For the past week or so the aprons have been in the field (or kitchen if you want to be super accurate) and I have been meeting with people after their tests to hear what they have to say. This is a special discipline, and I am not exactly qualified to teach it exactly, but I have worked with teams at Gravitytank who were the best at it. I also have some training in research, and so I will pass along what I know and tell you how I am going about this.

I like to start with three things: a set of variables, a primer for the test, and a discussion guide for the interview after the test. The variables are covered in my post about prototypes, but you need something to compare. The primer is to let the participants know what you are doing and what you are going to want to learn. In product design -and really any qualitative research- there is no right answer or wrong answer. There are just answers to your questions, and if your questions are bad, your answers will be useless. 

The trick and art is that you can't be too specific. A yes/no answer is probably not going to give you any insight. However, you can't just let people ramble on. I try to get stories from people by saying things like, "Tell me about your favorite apron." This can give me an opportunity to dive deeper with questions like, "Why was this detail important?" I can't get anything useful from, "Did you like this apron?" I want to know that, but I would rather have a comparison between the variables. And I need to be sure to ask everyone the same questions, so you need a guide.

A discussion guide is really just your questions. It should explain the project, what you are collecting, why you need that information, and what you want to do with it. You should also provide them the opportunity to decline all or part of the questions. There will be demographic information, so you need to get written permission before you use it publicly: these people are doing you a favor and need to be treated with respect. If you think this is a bit much, consider looking up how a serious medical study works. This is science, whatever you are doing, so don't take it too lightly. There are professional researchers who do this, so you can hire one, or consider skipping user testing if you can't bring the necessary rigor.

Why would you skip user testing? Glad you asked. 

There is a kind of logic called Effectual Logic. It's kind of a gut feeling mixed with the confidence that your idea is figured out. A good example would be a cutting board. You don't need to know if people want a cutting board. You might need to know if a feature is desirable or feasible, but maybe not. Research is a tool, and if used correctly, it can do some great things. If I were making a case for something, research can be the basis. If I need to learn about something before I invest time and resources, research can save me by being sure that I am going the right direction. I don't need to research a table or a lamp, and doing so would just be a waste. So, back to Omentum.

I have had the aprons out there, and I am starting to get a sense of what is working and what isn't. What I am going to do now is eliminate one of the aprons (nobody likes it and it isn't holding up to use) and change one of the others. In the case of the aluminum hook, people like it, but it isn't working. I want to make it work so that I can try it against the traditional tie. I am also getting a fair amount of interest in the pen holders and need to see if something else may make them really work. Lastly, I need to shorten the skirt length since shorter people can't wear them and feel safe. Quick changes, and then back into the field. Iteration is not random. I am dropping the nylon clip because of performance and it is only one feature. The length is something that I can change without it being a test since it is just about broadening the potential users. It is not an insight that length matters, but it might be interesting to see if I get comments about the skirt being too short. 

In any case, I will get some photos up of the new one when I have them. It is also time to talk to a manufacturer and see what we can do. 

-Bates