Research planning resources

[Cadence] (#cadence)
[Learning Goals] (#learning-goals)
[Recruiting] (#recruiting)
[Checklist] (#checklist)

Cadence

In line with 18F's principles of user-centered design and agile software development cycles our goal is to always be testing. The C2 team conducts discovery research at the beginning of each initiative to understand needs and usability testing throughout the design and validation phases of projects.

Learning Goals

Get started by identifying learning goals for research sprint. They will assist in the development of your research plan and guide the design of activities.

Key questions to be answered

• Who are we going to talk to?
• What do we want to learn? and why?
• How are we going to structure the conversation? How much time do we need?
• What are the user tasks related to our learning goals?
• How do we measure success?

Recruiting

C2 platform is an application for GSA employees. It is being piloted and iteratively developed with federal employees in the National Capital Region (NCR). Research participants have been identified from our current user base, beta users of new features, and by reaching out to users who have submitted support tickets.

It's helpful to develop a communication plan that supports your recruiting goals.

Communication tips:

• Be concise, clear, and friendly
• Set expectations and follow-up
• Be respectful of participants time

Following is an examples of an email for reaching out to potential participants.

Email Template #1:

Hi,

Greetings! These past few months, we’ve been working hard to improve C2. Based on feedback from users like you, we’ve made the platform easier to navigate and have updated the design.

Our new version of C2 will be available in the next two weeks, and we’d love for you to give it a try. If you’re interested, please reply to this email to let us know. 

We’ll adjust your account settings, and the next time you use C2, you’ll notice the new page! (If it doesn’t suit you, you can choose to go back to the previous version.) Of course, we’d love any feedback you’d care to share; just complete the on-page feedback form if you have observations.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask, and thanks again for your continued feedback.

Thank you,

The C2 Team

Potential Tools

Ethnio Adobe Connect Web Conferencing Software Google hangouts

Additional Resources

18F Methods on Recruiting Fundamentals

Checklists

3 weeks before:

• As a team identify learning goals (who are we going to talk to?, what are we ging to create/test?, how many people are we going to talk to?, what questions do we want to ask?, what do we think we know?)
• Assign research responsibilities to team members
• Schedule blocks of time you and your team can be available for research in advance
• Create a recruitment plan that identifies target audiences, and includes emails and conversation guides for reaching out to participants
• Reach out to potential participants or people who can refer you to participants
• Send initial emails for interview dates & time slots
• Draft an initial research plan

2 weeks before:

• Send follow-up emails & make phone calls to potential participants
• Schedule initial interviews and verify criteria
• Schedule sufficient breaks between interviews to debrief with team members
• Use tools familiar to participants that allow for video and screen sharing capabilities
• Send a reminder emails to team members and partners with research details
• Create research prompts and design for interviews

Week of:

• Refine research plan and conversation guide
• Test software, hardware, logistics of interviews, create note taking repository
• Conduct a dry-run of research session with teammates
• Assign team member roles for interviews
• Create a contingency plan & have backups for software, hardware, logistics

Day before:

• Send reminder emails or make confirmation phone calls to participants. Include interview details: what, when, where, why, and consent form

Day of:

• Research team includes: 1 facilitator/moderator, 1-2 notetakers, and additional observers if appropriate based on the format
• Double-check software, hardware, logistics
• Check recording software/hardware 1hr prior to interview
• Print out conversation guide
• Review participant names, roles, and contact information
• Following interview protocol, be respectful and considerate throughout
• Debrief immediately following interview — include top takeaways from interview in notes

Synthesis:

• Share notes and upload to shared document, Mural.ly, whiteboard
• Use Mural.ly for research analysis and affinity mapping (individually or as a group)
• Summarize insights, observations, and findings
• Share learnings with team and partners
• update the wiki with research details and learnings

Additional Resources

Doing Research at 18F Steve Krug "Rocket Surgery Made Easy" Google Ventures Research Sprint Methodology