With 10 years experience in User Experience, I provide a range of research services to help my clients develop user-facing technologies which work in practice.
I tend towards the “guerilla” end of the research spectrum, believing that fast-turnaround, iterative research with small numbers of users is both more efficient and effective than large “laboratory” research. This is especially the case if you are doing fast, agile development – as most startups tend to be.
Of course, its all about choosing the right methods. Hence, I work with my clients to identify the right combination of research methods appropriate for their product goals. I focus on flexibility, changing and mixing methods as required to meet my clients’ needs.
My core services include:
- UX reviews – At Google I was a member of the review team who kicked the tires of new products before launch, helping teams catch and fix issues, so that later research and development could focus on the important stuff. If you don’t have time for extensive UX research, this can be a very effective way of auditing your product’s interaction flows, with the increased objectivity of involving someone from outside your core team.
- Cognitive walkthroughs – This is another efficient method, where your entire team is involved in a systematic audit of your product, simulating the goals and actions of a target user. In a frantic startup environment, its a great way for your team to take a step back from their area of focus (e.g, database back-end or PR), and look at a product in the way a user would. Such walkthroughs are a standard UX practice at Google and are a great way of catching issues throughout the product cycle.
- Usability testing – At some point, its important to get feedback from real users. I specialise in “informal” usability testing which can be conducted remotely, in a meeting room, or even in a cafe – in other words without the need for expensive labs and test tubes. One way I try to engage my clients, and make usability less dry, is by encouraging IM dialogues between observers and the interviewer. This helps improve test relevance and agility. I presented a talk on this very subject at CHI 2008, “No IM please, we’re testing”.
- Field research – Going beyond the lab, and meeting end users “in the wild” is often seen as a luxury by startups, but it can be invaluable to understand your user’s needs in the context of all their others cares and concerns, and hence validate your customer assumptions. Again, I err towards “guerilla research” where a small number of users, carefully recruited, can provide valuable insights. Since I like to bring clients along on field trips, they can also act as excellent educational opportunities for your new and old employees alike as they meet their customers at first hand.
- Analytics and log analysis – Everyone is collecting data these days. In fact, many startups are drowning in data. I can help you figure out what figures to focus on, and how to interpret them. More clicks is not always a good thing! As I note above, combining methods is often the way to go. Quantitative analytics is important for measuring user behaviour, however it doesn’t tell you why users are behaving the way they are.
Calling non-profits
I offer significantly discounted rates for working with not for profit organizations, including a free 2 hour UX review of your website. Please drop me a line to find out more.
