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Methodologies: Beyond the interview [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
Summary
Researchers are being asked to help address challenges that are increasingly complex, strategic, and high-stakes. Our toolkit of methods needs to keep up with those challenges, as does our confidence and comfort with choosing, using, and combining those methods. Our Methods panelists will describe some of the exciting techniques they’re applying in their work, and discuss how they’ve overcome barriers to enriching their UXR toolkits. Attend all of our Advancing Research community workshops Each free virtual workshop is made up of panelists who will share short provocations on engaging ideas to discuss as a group, as well as a leader in our field to moderate. If you're looking for discussions that challenge the status quo and can truly advance research, look no further than our workshop series. (P.S. We’ll be drawing most of our Advancing Research 2025 conference speakers from those who present at upcoming workshops—so tune in for a sneak peek of what's to come from #AR2025!) July 24, 4-5pm EDT Watch Video Theme 1: Democratization Working with it, not against August 7, 11am-12pm EDT Watch Video Theme 2: Collaboration Learning from market research, data science, customer experience, and more August 21, 4-5pm EDT Watch Video Theme 3: Communication Innovative techniques for making your voice heard September 18, 4-5pm EDT Watch Video Theme 5: Artificial Intelligence Passionate defenses, reasoned critiques, and practical application October 2, 11am-12pm EDT Watch Video Theme 6: Junctures for UXR Possible futures and the critical decisions to move us forward October 16, 4-5pm EDT Watch Video Theme 7: Open Call Propose ideas that don’t match our other workshops’ themes
Key Insights
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Interviews remain central but should be complemented with other methods for richer insights.
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Quantitative techniques like conjoint analysis reveal patterns that interviews alone may miss.
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Transitioning from structured experiments to interviews often feels uncomfortable but offers new exploration modes.
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Observational methods such as contextual inquiry uncover users' tacit behaviors and workarounds.
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Participant comfort and rapport especially matter when dealing with sensitive or high-stakes topics.
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Mixed methods research benefits from collaboration across different roles, including data analysts and community organizations.
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Researchers should be pragmatic about time and resources and pick methods fit for purpose and confidence needs.
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Interviews are often misused as an easy default instead of creatively finding better alternatives.
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Decentering the researcher and involving community partners leads to more inclusive and authentic data.
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Researchers must check their own unconscious biases to avoid misinterpreting participant responses.
Notable Quotes
"User interviews are an absolute mainstay of user research practices and likely will always be a core tool."
"Some people lie; that’s why we need to triangulate methods to approach reality."
"Interviews can be a crutch that keeps us from using better ways to answer our questions."
"Allow space for participants to demonstrate expertise before digging deeper in interviews."
"It’s important to put the participant at ease and not add to their cognitive burden."
"People generally want to help and tell what they genuinely believe; they’re just terrible at accurate recall."
"Creativity is needed right from the research stage, not just in solution design."
"The purpose of research is paramount; it guides the choice of methods and how rigorously to apply them."
"If you don’t have researchers to shadow, lean on communities, data scientists, or industry organizations."
"Asking for help and humbling yourself is one of the most powerful ways to grow as a researcher."
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