The Fountain Institute is an independent online school that teaches advanced UX & product skills.
Continuous Research Methods
Dear Reader,
If you don't have time for doing research, you are not alone. When projects get squeezed, research is always the first thing teams cut.
"I'm sorry, but we don't have time for interviews. Can't you copy what [leading competitor] does?"
Just say no.
That's why Continuous UX Research (CUXR) exists. It's an always-on, agile research approach that lets you proactively find customer needs, pain points, and desires in a few hours a week.
Today's email focuses on the methods:
- 3 Pillars of Continuous Research Methods
- Top 5 Continuous Methods
- The 60-Minute Masterclass on CUXR
Let's go.
Not all research methods are continuous.
Some methods are more suited for continuous research than others.
You want to use methods with minimal setup or maintenance. Use these 3 checks to see if the method should be used continuously:
Quick: Continuous methods should take less than 2 hours to conduct. That means you don't have time for complicated home visits, lab studies, or co-creation sessions.
The Test: Can you do this continuously without burning out?
Collaborative: Continuous Research is supposed to be conducted by the team that will eventually build the results of the findings...not just product designers and researchers.
The Test: Can you run this method with your ENTIRE team?
Accessible: Every research activity you conduct should be open to any stakeholder, and the results should be shared with everyone.
The Test: Is it easy to join the activity and access the data?
Start Continuous Research with the top 5 methods.
User Interviews: In-depth customer interviews are the best place to start a continuous research practice. Recruitment will be the most challenging part, so try to automate that (see the video below for a walkthrough).
Continuous Surveys: Contextual survey tools are a great way to get hyper-specific information from targeted personas without blasting your audience with surveys.
Unmoderated User Tests: Many asynchronous user testing platforms exist that will help you run user tests while you sleep. With tools like Usability Hub and UserTesting.com you can manage click tests, card sorts, and other quick user tests every week without burnout.
Collaborative Desk Research: You don't have to generate custom research data. Sometimes, the data you need already exists.
Product Analytics Review: Analytics platforms such as Amplitude and Mixpanel provide a wealth of UX data available anytime. Consider making this a weekly ritual with your team.
Get a Masterclass in Weekly Research
We had over 700 people sign up for this webinar, and I want to share the recording with you today. Click the video below to get a series of emails and all of the articles and books I mention in the talk:
Watch the video and get a series of emails on Continuous Research→
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Until next week, try squeezing a continuous method into your schedule!
Jeff Humble
Designer & Co-Founder
The Fountain Institute
The Fountain Institute
The Fountain Institute is an independent online school that teaches advanced UX & product skills.
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