Existing services are challenged when AI becomes involved. Testing a system's design, functionality and content before and during development reduces risk and improves usability.
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Hal.png398700Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2021-10-26 00:23:072021-11-23 16:05:06Research methods for developing services that use machine learning
In 1997 "Deep blue" became the first machine to beat a reigning world chess champion. Though Kasparov went on to win the series 5:1, it was a significant milestone.
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/we-shall-not-be-gamed.jpg463700Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2021-09-24 01:52:032021-11-23 16:04:52How AI grew up playing games
"We will be gamed" - How we don't always win when games are used to develop real world systems.
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Human-evolution.png322640Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2021-07-22 01:20:522021-11-23 16:04:26AI is packing the games away and getting a job.
Plan for each phase, each sprint and update the plan
A research plan can be one of the outputs of a design sprint, when there is one. If not, it's still helpful to write one as soon as possible. To be accessible to both team and stakeholders,…
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/HtoS-20171113-HtoS-planned-research-activities.png9202380Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2020-06-16 08:49:492020-07-02 05:57:48The research plan
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/User-feedback-image.png735700Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2020-06-01 15:55:412020-06-02 09:09:17What we learnt from making our website at a sociable distance
A good reason to start researching sooner rather than later is to address the questions and inform the decisions teams have at the start of a project.
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/iStock-862679408-sml.jpg482724Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2020-01-14 12:08:442021-10-20 14:36:18Not all surprises are welcome
Previous posts in this category describe how Neilsen's popular methodology of Discount Usability Testing can identity around 80% of a site's usability issues.
It's quite "doable", typically taking a day, with 5 people coming in for…
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Focus-group-Nov-2018.jpg290549Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2018-11-15 00:20:162020-05-23 07:44:14Turning opinions into results
A recent assignment with local government brought home the challenges of introducing digital, agile and service design into a traditional service provider; into an environment that's neither digital first nor by default.
In the UK local statutory…
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Research-is-a-team-sport-330-e1535959593491.png211200Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2018-02-27 23:04:562020-05-23 07:44:41Challenges with designing local government services
Researching for a county council involved looking at other local government websites to see if there was a structure to the visual design, if they used a visual language.
Unlike Gov.uk which is very uniform and accessible, local authority sites…
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Govuk-screen-layout.png8011020Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2018-01-28 22:45:572020-05-23 07:45:01A language of visual design – the grammar of digital engagement
The post "Different types of research", categorised user research as either formative or summative
(aka generative/evaluative): -
Formative investigates environmental and human factors, constraints, opportunities, behaviours,…
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/margaretmead1-2x.jpg6301200Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2017-11-21 05:37:462020-05-23 07:45:20Formative research – techniques and tips
"More time is spent researching, analysing results and gleaning insights, than communicating the results" - discuss.
That detracts from the impact of research, and doesn't help answer the important question - "So what?".
Visualising_data helps…
The patent on sticky-notes apparently expired in the 90s, some time before UX took off.
That's 3Ms loss, as user research consumes vast quantities for collecting and visualising_data.
What to do with a great mosaic of comments ?
A wall…
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/wall-of-post-it-notes.jpg600600Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2017-05-23 18:52:312017-05-23 18:52:31Taking down a wall of sticky notes – visualising_data
Who researches what
In the world of UX and UR, research can be crudely categorised into -
Formative - What's useful
Summative - What's useable
The first helps to create the product by investigating its context, environment,…
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/X-functional-research-activities-II.jpg13841994Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2017-05-19 14:38:072021-07-29 08:28:38Different types of research
It might not zap Klingons but nonetheless I know what to do
If you don't remember the original Star Trek, you'll probably not recognise the quote or think the green Dymo printer resembles a phaser gun.
The idea…
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/to-boldly-go-again.jpg3041073Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2017-05-14 10:19:312020-05-23 07:46:50Analogue, digital, visibility, affordance and Klingons
Heuristics
At some point, looking for a definition of "heuristic" turns up: "rule of thumb", which might or might not be helpful depending on whether you know that means "rough and ready", widely accepted, approximations that are "good…
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/verbose-cartoon.jpg500490Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2017-05-12 22:47:452020-05-23 07:47:20A checklist for evaluating webforms
Understanding usability testing 101, describes how "discount testing" with 5 people and no lab goes a long way toward identifying usability issues. The practical benefits are: -
5, 1 hour sessions constitute a good day's work
Its…
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/crying-woman.jpg500750Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2017-04-22 21:04:322017-04-22 21:04:32Preparing for 5
In the late 90s Jakob Nielsen and Tom Landauer established 80% of usability issues could be identified by 5 users. So a day of usability testing, 5x1 hour sessions, has the potential to dramatically improve a site's usability, and so it's…
Data from the UK's Office for National Statistics represented in an Excel radar (spider) graph.
It shows 37% of those surveyed aged 65+ had accessed the internet in a three-month period; which seems high for the demographic.
It would…
https://www.agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Graph-of-digital-uptake.png6831295Nick Richmondhttps://agileresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/logo-colour-300x138.pngNick Richmond2017-04-01 12:13:192017-04-01 12:13:19Internet access by age demographic
Research methods for developing services that use machine learning
AIHow AI grew up playing games
AIAI is packing the games away and getting a job.
AIThe research plan
UncategorizedWhat we learnt from making our website at a sociable distance
Presenting results, UncategorizedTips for usability testing and recording results
Discount usability testing - 101, Presenting resultsNot all surprises are welcome
UncategorizedTurning opinions into results
Discount usability testing - 101Challenges with designing local government services
UncategorizedA language of visual design – the grammar of digital engagement
UncategorizedFormative research – techniques and tips
UncategorizedVisualising_data
Presenting resultsTaking down a wall of sticky notes – visualising_data
Presenting resultsDifferent types of research
UncategorizedAnalogue, digital, visibility, affordance and Klingons
UncategorizedA checklist for evaluating webforms
UncategorizedPreparing for 5
Discount usability testing - 101Undertaking usability testing – a simple methodology
Discount usability testing - 101Internet access by age demographic
Uncategorized