How to conduct a study before designing the site
In the last article about designing a site, I called research of the project context as one of the key stages. Let me remind you that under the context I understand the various factors surrounding the site and that can influence its work. These factors include: the target audience and its needs, characteristics and environmental trends, the behavior of competitors and others, depending on the subject of the project.
Without research, your chances of making an effective site are very small, because you will only rely on your experience and opinion, and not on real data. The information we receive as a result of the research helps to understand how the site should be made : what needs of the target audience should be met and how to position it, what language should the site speak to the audience, and so on.
For a client, research is a guarantee that the site will be made specifically for the target audience (CA), under its needs, and not just as a developer / client comes up with.
For the developer, conducting research is an improvement in the quality of the product, customer satisfaction, and, of course, going to a qualitatively new level.
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Ideally, we should get the bulk of the data from the client. I know it from my own experience: most often the client cannot give you relevant marketing data in the right amount, but he can answer your questions and provide various useful information.
One way or another, the initiative will have to be taken into your own hands, including, because whatever data a customer issues, you still need information directly about the visitor’s interaction with the site, which the customer definitely doesn’t have.
Separately, I will say: research, at least minimal, can and should be done for almost any site - business cards or an online store, service or promotional site.
And one more important note. This is certainly not a business analysis or marketing research. Our study will not answer the questions: Should I make a website? How to make money? What is the volume of the market? Who is the target audience? etc. This is all subject to marketing and business analysis.
Our study provides high-quality information: How to make a website on the selected business model? What does Central Asia expect from such a site, what tasks does it plan to solve? What are the site evaluation criteria? etc.
The study is divided into three stages:
The main goal of the research can be formulated as follows: find out what needs Central Asia have and how to satisfy them as efficiently as possible with the help of the site.
Tasks vary from project to project, but, as a rule, as a result of research, the following tasks need to be solved:
As a rule, you need to know the following about the environment:
About the target audience we need to know:
For self-study, I suggest you two methods, the most affordable for the absolute majority of studios and not requiring a huge investment of time and money:
The main task at this stage is to get a general idea and prepare for a qualitative research (interview), identifying the main actors, whom we will interview, what we will ask them and why (what we want to evaluate, what conclusions to draw).
Interviews provide information of a qualitative nature , which will give us an idea of ​​how the site visitor will be guided - his goals and objectives, evaluation criteria, expectations.
Depending on the project, determine how much time you are going to spend on researching sources and in what sequence you will research them.
In an average project, we spend on the study of sources no more than one working week: we study relevant websites, articles (online or in print) and analytical studies. Good analytics are rarely published in the public domain; if there is none, and the project budget allows - buy analytics, for example, from RBC or Infocean.
The interview plan is much more interesting. To begin with, the interview plan can only be done after researching sources . In order to understand how and what questions to ask respondents, you need to dive into the context.
The questions that you identify in terms of an interview should correspond to the expected results (see “What we need to know about Central Asia”). I recommend making an interview plan in the form of a tablet, in which there will be information in each line on the left that we should receive, and on the right a set of questions (see an example of a research plan ).
Formulate the questions so that the respondent answers them as widely as possible and in detail . To do this, the question should not be driven into a rigid framework or suggest a definite answer. Only in extreme cases, when you need a clear answer “yes” or “no”, include narrowly focused closed questions in the plan.
It is advisable to keep the questions as short as possible. This makes it easier for the respondent to remember and interpret the questions.
When composing questions, keep in mind that after the first one or two interviews, they will change , be refined, so do not dwell on the “perfect accuracy” of questions for first respondents.
Plan the interview so that it takes no more than one hour . Then the respondent begins to get tired, distracted, and his answers are no longer so meaningful.
I will not speak in detail about the study of sources. It is best to read professional literature and articles on the Internet on this topic (start with the “Document Analysis” article in Wikipedia).
From the literature I would recommend: “Sociological methods in marketing research” M. L. Vlasova, “Methods of sociological research” V. I. Dobrenkova and A. I. Kravchenko, “Sociology” by Giddens, as well as the journals “Sociological studies” and “ Telescope".
A few simple tips:
My advice will be based on the in-depth interview methodology that we were taught at the Faculty of Sociology at St. Petersburg State University and on my own experience (I conducted several hundred interviews while working at Gallup Media and NIIKS).
First, remember one thing: if the interview did not work, then you and only you, but not the respondent are to blame.
You should get at least two points of view - future users and experts on the topic. For example, conducting research for boutique XXX, we interviewed ten girls and two experts in the sale of fashionable clothes.
Try to select for an interview people who are personally interested in such a site, and not just plus or minus suitable ones. In this case, their answers will be fuller and more sincere. By the way, if the budget allows, you can even pay for the interview and ask the respondent to take part in user testing in the future.
