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When carried out in a lab, user experience research is gear heavy. You need technology to record audio, video and the screen of the device under test. In contrast, when carried out in the field, user experience research is more lightweight. Even so, there are a few non-obvious items of kit that I find essential on a field visit.
Here's the stuff I take with me on a field visit. I may not use all of it, but I like to know it's there, just in case.
This is a single sheet of paper with a note of the 7 key topics I'm hoping to explore in my research sessions. I draw it as a map rather than as a list because that encourages me to approach the session non-linearly. I rarely cover all 7 topics with every participant but a quick glance at the topic map keeps me grounded. I never use a discussion guide or a list of questions: this creates too much structure and prevents me from discovering what I don't know I don't know.
This is my diary for the day. Who I'm visiting, who I need to ask for (if different) and a mobile number in case I get lost.
I use my phone for navigating but Google Maps sometimes fails at the final hurdle. So I get written directions for the final stage of the journey.
This is my field visit Swiss Army knife. I use it to find my way to the participant's location, for calling the participant if I'm lost or running late, and also for taking photographs of the participant's context. I also use my phone for photography in preference to a dedicated camera because it's less obtrusive than a DSLR with a 24-70mm lens. And it's invaluable for those short video clips, for example to understand a particularly convoluted workflow.
Good audio is critical for reviewing the findings from a session. At a pinch, you could use your phone (although that prevents you from using your phone for anything else, like photos or video). But the audio quality from a dedicated voice recorder beats what you'll get from your phone, especially when you're recording in a noisy environment. This is because dedicated voice recorders have twin, directional microphones. I use an Olympus LS-10. It's a bit outdated nowadays but still makes DAB-quality audio recordings. As well as using this to record the sessions, I also use it immediately after the session to summarise the stand-out observations, dictaphone style. This allows me to cover more information, more quickly than if I restrict myself to a written summary.
I like to keep the admin simple but one form is always mandatory: the form for informed consent. This tells the participant how I'll use their data and makes it clear that their participation is voluntary. If I'm showing the participant an unreleased product (rare in a site visit, but always a possibility), I may also need a non-disclosure form (NDA). I hate asking participants to sign these as they've been drafted by lawyers, but sometimes the client won't authorise the research without one. Finally, I usually have an incentive form. This is for my accountant: it's simply a receipt that the participant signs to say they received money from me.
I nearly always give a participant money for their time. Some situations may require a more culturally-appropriate gift, such as a gift token or chocolate. With cash, I make sure the money is bagged up in an envelope before I meet the participant. This is more discrete than getting out a wedge of cash. Incidentally, I give the incentive to the participant at the beginning of the session, even before they've signed the consent form.
If I'm moderating the session, I rarely take extensive notes because I want to concentrate on the participant. Instead, I prefer to have a notetaker with me (often from the development team). So to be honest, the notebook and pen are a little bit of UX research theatre. Nevertheless, I do take some notes. I like to use a good fountain pen: I find that if my handwriting looks nice, I take more notes.
I don't always use these but I like to have them with me when I want to understand a workflow or a user journey. I'll ask the user to write each step on a sticky note. I'll then photograph the map before dismantling it and putting it in my bag.
I never use this during the session itself but for afterwards, normally when I'm sitting in the car or in a local coffee shop. I copy the audio files from the voice recorder and then erase the originals. This is because my laptop is secure (password protected) whereas the voice recorder isn't.
Used to make a copy of any electronic files.
These include a USB C to Lightning cable so I can get copies of anything stored on my phone and a SD card reader for the audio files.
You can never have enough power.
I hand this to the participant at the beginning of the session along with a copy of the consent form so that they can contact me afterwards if they have any questions. It also helps emphasise that I'm independent of the sponsoring organisation.
I spoke to some colleagues to find out what they found essential. They also mentioned some of the items above but there were other suggestions, including:
Thanks to the following UX researchers for their suggestions: Jennifer Adam, Nick Bowmast, David Hamill, Nicola Hancock, Agnes Kiss, Børge Kristensen, Moira Mastrone, Stephanie Pratt, Leonie Tame, Alessandra Viero.
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Dr. David Travis (@userfocus) has been carrying out ethnographic field research and running product usability tests since 1989. He has published three books on user experience including Think Like a UX Researcher. If you like his articles, you might enjoy his free online user experience course.
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This article is tagged ethnography.
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