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Module 4: Discovery Methods

Exploring Real Needs

Learning objective: At the end of this module, you will be able to execute formative research methods (such as ethnographic interviews and desk research) and develop Personas and Scenarios based on real research data.

Estimated time: 2 hours

Module 4 focuses on the generative and exploratory research phase, whose objective is to deeply understand problems, context, and real user needs before proposing solutions.

4.1. Secondary Research (Desk Research)

Secondary research is the collection and synthesis of existing data gathered by others. It's the recommended first step before any primary user research.

Objectives and Value

Desk Research helps to:

  • Gain a broad understanding of the product domain
  • Identify what has been researched and what remains to be explored
  • Find opportunity gaps
  • Avoid "reinventing the wheel"

Information Sources

Internal Sources:

  • Previous company research
  • Customer and satisfaction data
  • Transactional and support data
  • Existing web analytics

External Sources:

  • Academic studies and scientific publications
  • Consulting reports (McKinsey, Forrester, Nielsen)
  • Industry organization documentation
  • Market trend analysis

Search Logs and Analytics Analysis

Pre-existing quantitative data is valuable because it's based on a high volume of real users.

Search Analytics allows:

  • Identifying terms users actually search for
  • Diagnosing navigation and content problems
  • Developing vocabularies that match user language

Important limitation: Analytics data tells what users do, but doesn't say why. Qualitative research is required to understand causes.

4.2. Ethnographic and Contextual Interviews

Qualitative research is exploratory and used to understand the underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations of users.

The Value of Ethnography

Ethnography is a set of qualitative methods aimed at understanding the activities and mindsets of a group by observing their ordinary activities in their usual environment.

Contextual Inquiry is a specific technique where the researcher:

  • Spends time where the activity happens
  • Observes the user in their real context
  • Asks questions while the user performs their tasks

The Master-Apprentice Model

Contextual research is based on:

  • The user is the master who performs the activity
  • The researcher is the apprentice who observes and asks

This reduces the risk of making wrong assumptions and reveals behaviors the user has forgotten to mention.

Step by Step: Conducting an Ethnographic Interview

Before the interview:

  1. Define the interview objective (aligned with RQ)
  2. Create an interview guide with topics, not closed questions
  3. Prepare informed consent
  4. Check recording equipment

During the interview:

  1. Establish rapport: Present the purpose, ensure confidentiality, build trust.

  2. Prioritize goals over tasks: Ask first about why (motivations) and then what (actions).

  3. Use open questions:

    • ✅ "Tell me about the last time you..."
    • ✅ "What happened next?"
    • ❌ "Did you like the experience?" (closed)
    • ❌ "Don't you think it would be better if...?" (leading)

  4. Encourage narratives: Ask for stories of specific incidents, not abstract opinions.

  5. "Show and tell": Ask the user to show you how they do things. The gap between what they say and what they do is a design opportunity.

  6. Record verbatim phrases: The user's exact vocabulary is valuable for design.

After the interview:

  1. Transcribe or take detailed notes immediately
  2. Identify emerging patterns
  3. Compare with other interviews

Participant Recruitment

It's fundamental that participants are representative of the target user.

The Screener is a filter questionnaire with questions that determine if a person meets the criteria to participate.

Example screener criteria:

  • Specific age range
  • Frequency of product/service use
  • Work role or responsibilities
  • Previous experience with similar technology

4.3. Creating Personas and User Models

Once qualitative data is collected, it needs to be synthesized into useful models for the team.

What is a Persona?

A Persona is a fictional user archetype created from qualitative data collected by talking to real people.

Purpose of Personas:

  • Represent the user in the design process
  • Generate empathy in the team
  • Frame design decisions based on real needs
  • Avoid designing for "the average user" (which doesn't exist)

Important: Personas were introduced by Alan Cooper in 1999 in his book "The Inmates Are Running the Asylum" and further developed in "About Face" (2007).

Components of an Effective Persona

Personas should be based on behavior patterns, not demographics. Key components are:

1. Goals - Most important

Cooper defines three types of goals:

Goal Type Description Example
Experience Goals (Visceral) How the user wants to feel "I want to feel safe when making transactions"
End Goals (Behavioral) What they want to achieve "I want to transfer money to my family in another city"
Life Goals (Reflective) Who they want to be "I want to be a responsible provider for my family"

2. Behaviors and Attitudes

  • Usage patterns identified in research
  • Preferences and frustrations

3. Context

  • Usage environment (physical, social, technological)
  • Constraints and limitations

4. Demographics (secondary)

  • Fictional name and representative photo
  • Basic data that helps humanize

Step by Step: Creating a Persona

  1. Review all research data: Interviews, observations, surveys.

  2. Identify behavior patterns: What variables distinguish different user groups?

  3. Group users with similar behaviors: These groups will be your Personas.

  4. Define each group's goals: Experience, end, and life goals.

  5. Add context and humanizing details: Name, photo, representative quote.

  6. Validate with team and stakeholders: Ensure Personas are useful and credible.

Persona Template

PERSONA: [NAME]

"[Quote that captures their main attitude or need]"

PROFILE
- Age:
- Occupation:
- Usage context:

GOALS
- Experience goal: [How they want to feel]
- End goal: [What they want to achieve]
- Life goal: [Who they want to be]

BEHAVIORS
- [Behavior pattern 1]
- [Behavior pattern 2]
- [Behavior pattern 3]

FRUSTRATIONS
- [Pain point 1]
- [Pain point 2]

USAGE CONTEXT
- Devices:
- Environment:
- Usage frequency:

Usage Scenarios

Scenarios are the narrative complement to Personas.

A scenario is a concise narrative description of how a Persona uses a product to achieve their goals.

Context Scenarios describe the ideal experience, how the product fits into the user's life to help them achieve their goals.

Example scenario:

"Maria is on the subway heading to work. She receives a notification that her mother needs money urgently for a medical emergency. Maria opens the app, and in less than a minute manages to send the money using her fingerprint, without needing to remember complex passwords. She receives immediate confirmation and can let her mother know the money is on its way."

4.4. Techniques for Information Architecture (IA)

Information Architecture is the foundation of a good user experience. It focuses on how information is organized, navigation, and conceptual groupings.

Card Sorting

Purpose: Determine the navigation structure and labels of a site or application.

How it works:

  1. Cards are created with content pieces or functionalities
  2. Participants group cards in a way that makes sense to them
  3. Grouping patterns are analyzed

Types:

  • Open: Participants create their own categories
  • Closed: Participants sort cards into predefined categories
  • Hybrid: Combination of both

Free tools: Optimal Workshop (limited free version), UXtweak

Tree Testing

Purpose: Evaluate if a proposed navigation structure works.

How it works:

  1. Users are presented with a hierarchical structure (without visual design)
  2. They're asked to find specific items
  3. Success and path taken are measured

When to use it: After Card Sorting, to validate the proposed structure before designing.

Module 4 References

  • Cooper, A. (1999). The Inmates Are Running the Asylum. Sams Publishing.
  • Cooper, A., Reimann, R., & Cronin, D. (2007). About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design. Wiley.
  • Portigal, S. (2013). Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights. Rosenfeld Media.
  • Rosenfeld, L., Morville, P., & Arango, J. (2015). Information Architecture: For the Web and Beyond. O'Reilly Media.