Choose different people : with different attitudes to the subject of the interview, to life, with different characters, but always within the target group.
Try to choose places where there are no distracting and annoying factors - loud sounds, a large number of people, bright light. In no case do not allow someone to distract your interlocutor during the interview. You should be face to face.
Therefore, a noisy cafe and a workplace in a room for 20 people will not suit you.
Be sure to prepare the person for the interview : tell him in advance the topic and the approximate time that you will borrow from him. An unprepared or waiting for something else, a person will be agitated and find it difficult to answer your questions. If you think that the respondent will not answer some questions without preparation, ask them in advance.
Prepare for an interview so that questions bounce off your teeth and go consistently, logically developing the topic. Do not ask unnecessary and boring questions. The respondent must see that they have acted responsibly and are not going to waste his time.
Be sure to record the interview on the recorder , and do not write the answers during a conversation in a computer or notebook. Why:
In no case do not answer for the respondent, prompt him only as a last resort. In general, your main task is to actively listen , without disturbing the respondent to think about his answers and pronounce them.
In my opinion, you prepared well and conducted a good interview, if the respondent's answers matched the meaning of the questions, were informative, and the clarifying questions were not much more than the main ones.
If this is not the case, then I recommend finalizing the questions, as well as correcting your behavior during the interview.
So, you investigated all available sources, conducted interviews - the data should be processed. We decided to write a separate article about the processing of the study, so here we briefly say what it will be. So, as a result of processing the results, we must:
Once again about the benefits of research
Without research, your chances of making an effective site are very small, because you will only rely on your experience and opinion, and not on real data. The information we receive as a result of the research helps to understand how the site should be made : what needs of the target audience should be met and how to position it, what language should the site speak to the audience, and so on.
For a client, research is a guarantee that the site will be made specifically for the target audience (CA), under its needs, and not just as a developer / client comes up with.
For the developer, conducting research is an improvement in the quality of the product, customer satisfaction, and, of course, going to a qualitatively new level.
')
Ideally, we should get the bulk of the data from the client. I know it from my own experience: most often the client cannot give you relevant marketing data in the right amount, but he can answer your questions and provide various useful information.
One way or another, the initiative will have to be taken into your own hands, including, because whatever data a customer issues, you still need information directly about the visitor’s interaction with the site, which the customer definitely doesn’t have.
Separately, I will say: research, at least minimal, can and should be done for almost any site - business cards or an online store, service or promotional site.
And one more important note. This is certainly not a business analysis or marketing research. Our study will not answer the questions: Should I make a website? How to make money? What is the volume of the market? Who is the target audience? etc. This is all subject to marketing and business analysis.
Our study provides high-quality information: How to make a website on the selected business model? What does Central Asia expect from such a site, what tasks does it plan to solve? What are the site evaluation criteria? etc.
Research methodology
The study is divided into three stages:
- Training:
- We determine the objectives of the study,
- We make a plan of research
- We define research methods and action plan for each method.
- Actually, the study.
- Processing results Findings.
Preparation for the study
Determine the objectives of the study
The main goal of the research can be formulated as follows: find out what needs Central Asia have and how to satisfy them as efficiently as possible with the help of the site.
Tasks vary from project to project, but, as a rule, as a result of research, the following tasks need to be solved:
- To give a general description of the environment in which the site will operate;
- Determine the target audience of the site and its needs;
- Determine how the site can become better than its competitors;
- Determine the direction of development of the site (if required).
What data should we get
What we need to know about the environment
As a rule, you need to know the following about the environment:
- The main characteristics that may affect the site: legal restrictions, rules and behavioral stereotypes, features of the sale of the product and so on.
- How competitors work (to tune them off).
- How the environment is developing (do we need to take this into account when designing the site).
What should we know about Central Asia?
About the target audience we need to know:
- Does she need such a site and, if so, why?
- How it will guide the evaluation of the site: why the site is like and why not, how to evaluate similar sites (if you have experience of interaction).
- What tasks and how will be solved on this site.
- What are the main scenarios for using the site.
- What are the expectations from the results of the interaction and behavior of the site.
We define research methods
For self-study, I suggest you two methods, the most affordable for the absolute majority of studios and not requiring a huge investment of time and money:
- Analysis of documents (sources) - literature, client documents, Internet sites and so on.
- In-depth interviews with key individuals - users and experts.
The main task at this stage is to get a general idea and prepare for a qualitative research (interview), identifying the main actors, whom we will interview, what we will ask them and why (what we want to evaluate, what conclusions to draw).
Interviews provide information of a qualitative nature , which will give us an idea of ​​how the site visitor will be guided - his goals and objectives, evaluation criteria, expectations.
Planning a study
We plan to study the sources
Depending on the project, determine how much time you are going to spend on researching sources and in what sequence you will research them.
