ux and marketing research: why we have to work together
DESCRIPTION
Presentation given at the 2010 STLUX conference.TRANSCRIPT
UX and Marketing Research: Why We Have to Work Together
Gina Bhawalkar
Scottrade, Inc.
My Background
• BS in Computer Science & BA in Psychology
• MS in Human-Computer Interaction from Georgia Tech
• Five years doing accessibility & user experience consulting
• Hired to form Scottrade’s User Experience team in August ’09 – Online investing firm – Cater to the self-directed investor – Customers interact with us via multiple web & software products. – Housed in Scottrade’s Marketing department
We’re all familiar with Marketing Research…
Qualitative (E.g. Focus Groups)
…In Its Many Varieties.
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Actively planning WITHOUT the help of a professional financial advisor
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Not actively planning, but intend to
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Quantitative (E.g. Large Scale Survey)
Then there’s UX Research…
User Research (e.g. Contextual Inquiry)
…Including Usability Testing.
The ability to view more than one month’s options in an option chain is very
desirable.
Some users thought there were too many columns in the options chain and did not want all the columns.
Some users thought it unnecessary to list every option in a month. They wanted a way to limit it to x options on either side of the current price.
It was not immediately obvious which were calls and which were puts.
Users liked the look back functionality; they were not sure the “Last” stock price in the banner was as of
the look back date. There was confusion on why the Net, Bid, and Ask columns were blank.
Some users naturally right- clicked on a row to
execute a trade but some did not.
OK, So Maybe We’re Different.
Marketing Research UX Research
• Large samples • What people say • Focused on what people’s
opinions are on a product and would they buy it
• Typically refers to
customers • Opinion based
• Small samples • What people do • Focused on how people
use a product • Typically refers to users • Observation based
But are we really THAT different?
We Have Similar Goals
1. Create the best possible experience for our customers by performing the research to guide the decisions that our company makes.
2. Use data (whether it be from a survey, focus group, usability test, etc.) to drive initiatives that ensure our customers have a satisfying experience doing business with us.
3. Advocate for the customer.
What if we worked together?
How Marketing Research Can Inform UX Research
• Understand customer attitudes & preferences around a particular topic.
• Understand who to recruit for a usability study (based on leveraging customer segmentation work).
• Validate UX findings (e.g. new feature ideas) on a larger scale.
• Find out if unusual usage patterns are prevalent on a larger
scale and should be addressed in the design.
Like Any Good Relationship…
It Goes Both Ways.
How UX Research Can Inform Marketing Research
• Based on usability test findings, or CI findings, Marketing Researchers can make hypotheses and test them on a larger scale.
• Perform research that helps update and expand on survey findings – providing the “why”.
• Marketing Research may uncover user preferences for a certain feature in a product, UX will tell you how to design it and make sure customers can use it.
The right technique really depends on the problem you’re trying to solve.
Choosing the right technique
Problem Technique
What new features should we implement on our website?
Marketing research – Survey
Which of these three design ideas should we move forward with for the redesign?
UX – Usability Testing
Which types of people should we market this product to?
Marketing research – Survey & Focus Groups
How’s the general population currently feeling about the state of the stock market?
Marketing research - Survey
We’ve identified our key customer segments, but WHY do they behave in the ways they do?
UX – Contextual Inquiry or Interviews
An Example: Designing a Mobile App
• What features from our website should we put on the mobile app?
• What should the theme of the app be?
• How much is too much?
• What features should be most prominent in the app?
• Is the navigation structure easy to use?
• Can users quickly find the information they need?
An Example: Designing a Mobile App
• Use a Large Scale Survey To: – Identify key features to have in the app. – Determine which features should be most prominent.
• Use Contextual Inquiry To: – Understand the larger context in which people would use the app.
• Use Usability Testing To: – Understand how much is too much (where does the navigation
structure break). – Is the navigation structure easy to use? – Can users quickly find the information they need?
Starting the Conversation
• Set up an initial meeting to understand what they’re doing, what research they have, and what insight they can share.
• Do a small project together to build rapport.
• Invite your marketing research team to a usability test.
• Encourage them to come to the meetings where you report your findings from a usability test and vice versa.
• Think about ways to leverage one another’s work.