The Value of In-Person User Research & Meaningful Digital Outcomes

Now that we are emerging from the pandemic and coming out from behind our online meetings with Zoom, Google, and Teams, the value of face-to-face engagement is proving again that connecting at a human level matters and building relationships in person makes a difference.

In-person user research plays a valuable role in developing digital solutions by providing insights and understanding into users' needs, preferences, and behaviours. While digital transformation is necessary and beneficial overall, we still need to use every tool we can to best understand citizens’ needs. Digital tools and remote research methods have gained popularity, but there are several unique benefits that in-person research offers:

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1. Contextual understanding: In-person research allows researchers to observe users in their natural environment, providing context that might be missed in remote research. By seeing users interact with a product or service firsthand, researchers can better understand how it fits into their daily lives and identify pain points or opportunities for improvement.

2. Non-verbal cues: How people say things can give us more, different, and sometimes better information than just what they say. In face-to-face interactions, researchers can observe users' non-verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. These cues can provide additional insights into users' emotions, reactions, and frustrations, which may not be fully captured through remote research methods.

3. Building rapport: Good data and good relationships with communities come from developing trust and receiving candid information from people. In-person research allows for the development of a personal connection and rapport between the researcher and the participant. This can help participants feel more comfortable, leading to more open and honest feedback. Building rapport also helps researchers build up the quality of information by asking follow-up questions and delving deeper into participants' experiences, uncovering valuable insights.

4. Building empathy: Empathy in digital services is crucial—our work exists to serve people and bring value to our lives, and to understand how to do that we need to understand the people affected. Button has written before on how to cultivate digital empathy more broadly but there is an important and specific value and connection that comes from seeing and hearing another human being face to face. This humanizes the experience and transcends beyond mere data points, often resulting in more meaningful, compassionate, and effective design elements. This empathetic understanding illuminates areas of the user's journey that may not have been apparent in digital interaction, helping to make our service design approach truly user-centric.

5. Accessibility and equity: While some individuals and communities are helped by the ability to participate digitally, others have limitations there. There is still a digital divide separating people with reliable internet access and those without, and that divide has class, racial, and regional aspects. Some communities may not have the same level of digital literacy or access to technology and might have different contexts, needs, and pain points. For instance, a visually impaired individual might struggle with a poorly designed website layout, while a person with limited internet access might find it difficult to download large files. In-person user testing allows designers to witness these issues firsthand, leading to more empathetic and tailored design decisions.

6. Serendipitous discoveries: Sometimes, unexpected insights or opportunities arise during in-person research sessions. These serendipitous discoveries can be crucial in uncovering innovative ideas or uncovering user needs that were not initially considered. Such moments are harder to come by in remote research, where the interaction is more structured and controlled.

7. Iterative collaboration: In digital services, it is crucial to be adaptive and flexible, always ready to iterate and adjust through an agile model. When people are in the same place for the same purpose, this process can happen over a matter of minutes—with ideas, responses, and new responses flowing in multiple directions. In-person research facilitates iterative collaboration between researchers, designers, and developers. By conducting sessions together, these teams can collectively analyze findings, brainstorm ideas, and quickly iterate on prototypes. This collaborative process can lead to more effective problem-solving and design solutions.

However, it's worth noting that in-person research may have limitations or constraints, such as geographical restrictions, logistical challenges, and higher costs compared to remote methods. We’re by no means saying that all your research should be in-person—simply that its value shouldn’t be forgotten due to the convenience of remote research. A combination of in-person and remote research approaches can often provide a well-rounded understanding of users and their needs, allowing for more robust digital solutions.

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If in-person research can be accomplished, Keep It Usable’s article offers some good information on in-person user research and service design which carries several other benefits:

1. Gaining immediate buy-in for design changes, based on instant feedback, and collaborative discussions with users and stakeholders.

2. Building empathy for the user and their experience, by connecting with them as human beings.

3. Increasing Stakeholders’ opportunities for evidence-based decision-making, through real-time observation of user testing, and quality control.

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In the modern digital era, governments and private business worldwide are increasingly migrating their services online. This digital transformation, while being a necessary and beneficial move, must be designed with a deep understanding of all citizens' needs. One approach that holds immense potential in this regard is in-person service design and user research.

In-person user research and service design for creating government digital services is pivotal for a multitude of reasons. To begin with, it provides unparalleled access to the human element. It is a goldmine of valuable insights and feedback, revealing non-verbal cues, facial expressions, and body language that can often say more than words. It gives designers a first-hand understanding of the hurdles that citizens face when interacting with a digital service. This deep dive into user behaviour and preference are even more important when designing for marginalized citizens, who often face unique challenges that might not be apparent in a remote or digital interaction.

Some communities may not have the same level of digital literacy or access to technology and might have different contexts, needs, and pain points. For instance, a visually impaired individual might struggle with a poorly designed website layout, while a person with limited internet access might find it difficult to download large files. In-person user testing allows designers to witness these issues firsthand, leading to more empathetic and tailored design decisions.

Moreover, immediate feedback and real-time troubleshooting are facilitated in in-person user testing, enhancing the data's accuracy and reliability. Through these interactions, governments can create truly citizen-centred services that build public trust, simplify processes and improve accessibility for a diverse population.

In-person user research also supports an adaptable testing protocol, allowing researchers to respond dynamically to the user's interactions. It enables a more profound understanding of how citizens engage with the digital platform, thereby identifying potential barriers and opportunities for improvement.

Importantly, in-person service design cultivates a deep, empathetic connection between designers and citizens, the users. This connection fostered through face-to-face interactions, humanizes the experience and transcends beyond mere data points, often resulting in more meaningful, compassionate, and effective design elements. This empathetic understanding illuminates areas of the user's journey that may not have been apparent in a digital interaction, underscoring the power of in-person service design in realizing a truly user-centric approach.

The design of government digital services should prioritize the creation of platforms that are intuitive, accessible, and citizen-friendly, with in-person service design and user research forming the cornerstone of these efforts. This approach plays a critical role in ensuring the citizens' voices guide the development process, thereby ensuring that the services are not only efficient and effective but also truly resonate with the needs of the users. The focus on in-person interactions fosters greater inclusion and empathy, as it provides firsthand insights into the diverse needs and experiences of all citizens, regardless of their circumstances. By adhering to this approach, we can ensure that the digital revolution in government services leaves no citizen behind, creating truly inclusive and empathetic digital platforms.

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