In an average project, we spend on the study of sources no more than one working week: we study relevant websites, articles (online or in print) and analytical studies. Good analytics are rarely published in the public domain; if there is none, and the project budget allows - buy analytics, for example, from RBC or Infocean.
Interview plan
The interview plan is much more interesting. To begin with, the interview plan can only be done after researching sources . In order to understand how and what questions to ask respondents, you need to dive into the context.
The questions that you identify in terms of an interview should correspond to the expected results (see “What we need to know about Central Asia”). I recommend making an interview plan in the form of a tablet, in which there will be information in each line on the left that we should receive, and on the right a set of questions (see an example of a research plan ).
Formulate the questions so that the respondent answers them as widely as possible and in detail . To do this, the question should not be driven into a rigid framework or suggest a definite answer. Only in extreme cases, when you need a clear answer “yes” or “no”, include narrowly focused closed questions in the plan.
It is advisable to keep the questions as short as possible. This makes it easier for the respondent to remember and interpret the questions.
When composing questions, keep in mind that after the first one or two interviews, they will change , be refined, so do not dwell on the “perfect accuracy” of questions for first respondents.
Plan the interview so that it takes no more than one hour . Then the respondent begins to get tired, distracted, and his answers are no longer so meaningful.
Conducting research
Research sources
I will not speak in detail about the study of sources. It is best to read professional literature and articles on the Internet on this topic (start with the “Document Analysis” article in Wikipedia).
From the literature I would recommend: “Sociological methods in marketing research” M. L. Vlasova, “Methods of sociological research” V. I. Dobrenkova and A. I. Kravchenko, “Sociology” by Giddens, as well as the journals “Sociological studies” and “ Telescope".
A few simple tips:
- If there is such an opportunity, use paid analytics - it gives good quantitative data.
- Try to use information only from reputable, trusted sources .
- Study qualitatively different sources : statistics, qualitative research, author's opinions and articles, discussions in forums.
How to make a good interview
My advice will be based on the in-depth interview methodology that we were taught at the Faculty of Sociology at St. Petersburg State University and on my own experience (I conducted several hundred interviews while working at Gallup Media and NIIKS).
First, remember one thing: if the interview did not work, then you and only you, but not the respondent are to blame.
Whom to interview
You should get at least two points of view - future users and experts on the topic. For example, conducting research for boutique XXX, we interviewed ten girls and two experts in the sale of fashionable clothes.
Try to select for an interview people who are personally interested in such a site, and not just plus or minus suitable ones. In this case, their answers will be fuller and more sincere. By the way, if the budget allows, you can even pay for the interview and ask the respondent to take part in user testing in the future.
Choose different people : with different attitudes to the subject of the interview, to life, with different characters, but always within the target group.
Where to interview
Try to choose places where there are no distracting and annoying factors - loud sounds, a large number of people, bright light. In no case do not allow someone to distract your interlocutor during the interview. You should be face to face.
Therefore, a noisy cafe and a workplace in a room for 20 people will not suit you.
Process
Be sure to prepare the person for the interview : tell him in advance the topic and the approximate time that you will borrow from him. An unprepared or waiting for something else, a person will be agitated and find it difficult to answer your questions. If you think that the respondent will not answer some questions without preparation, ask them in advance.
Prepare for an interview so that questions bounce off your teeth and go consistently, logically developing the topic. Do not ask unnecessary and boring questions. The respondent must see that they have acted responsibly and are not going to waste his time.
Be sure to record the interview on the recorder , and do not write the answers during a conversation in a computer or notebook. Why:
- This shortens the interview time by a half to two times.
- It is much easier for you to keep the thread of conversation and the interest of the respondent, because you are not distracted by the recordings.
- You will be able to ask a useful suggestive or clarifying question in time.
In no case do not answer for the respondent, prompt him only as a last resort. In general, your main task is to actively listen , without disturbing the respondent to think about his answers and pronounce them.
How to evaluate the last interview
In my opinion, you prepared well and conducted a good interview, if the respondent's answers matched the meaning of the questions, were informative, and the clarifying questions were not much more than the main ones.
If this is not the case, then I recommend finalizing the questions, as well as correcting your behavior during the interview.
Processing results
So, you investigated all available sources, conducted interviews - the data should be processed. We decided to write a separate article about the processing of the study, so here we briefly say what it will be. So, as a result of processing the results, we must:
- To give a general description of the environment - see "What we need to know about the environment."
- Describe the target audience - see "What we need to know about Central Asia."
- Based on the description of the target audience to create characters and the main scenarios of their behavior on the site.
- To formulate how the site will differ from competitors , naturally, in the favorable direction: design, capabilities, information, approach to the visitor.
- Make preliminary conclusions about what functionality will be enough to launch - the site will not lose to competitors and will satisfy the basic needs of Central Asia - and what the site may come up in the development process .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/118133/
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