Contextual inquiry will be good. You should go to the field where the user or your potential end user's environment (e.g. working place, community, home, etc) to observe and conduct a face-to-tace interview with them.
You might get some result of what they really need, and you can come out with something new to enhance their task, process, etc of how they are doing things currently. cheers, CHAN, F.Y. On Thu, Oct 16, 2008 at 5:39 AM, Nina Alter <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi Gang: > > So, I'm working with a startup right now, that has zero funding (for real, > not because they don't understand/support design) for Usability and User > Research studies... and I'm trying to get creative with how to gap this > void, with tangible information of some sort. > > Our users are in other countries- and as point-people there, I have a few > sales reps, tho that's it. > > My immediate craving is to just get to know our users beyond our own (and > industry-wide) assumptions about them- and for Christmas, a chewy > Ethnography study falling out of the sky would shoot this designer straight > over the moon. > > So I'm asking y'all here for suggestions/recommendations of resources > (books or online stuff) to help me develop some initial > "getting-to-know-our-users" work... and then guidance with how to > collect/analyze/assemble findings from mid-process usability studies. > Initially I'm thinking that surveys might be my only option in this- and > suggestions to help in composing/planning those would be awesome- as would > be other ideas of additional/alternate/better devices to employ. > > I'm very lucky in that I've worked with some incredible individual > researchers and research firms over the last 5 years, and have learned so > much from them... but one of the greatest things I've learned from all of my > involvement with research/study projects, is simply how little I really know > at all. > > Any suggestions, feedback, or guidance would be truly appreciated. > > Thanks!! > : ) nina > ________________________________________________________________ > Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! > To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe > List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines > List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help > ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
