User Research
User Research
User Research
Before gathering user research, I thought deeply on what the mission of our app was and how we should gather user data to help guide us in the right direction. We knew that the main point of WeCan was to help employers and employees to promote positive mental health in the workplace, but what does that really entail? What kind of information can we gather to help us make decisions and suggestions?
Well, it would be helpful to survey users on the following:
Well, it would be helpful to survey users on the following:
Well, it would be helpful to survey users on the following:
What is their level of technological understanding? Do the majority understand how to navigate technology without assistance, or do they have trouble learning how to use new apps or features? This is important when it comes to design, as making things too complicated could potentially turn users away.
What industry do they work in? Are the majority of users office workers the way I had imagined when brainstorming? Does the demographic go far beyond more corporate-setting industries?
How long have they been at their current job?
Do they currently use any mobile apps specifically for work? Is that normal for them? Is it a new concept? And better yet, would they download a mobile app offered by their employer if they were given the option?
Do they feel as though their employer cares about their mental health? It's harder to have good communication and understanding at work if an employee feels they are just another number. Do they feel cared for?
Do they believe their mental health affects them poorly at work, helps improve it or had no effect? Poor treatment and communication in the workplace can have a negative impact on mental health, and vice versa. It's important to see if users feel that their job takes a mental toll on them, as it could change some of the features we had in mind and make changes to support this more.
Do they suffer from any mental health conditions? It's important to document if there is a trend in users who have things such as generalized anxiety disorder, depression or other conditions. As a society, we have started moving away from the idea that mental health should never be talked about and that a person should feel ashamed for struggling. This is a great thing, and having users anonymously open up about their conditions can help us decide on features that provide those conditions with extra support.
How often do they have a one on one with their boss, leader or supervisor at work? Making time to have even a ten minute one on one with an employer can make all of the difference. Unfortunately we live in a very busy world and it's so hard to make time for every single person when there's so much to do. Do users have the opportunity to sit down one on one, or is that something their workplace doesn't offer?
How often do they compliment or encourage their coworkers or anyone in the workplace? Part of our goal at WeCan is to give ways for employers and employees to compliment one another's hard work or achievement. We have over time moved into more of a 'digital society' where people don't have near as much out loud conversation. Being able to share this positivity even digitally is a great step towards building a happy, connected team.
How do they feel when they read positive quotes? The main attraction of WeCan is our positive Daily Quote, so we need to see how reading quotes makes people feel. Do they feel happy? Uplifted? Do they find it bothersome? Let's ask.
What is their level of technological understanding? Do the majority understand how to navigate technology without assistance, or do they have trouble learning how to use new apps or features? This is important when it comes to design, as making things too complicated could potentially turn users away.
What industry do they work in? Are the majority of users office workers the way I had imagined when brainstorming? Does the demographic go far beyond more corporate-setting industries?
How long have they been at their current job?
Do they currently use any mobile apps specifically for work? Is that normal for them? Is it a new concept? And better yet, would they download a mobile app offered by their employer if they were given the option?
Do they feel as though their employer cares about their mental health? It's harder to have good communication and understanding at work if an employee feels they are just another number. Do they feel cared for?
Do they believe their mental health affects them poorly at work, helps improve it or had no effect? Poor treatment and communication in the workplace can have a negative impact on mental health, and vice versa. It's important to see if users feel that their job takes a mental toll on them, as it could change some of the features we had in mind and make changes to support this more.
Do they suffer from any mental health conditions? It's important to document if there is a trend in users who have things such as generalized anxiety disorder, depression or other conditions. As a society, we have started moving away from the idea that mental health should never be talked about and that a person should feel ashamed for struggling. This is a great thing, and having users anonymously open up about their conditions can help us decide on features that provide those conditions with extra support.
How often do they have a one on one with their boss, leader or supervisor at work? Making time to have even a ten minute one on one with an employer can make all of the difference. Unfortunately we live in a very busy world and it's so hard to make time for every single person when there's so much to do. Do users have the opportunity to sit down one on one, or is that something their workplace doesn't offer?
How often do they compliment or encourage their coworkers or anyone in the workplace? Part of our goal at WeCan is to give ways for employers and employees to compliment one another's hard work or achievement. We have over time moved into more of a 'digital society' where people don't have near as much out loud conversation. Being able to share this positivity even digitally is a great step towards building a happy, connected team.
How do they feel when they read positive quotes? The main attraction of WeCan is our positive Daily Quote, so we need to see how reading quotes makes people feel. Do they feel happy? Uplifted? Do they find it bothersome? Let's ask.
What is their level of technological understanding? Do the majority understand how to navigate technology without assistance, or do they have trouble learning how to use new apps or features? This is important when it comes to design, as making things too complicated could potentially turn users away.
What industry do they work in? Are the majority of users office workers the way I had imagined when brainstorming? Does the demographic go far beyond more corporate-setting industries?
How long have they been at their current job?
Do they currently use any mobile apps specifically for work? Is that normal for them? Is it a new concept? And better yet, would they download a mobile app offered by their employer if they were given the option?
Do they feel as though their employer cares about their mental health? It's harder to have good communication and understanding at work if an employee feels they are just another number. Do they feel cared for?
Do they believe their mental health affects them poorly at work, helps improve it or had no effect? Poor treatment and communication in the workplace can have a negative impact on mental health, and vice versa. It's important to see if users feel that their job takes a mental toll on them, as it could change some of the features we had in mind and make changes to support this more.
