Remote UX Research Tips and Tricks
By: Haiying Dong
Tags: UX Research, UX, User Testing, Remote Working, User Experience

How we conduct moderated prototype testings and user interviews remotely.

Illustrated by me using Blush and Figma

The pandemic should not halt UX research.

At Synthesis, we just wrapped up a round of remote moderated prototype testings and user interviews. We’ve come to realize that remote UX research comes with its own host of unique obstacles.

Apart from the logistical and technical challenges posed by digital settings, it also has a set of “human problems”. Participants might not be wholly engaged, as it’s easy to zone out during calls. It’s also hard to detect emotions through a screen. This makes it difficult to empathize with what participants are thinking and feeling — one of the most crucial parts of qualitative studies.

In this article, we’ll share some actionable tips and tricks on how to work around both technical and human problems.

Logistical and technical problems

The problems go beyond not understanding how to use the tech. There might be accessibility issues — participants might not be in an area with steady WiFi, for instance. Anticipating and preparing for these problems boils down to one of the fundamental principles of design — empathy.

1. Over prepare and run pilot studies

Pilot testing, running trial sessions before the actual research, is a general rule of thumb. It’s especially important for remote research since you can’t support your participants in person if something goes wrong.

Some additional things to pay attention to for remote pilot studies include:

Are you using any new tools or technologies?

Any broken links? When you share a document, make sure your participants have access to it.

How long will the session take? Many of us are experiencing “Zoom fatigue”. At Synthesis, we keep our user testing sessions within 90 minutes.

2. Assume something will go wrong and have a backup plan

The best way to prepare is to imagine all the things that could go wrong and come up with back-up plans. Here are some technical issues you can anticipate and prepare for:

Constraints on tools: For B2B product testing, it’s likely that your participants will have constraints on what tools they have access to depending on what their company uses (e.g., Google Drive vs. Box, Skype vs. Microsoft Team). Ask what’s convenient for them and prepare backup links in advance.

Malfunctioning prototypes, slow internet, etc: In an ideal world, we’d like the participants to play around with the prototype and simulate the real world use case as closely as possible. However, it’s more than likely that technical issues may get in the way.

When this occurs, it’s good to be flexible and to think of alternative means for the participants to test the prototype. In one case, the participant was unable to interact with our clickable prototype on his computer; while it wasn’t ideal, we quickly switched to the Wizard-of-Oz technique to finish the testing.

3. Prepare different packs for the observers, and the participants and yourself (the facilitator / researcher)

Preparing different information packs for the various people involved. Keep in mind the necessary information for each group, and the most effective way to present it to them.

Observer pack: Unlike in-person research where you can see when an observer is writing down notes, it’s difficult to coordinate note-taking between observers during remote research. It’s also hard to ensure that the observers stay engaged and capture as many notes as possible. Creating a preset template for note-taking helps to keep everyone on the same page, literally.

Unlike in-person research where you can see when an observer is writing down notes, it’s difficult to coordinate note-taking between observers during remote research. It’s also hard to ensure that the observers stay engaged and capture as many notes as possible. Creating a preset template for note-taking helps to keep everyone on the same page, literally. Participant pack: Ideally, this should be sent to participants one day ahead of schedule. Tell your participants not to read ahead and put the instructions for each task in separate documents within a folder, so they don’t know what’s coming before the actual testings.

Ideally, this should be sent to participants one day ahead of schedule. Tell your participants not to read ahead and put the instructions for each task in separate documents within a folder, so they don’t know what’s coming before the actual testings. Researcher Pack: Prepare a detailed script and allocate time to each section. During testing, rather than looking for the script among many open tabs, we usually print it out or having it on an iPad for easy access.

‘Human’ problems

The reason why in-person UX research is so important for product design is that you get valuable insights into how users think, feel, and behave. Through body language, direct observation, and conversation, you gain a richer and more nuanced understanding. Many of these details are lost while conducting research through a screen.

Here are some tips on overcoming the distance between you and your participants:

1. Screen sharing etiquette

It’s easy for participants to get distracted during video calls. Here are some tips to prevent that from happening:

Close irrelevant tabs. Do not distract the participants.

Turn on “Do not disturb”. You don’t want that Slack notification going off while you’re explaining something!

Look at the camera when you talk. Keep a small window of everyone’s face.

Make sure your tabs are sized properly to avoid weird spacing issues, especially if the prototype is not responsive.

2. Ask participants to read instructions aloud.

Asking participants to read instructions aloud not only is a great way to make sure they understand the task but also keeps them engaged.

Writing instructions from a first-person perspective helps participants imagine themselves working through the task, priming them to pay more attention to their actions and thoughts.

At the same time, this offers an opportunity for participants to practice “think-aloud”. While think-aloud is a commonly used research technique, its drawback is that it feels unnatural, especially in remote settings. Encouraging participants to read aloud instructions gets them more comfortable.

3. Check in. Check in. Check in again.

It’s easy to lose many valuable body language cues, such as facial expressions or eye movements. Silence on the other end of the line may mean many things ranging from confusion to immersion. To battle this, constantly ask questions:

What caught your attention first?

Where did your eyes go to the next?

I saw you hover over this button for a second. What did you want to achieve? Why didn’t you click on it?

At the same time, be respectful when participants are taking a moment to answer your questions. It’s easy to talk over someone on a video call, especially with lag. Don’t hit them with too many questions at once — give them sufficient time to think and respond.

Conclusion

As we become more open-minded towards working from home, remote UX research might become the new norm. Despite the abovementioned challenges, the remote setting opens new doors for UX research to be more accessible and enables researchers to reach participants all over the world. Hope these tips help you better adapt to remote UX work.

Resources

In this article, we focused on remote moderated UX testing. Plenty of other forms of UX activities are not covered. Here are some helpful resources.

Figma’s User Research Resources

Remote Customer Journey Mapping

Remote Ideation