Research
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User research is the systematic collection and communication of evidence to make sure we design the right products and services in the right way. We use it to advocate for users, so their voices are included in design and business decisions. This reduces risks and avoids revisions further down the line.
There is a process, skill and nuance to delivering reliable, actionable and informed insights. We look at everything from why the user needs the service to what blockers they might be facing to access it. Our job isn’t just to present the evidence. We work closely with product teams and designers to support, inform, strategise, and continually represent the users.
Learn more about our research operations team and how they underpin our research practice:
Research operationsIt’s critical that user research is practised ethically. And that means being inclusive and accessible by default. We make sure a broad spectrum of users is heard and understood so that our products and services work well for everyone. As we conduct research, we build in strong safeguarding and wellbeing precautions to protect the participants and our team members.
We take a holistic approach to research. Informed by our service design heritage, our user researchers consider wider systems and end-to-end journeys. It’s not just a snapshot, it’s the bigger picture. This equips our teams to take a well-informed strategic approach to the challenge at hand.
Our research takes 3 main approaches: qualitative, quantitative and mixed method.
Qualitative research uses interviews, workshops and typically smaller scale data collection to understand users, their context and their experience. Qualitative research often questions why people do things, to uncover deeper meaning and underlying needs. In general, it’s more explorative and less structured than other kinds of research.
Participatory research methods include observations, shadowing, self-completed work like video diaries and co-design processes like workshops. They can be done in person, online, individually or in groups. This allows us to engage a more diverse set of users to get a greater depth and context of understanding. It is underpinned by the belief that those affected by something have the right be involved in the design of it.
Quantitative research uses surveys and large-scale data collection to measure and validate people’s experience, attitudes or behaviours.
Mixed method research allows us to understand the breadth and depth of a topic by combining qualitative and quantitative methods.
We differentiate ourselves through our strong focus on the rigorous analysis and synthesis of qualitative data. In fact, we’re the only design agency offering training in qualitative analysis for user researchers. We’ve honed a robust process for interpreting data by finding patterns and looking for underlying meaning.
Our design school allows us to work better as a team. We all regularly attend our own courses to share and embed learning across the organisation. This gives our researchers a broader understanding of other user-centred design practices at NEC Digital Studio. In return, colleagues from across the business attend training on user research. This approach enables us all to integrate into each other’s work more effectively and efficiently, boosting the value that we deliver to clients.
Our learning ethos extends to clients as well. In addition to understanding our findings and recommendations, many clients value the chance to build their understanding of how great research is delivered. So we involve clients in our research processes. This collaboration not only gives them a richer understanding of findings, but builds their own capabilities around research. The tools and materials from our training programs are available or us to draw on, to help upskill clients on user research methodology.
