Research is More Important Than Ever

For my part, it has been a relief to dive into data and allow myself to disappear into something familiar for a while. I have settled into a new routine again, which is super nice. It is vastly different from how everyday life looked two months ago, but still a somewhat more stable routine. Things like not going to dinner at my mom's or hanging out with colleagues at the coffee machine are daily reminders, but I am still lucky not to have my entire daily life turned upside down like so many others.

As a researcher, I have moved my work to tools like Teston and usertesting.com to be able to conduct research remotely, and honestly, it works well! Sure, it is "easiest" to do usability tests face-to-face, but the tools available are really convenient. And there is an upside; I reach a more representative part of the users by conducting tests across the country! Imagine that it took a crisis for me to conduct tests remotely. Not crazy, really! The first time I got a user with a Värmland/Norwegian dialect, I smiled broadly, but oh, how insightful it was. If you want tips on how to succeed with your remote tests, read our previous post Conducting Usability Tests Online – 5 Tips and Tricks!

And there is an upside; I reach a more representative part of the users by conducting tests across the country!

As you can see, it is easy to get caught up in research. Disappear into users' stories or dive deep into the flows in analytics to find out what is happening. But even if it initially feels familiar, as if everything is as usual, it doesn't take long before the crisis makes itself known even there.

The Data Speaks Clearly!

When we as researchers dig into user behaviors and navigate through the seemingly familiar data, it is as if it screams of changed and unforeseen behavioral changes.

Our sister company Curamando writes in their blog post 4 Tips to Meet the Changing Consumer Behavior During the Corona Crisis about how consumer behaviors have changed and mentions several examples of how companies have had to adapt to meet new customer needs.

We could absolutely mention a number of examples of how industries have adapted to current circumstances, but the interesting part (for lack of a better word) is how they have gone about it. At Conversionista, we have long talked about not just listening to what users say they need, but also identifying behaviors and needs that users don't know they have and meeting those. And that is exactly what is being done now. Many companies see new behaviors and act on them. They stop guessing and instead make sure to keep track of what is happening in society and with their own business. The key to success is to stay on your toes and act in time.

The key to success is to stay on your toes and act in time.

That grocery stores place food outside the door, that the local pub placed hand sanitizer on the table after I used the card terminal. These are small but important solutions to needs and behaviors that have been identified both by studying users and communicating with users.

Research is More Important Than Ever

As researchers and analysts, we now sit with data and see black and white changes in user behavior in real-time. Both obvious changes and more in-depth ones. To create real user value, we need to find out how our users' needs have changed and meet those.

There are still so many companies out there that have never done a usability test! But it is no longer enough to put on blinders and hope that what you are doing is right. Before this crisis, there were companies that could survive by guessing what users needed based on "experience," but that is no longer possible. Where we used to be able to map more stable behaviors, we now see accelerated change. It is not just the need for digital services that has increased; we also see a growing variety of services that all vie for users' attention and try to meet needs in new innovative ways. With such a high influx into the digital world, new users as well as new services, we all need to work hard to keep up. Otherwise, we will be left behind.

With such a high influx into the digital world, new users as well as new services, we all need to work hard to keep up. Otherwise, we will be left behind.

In this, ongoing research and a focus on leveraging user behaviors are more important than ever! We still don't know whether these behaviors are permanent or temporary, but to survive, we need to continue to stay updated. This gives us the opportunity to act, experiment, and further develop our services so that they keep up with the change when the change happens.

But Then What?

What will the world look like when we come out of this crisis? Opinion leaders and thinkers out there do not agree on this question, but what they do agree on is that we will not go back 100% to how it looked before. Just the fact that washing hands for 30 seconds is something I suspect will stick with me. Will we Swedes go back to all the hugging again?

Will we Swedes go back to all the hugging again?

The question is whether anyone out there in the world really knows how long we will need to distance ourselves from each other. The longer the crisis lasts, the more we will need to change our behavior, and the deeper the change will be. We need to keep track of that change!

Research is more important than ever! Welcome to your new reality!