User research
Introduction
User research helps teams learn about users and create services that meet their needs.
Without it, you won’t know what problems you’re trying to solve, what to build or if the service you create will work well for users.
We're a team that's open to new tools and iterate our processes on a regular basis.
The resources provided are intended as a starting point rather than a definitive guide.
Which platforms do we use?
- Maze for prototype testing and early discovery work
- Miro for collaboration, remote workshops and idea creation
- Hotjar for heatmaps, polls and quick surveys
- Google Analytics for analysing user behaviour
- Campaign Monitor for sending research communications to our User Testing Group
Research method toolbox
Heatmaps
See how users are behaving on the page - where are they clicking? Are they navigating the page in the expected way?
User workshops
Get users into the same space to deep-dive through whole subject areas or co-create solutions
Online surveys
A quantitative and qualitative method of establishing attitudes and behaviours
In-browser polls
Capture the sentiment of users for a specific service area with a few quick questions
Telephone interviews
Talk to users to explore an area in depth
Prototype testing
Use Maze to establish the usability of prototypes before development
In-content feedback loops
Understand user sentiment towards content and get feedback if something is wrong on the page
Card sorting and tree testing
Test the hierarchy and structure of content - do users group services and content in the same way as the business?
Customer journey mapping
Map out real user journeys beyound their interaction with our services
Google Analytics
Analyse how parts of our websites and services are used, what users are searching for and how users behave
Contextual interviews
Meet a user in their environment to ask questions relevant to their surroundings
Highlighter testing
Check whether users understand our emails and letters. Do we give too much information? Do we not give them the right information?
Stakeholder mapping
Map out who to speak with about a service or website
Stakeholder workshops
Get under the skin of a service or business area and understand stakeholder expectations
Service blueprints
Check whether users understand our emails and letters. Do we give too much information? Do we not give them the right information?
Reframing the problem
Before trying to create a solution, analyse a problem statement to check whether you are researching the right thing
Assumptions and questions
Collect assumptions and questions to test and identify high-risk assumptions to prioritise for research
Assistive technology testing
Test whether a service is fully accessible by involving users of assistive technology
User research resources
Blogs and resources we have found helpful:
- UK Cross-government user research community
- Designing letters as part of the whole user journey blog by DWP Digital
- Hippo Digital's Hippo Digital user research blog
- The US Government's 18F Methods library
- Nielson Norman Group's blogpost on when to use which user-experience research method
- The GOV.UK Design System Backlog
- The NHS digital service manual
- The GOV.UK user research service manual
- GOV.UK's blog about conducting remote research with people with access needs