Do they suffer from any mental health conditions? It's important to document if there is a trend in users who have things such as generalized anxiety disorder, depression or other conditions. As a society, we have started moving away from the idea that mental health should never be talked about and that a person should feel ashamed for struggling. This is a great thing, and having users anonymously open up about their conditions can help us decide on features that provide those conditions with extra support.
How often do they have a one on one with their boss, leader or supervisor at work? Making time to have even a ten minute one on one with an employer can make all of the difference. Unfortunately we live in a very busy world and it's so hard to make time for every single person when there's so much to do. Do users have the opportunity to sit down one on one, or is that something their workplace doesn't offer?
How often do they compliment or encourage their coworkers or anyone in the workplace? Part of our goal at WeCan is to give ways for employers and employees to compliment one another's hard work or achievement. We have over time moved into more of a 'digital society' where people don't have near as much out loud conversation. Being able to share this positivity even digitally is a great step towards building a happy, connected team.
How do they feel when they read positive quotes? The main attraction of WeCan is our positive Daily Quote, so we need to see how reading quotes makes people feel. Do they feel happy? Uplifted? Do they find it bothersome? Let's ask.
The fun part! I gathered all of my questions and set out to acquire data. I conducted an anonymous user survey hosted on TypeForm, asking all of these questions above. I was blessed to have a completion rate of 100%, which is great for collecting and analyzing this data. I made sure I made it known that these answers were anonymous, hoping to make users understand that their personal answers are safe with me.
Aside from the surveys, I looked at data and statistic provided by other researchers to see what they have found. I read studies about the impact of minimalism on mobile app usage, how app loading times affect users, anything I wanted to know that could be beneficial to WeCan's development.
I also took time to do Competitor Research on a number of other apps that had a lot of similarities, all of which I documented and compared our ideas to.
Using My Data - I gathered all of my data and studies and took it back to my design board, where I compared it to the assumptions I made at the start. It turned out that most people feel uplifted when reading positive quotes, where I thought many would find it bothersome in such a fast-paced world. I also found that users worked in a myriad of industries, far beyond just office settings. I saw a large array of age-groups and almost split answers on how their employment affects their mental health. One thing I noticed was that each user's job either made their mental health poor or had no affect, but no user reported that their job helped improve their mental health. That needs to change, and this is where we pinpoint a main goal. With this data I created new user personas, putting myself in different pairs of shoes and looking at the project from the outside in. I noted pain points, wants and expectations. After writing out my user personas, I used miro to start creating a user journey map. There I mapped out and organized the data, giving me insight on what features, functions and navigation we needed to create a pleasant and functional experience for our users.
The fun part! I gathered all of my questions and set out to acquire data. I conducted an anonymous user survey hosted on TypeForm, asking all of these questions above. I was blessed to have a completion rate of 100%, which is great for collecting and analyzing this data. I made sure I made it known that these answers were anonymous, hoping to make users understand that their personal answers are safe with me.
Aside from the surveys, I looked at data and statistic provided by other researchers to see what they have found. I read studies about the impact of minimalism on mobile app usage, how app loading times affect users, anything I wanted to know that could be beneficial to WeCan's development.
I also took time to do Competitor Research on a number of other apps that had a lot of similarities, all of which I documented and compared our ideas to.
Using My Data - I gathered all of my data and studies and took it back to my design board, where I compared it to the assumptions I made at the start. It turned out that most people feel uplifted when reading positive quotes, where I thought many would find it bothersome in such a fast-paced world. I also found that users worked in a myriad of industries, far beyond just office settings. I saw a large array of age-groups and almost split answers on how their employment affects their mental health. One thing I noticed was that each user's job either made their mental health poor or had no affect, but no user reported that their job helped improve their mental health. That needs to change, and this is where we pinpoint a main goal. With this data I created new user personas, putting myself in different pairs of shoes and looking at the project from the outside in. I noted pain points, wants and expectations. After writing out my user personas, I used miro to start creating a user journey map. There I mapped out and organized the data, giving me insight on what features, functions and navigation we needed to create a pleasant and functional experience for our users.
The fun part! I gathered all of my questions and set out to acquire data. I conducted an anonymous user survey hosted on TypeForm, asking all of these questions above. I was blessed to have a completion rate of 100%, which is great for collecting and analyzing this data. I made sure I made it known that these answers were anonymous, hoping to make users understand that their personal answers are safe with me.
Aside from the surveys, I looked at data and statistic provided by other researchers to see what they have found. I read studies about the impact of minimalism on mobile app usage, how app loading times affect users, anything I wanted to know that could be beneficial to WeCan's development.
I also took time to do Competitor Research on a number of other apps that had a lot of similarities, all of which I documented and compared our ideas to.
Using My Data - I gathered all of my data and studies and took it back to my design board, where I compared it to the assumptions I made at the start. It turned out that most people feel uplifted when reading positive quotes, where I thought many would find it bothersome in such a fast-paced world. I also found that users worked in a myriad of industries, far beyond just office settings. I saw a large array of age-groups and almost split answers on how their employment affects their mental health. One thing I noticed was that each user's job either made their mental health poor or had no affect, but no user reported that their job helped improve their mental health. That needs to change, and this is where we pinpoint a main goal. With this data I created new user personas, putting myself in different pairs of shoes and looking at the project from the outside in. I noted pain points, wants and expectations. After writing out my user personas, I used miro to start creating a user journey map. There I mapped out and organized the data, giving me insight on what features, functions and navigation we needed to create a pleasant and functional experience for our users.