Challenge
Postmedia aims to improve the overall video experience to all users, while offering another platform to showcase Postmedia’s videos. When we sit down with our client, we were asked to “come up with some design”.
It was our challenge to balance out the client’s business asks and assuming that “what users want” is synonymous with “what business want.” Therefore we need to take a stab at who our users are and why they want to watch videos on news websites. I gathered the information architect, UX designer on the project and a data expert to come up with initial ideas.
Client goals: by building a user-centric product that enables user to have a better video watching experience on news websites. The client hopes this product will be quickly adopted by the market, giving them a competitive advantage.
Quantitative and Qualitative Research
The two types of research that we conduct are Quantitative and Qualitative.
Process
Generative survey
User interview
Develop archetypes
My Role
Lead user researcher
Part 1: Quantitative research
One of the biggest constraint from understanding the segment of our users is lack of data. Even with help from our data analytics, it was hard to track the type of users and find a pattern of their behaviors.
After the white-boarding session, we were set to apply actual numbers with our initial ideas on who the users are. This includes reaching out to Montreal Gazette readers with a generative survey.
Survey is a quantitative research method that collects data, can be counted, measured and expressed by using numbers.
Methods
Generative survey
Participants
200 surveys were sent out to audience who are:
interested in getting news through video format
familiar with other sources of video format, such as YouTube
subscribers and non-subscribers
We received 187 valid submissions.
Once we have a rough outline of who comes to Montreal Gazette and why, we define the size of each group of people against two core behavior scales: “frequency of visits” and “the nature of content this user seeks.” And then charted it:
Part II: Qualitative research
In addition to meeting client’s business goals, we want gain a deeper understanding of who the users are. Qualitative research method (such as user interview) can generate data that is descriptive and conceptual, and can be categorized based on traits and characteristics.
By conducting user interviews, we are trying to gain understanding of:
Who are the customers and what are they trying to achieve?
What are the problems to solve (or opportunities to explore)?
Methods
User interviews
Participants
5 participants who
are expressive and open to communication
are interested in topics includes news/politics, arts/ entertainments, financial services.
A mix of gender, age, and occupation
Part III: Develop archetypes
Behavioral archetypes convey the “who does what, when they do it, and why” of your audience. Steeped in user behavior, they focus on a group’s needs, motivations, and pain-points and capture how they think, feel, and act in particular situations or scenarios.
The goal is to outline how many types of behaviour archetypes, and what are their behaviors are like.
“Behavioral archetypes,
the “who does what, when they do it, & why” of your audience.”
My reflections
Emotions and feelings are long-term gain.
Overall users want to be informed and stay up to date with the world. However, watching videos on the newspaper websites requires the adoption of the new mindset. That in the short term translated into adoption of a new product and a new experience. We are also convening new audiences who are more used to videos than text based.
When we execute the product and marketing strategies, we need to work in conjunction to curate the market and at the same time create values for users.