosphere

• the other people present

• how people are acting

• unspoken cues between people

• how people react to one another

• inherent nomenclature and terminology

• other artefacts or objects present

• the situation and position of those artefacts

• how your presence has affected the situation

Recognise what you’re witnessing

• your own visceral and instinctive reactions

• immediate associations with other things

Capture the seeds of ideas

The hurdles and challenges

• Contextual design research is an important tool for going beyond expressed needs and finding implied needs and latent needs.

• Focus groups and usability tests are not design research.

• Formal design research can be hugely beneficial. It’s rigorous and leads to insights, behavioural patterns, indications and predictors.

• Casual design research shouldn’t be underestimated. Immersion and experience lead to ideas.

Wait. What was that again?

• These slides are available on Speaker Deck at bit.ly/17svuoV

• You can follow me on Twitter @pauljervisheath

• You can find me on Linkedin at uk.linkedin.com/in/pauljervisheath

• You can email me at paul@modernhuman.co

• You can call me at +44 79 74 56 78 23

Thanks.

Paul-Jervis Heath paul@modernhuman.co @pauljervisheath

ModernHuman.We use human-centred design to help businesses invent their future. We’re a design practice & innovation consultancy. Find out more at http://modernhuman.co

🕅🕆Photo credit

Flickr user andreaskopp - http://bit.ly/12yywna

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