Aimily

prep

Creating a thorough research plan as a strong foundation

The main object of the research plan was not only to clarify the "why" but also to set expectations amongst everyone in the team. Steps of Research Plan included:

Identifying the why behind this research

Defining research objectives

Clarifying research questions

Methodology

Analysis

Timeline

In order to facilitate smooth collaboration and progress in our asynchronous team, I was especially mindful about the following:

Communication: both verbal and written

Availability of resources

Timezones/Time

implement

Setting the right tone of voice for an easy and engaging user survey

Stay to the point

Our goal with the user surveys was:

Gathering quantitative data

Recruiting participants for further studies

In order to achieve our goals, we primarily used multiple-choice questions, incorporating options for short, written responses.

Flow

Create an easy and effortless survey, mimicking the natural progression of a conversation

to maintain user engagement

encourages thoughtful and accurate responses

Wording

Paying close attention to word choice to convey the essence of the project and the nature of the people behind it

Use simple and easy-to-comprehend wording

Do not lead the respondents

Length

Keep surveys to about 10 questions to optimize engagement and response quality:

2-3 generic Qs around goal-setting to set the context

2-3 specific Qs to delve deeper into behaviors

2 demographic Qs

1-2 Qs to gauge their interest in participating in further studies

Leave room for flexibility

Always provide users with options such as, "None of the above" or "Other"

This approach benefits both parties:

Users avoid the discomfort of inaccurate responses

Researchers obtain more truthful insights

Wasting no time - prepping interview script & interview guide while distributing user surveys

Interview Scrpt

Contains an intro, a brief agenda and a set of questions interviewers are expected to ask the user using interviews.

Sneak peak into our Interview Script

Interview Guide

A list of dos and don'ts for user interviews, both for the interviewers and note-takers.

Sneak peak into our Interview Guide

impact

The more detail the better - how it makes all the difference

Something I was very intentional about throughout my research plan, script and interview guide was the level of detail. I received positive feedback on how thorough everything was. Here are key actions I took and impacts they made.

Action I took:

Impact it made:

Research Plan

Consistency across interviews: ensuring every interviewer asks the same questions in the same manner, in order to identify trends and patterns

Flexibility within framework: making sure interview objectives are met while leading room to initiate a natural conversation

Frequent communication with product owner/project manager so we are accurately assessing scope and available resources

Interview Script

Include supplementary questions under every main question

Reduction of Bias: minimizing interviewer bias by standardizing questions and the order in which they are asked

Structured Approach: making sure everyone involved goes into user interviews with the same focus and direction

Interview Script

Provide instructions for everyone involved, don't leave anyone behind

Setting Expectations: ensuring everyone involved knows their part and everyone else's part, helping in building trust and comfort

Minimize errors and presented Aimily cohesively across interviews

challenge

Expectation vs Reality Check

User Surveys

Expectation

Reality

Let's Unpack

Between 4 people, we reached out to users across 18 platforms including facebook groups, slack channels and reddit, allowing us to hit 90% of expected number of user survey results

Usability Testing

Expectation

Reality

Let's Unpack

The challenge came in several layers: not enough interested users, not receiving responses from interested users, no shows on scheduled date/time

Actions we took to reach our target:

Send out mass invites via Mailchimp

Send out individual invites to those that showed interest

Send out reminders to those that signed up for a testing session

takeaways

Walking away with a new layer of confidence

Thank you to all the users that participated!

Taking the Initiative

Pushing my boundaries highlighted my capability to steer a project effectively, marking a significant step in my professional development.

Communication Clarity

Documenting design decisions, rationales, and providing comprehensive design specifications is so important especially in an asynchronous team.

Structured Management is Key

Implementing and maintaining structural integrity early was effectives as it facilitated clear communication, minimized misunderstandings and helped maintain project momentum.

Aimily

Overview