Episode 291: Shippable User Research with Alice Lee
Feb 7, 2025
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Alice Lee, Strategy Director at Work & Co, delves into the realm of digital product strategy and shippable user research. She discusses the art of asking the right questions in product research and shares insights from her work with GoFundMe, revealing user motivations in crowdfunding. Lee emphasizes integrating agile methodologies into research and the significance of collaboration among design and research teams. Hear how shippable research can lead to impactful, incremental improvements in product development and user experience.
Shippable user research emphasizes integrating practical insights into product development, balancing rapid shipping with thorough exploration of user needs.
Collaboration among team members is vital in shippable research, fostering shared ownership and enhancing the quality of user experiences through collective efforts.
Deep dives
The Concept of Shippable Research
Shippable user research emphasizes the need for practical, actionable insights in product development, prioritizing the launch of usable products. This approach acknowledges the tension between rapid shipping and thorough research, especially in fast-moving fields like AI. By integrating research into the design process, teams can gather insights through interviews and iterative design, allowing progress while refining product concepts. This method challenges the misconception that research and shipping are mutually exclusive, promoting collaboration across all team members to enhance the quality of user experiences.
Collaborative Learning and Insight Gathering
Shippable research thrives on collaboration, where insights are derived from a collective effort rather than being confined to designated researchers. This involves defining learning objectives and conducting quick user interviews, emphasizing that design is inherently linked to research. Designers and strategists work together, exchanging ideas and conducting research, which enriches the process with diverse perspectives. This shared responsibility fosters ownership and engagement, resulting in more valuable insights that lead to better design outcomes.
Iterative Processes for Continuous Improvement
An iterative approach is at the core of shippable research, allowing teams to incrementally refine their understanding of user needs and product direction. The process begins with a broad exploration of user sentiment, gradually narrowing down through interviews and testing prototypes. By treating research as an ongoing effort rather than a one-time task, teams can adapt and evolve their strategies based on real-time feedback. This flexibility is crucial in navigating ambiguous projects and adapting to changing requirements without being locked into a rigid plan.
Real-World Application: GoFundMe Case Study
The GoFundMe project illustrated the practical application of shippable research, with the team tasked to explore barriers preventing people from seeking help online. They employed a progressive research program, initially conducting exploratory interviews to generate hypotheses, followed by iterations of testing and refinement. The designers played an active role in the research, contributing to knowledge building through collaborative efforts and shared resources. This project showcased how embracing iterative processes and teamwork can lead to impactful insights that drive user engagement and product effectiveness.
Is research still a great investment? Our guest today is Alice Lee, Strategy Director at Work & Co. You’ll learn about their shippable user research process, how to ask the right questions about things you don’t know, how they helped GoFundMe with their charity action page, and more.
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