Description:

With the speed at which technology is changing, field research offers understanding into how products can impact the lives of your customers. But regardless of whether it's your first or hundredth time, conducting field research is a daunting task. Planning and conducting field research is a juggling act between preparation, interview skills, and synthesis.

While it takes practice to get comfortable with field research, you can avoid or overcome many rookie mistakes by following some simple guidelines and tips. Brad Nunnally and David Farkas highlight some of the key principles involved in any researcher's toolkit and explore lessons learned from the three main stages of conducting field studies:

• Stage 1: Planning and prep—Gathering good research data starts with proper planning. This includes everything from writing interview questions and developing an interview guide to recruiting participants and determining logistics.
• Stage 2: Out in the field—Research can drain you both physically and mentally. Brad and David introduce some tricks to keep your mind sharp, allowing you to give each session your focus.
• Stage 3: Finding the patterns—The data resulting from field research grows quickly. Brad and David outline a few techniques for making the most out of limited time and managing mountains of information.

About David Farkas

David is a User Experience Designer in Philadelphia, PA. David started his career in-house, has worked in consultancies of all sizes, has had opportunities to craft the design process within an organization, and has also adopted and evolved existing paradigms. His experience includes a range of financial services systems, business systems, and e-commerce and cross-channel platforms.

About Brad Nunnally

Brad Nunnally is a User Experience Designer out of St. Louis, MO. He regularly speaks on research methods, design techniques, and strategy. For the last decade, his work has included research, modeling, design, and testing. Over the course of his career, he has helped clients in the financial, healthcare management, public utilities, and pharmaceutical management industries identify user needs and develop engaging experiences based on those needs.