Project 3: Exploratory Read-Along Research
Project Highlights
ROLE: UX researcher
Led planning, moderated, assisted with analysis, assisted with reporting, presented to stakeholders
METHODS: Generative research, qualitative interviews, user experience research, competitive research, ideation
OUTCOMES: Future enhancement recommendations, design & research strategy
TOOLS: Microsoft Office, Zoom (remote sessions)
SKILLS: Strategy, research, data analysis, reporting, stakeholder presentation
Overview
CLIENT: A media company with a nationwide daily newspaper circulation
PROBLEM: The client wanted to increase traffic, readership, and the time people spent on the website. In addition, they wanted to understand the following:
- What prompts subscribers to engage with digital products and stories? What is driving them to come to the site or leave?
- What drives them to behave as they do, such as mobile transactional behavior (quick read) versus desktop weekday reading patterns?
- What about digital coverage and experience is valuable to subscribers?
- How does their readership compare with other news sites? Why do they visit others / what works well about those experiences?
- What are their future wants and needs? What do subscribers want more / less of from the reading experience? How can digital products be more useful to subscribers in their daily lives?
TEAM: Our consulting team consisted of a project / recruiting manager, UX strategist, and UX Researcher (me). The stakeholder team consisted of a UX designer, a product owner, and a VP of product.
DELIVERABLES: Topline report of insights, recommendations, and competitive examples
Strategy
While conducting in-home contextual read-along sessions would have been ideal, the client's budget did not allow for that. Therefore, we conducted remote read-along sessions so the participant could still show us what they were doing while in their home environment.
During each 45-minute session, I used the following methods:
- Qualitative interviews: I started by asking the participants about their daily news routines including their preferred sources and devices.
- User experience research: I then had them show me how they would get to the site we were researching and show me exactly what elements they used on the site and how they used those elements.
- Competitive research: Next, they were instructed to view several other digital news sources and show me the elements they used on those sites.
- Ideation: At the end of each session, I would discuss what elements they would need in future iterations of the site to improve their overall experience.
Timeline
Outcomes
Future Enhancement Recommendations
Future Enhancement Recommendations
Future Enhancement Recommendations
I identified the most and least successful elements on the current site and compared it against the future wants and needs identified in the competitive research. Using that information, I was able to come up with a prioritized list of future enhancements that would help the team to increase traffic, readership, and time on the site.
Design & Research Strategy
Future Enhancement Recommendations
Future Enhancement Recommendations
I was also able to identify a design and research strategy for the team to pursue as timing and budget allowed.
Reflection
- For product research studies, logistics are critical to simulate a realistic experience.
- Consider how the observer team will view the study during the planning phase to provide the best overall outcome.
- Engaging the entire stakeholder team throughout planning is critical to the success of the overall project - particularly the engagement with the findings.
Copyright © 2023 Jennifer Flom - All Rights Reserved.
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