While working with the developers that built this software, some questions rose amongst the team: should we bring in a focus group of our current users? Would this information help us make more informed future design decisions?
After everyone came to this conclusion, it was my job to email all users that elected to be part of the Product Advisory Council, a selected group of users who volunteered to be test users.
That's right - from start to finish, I built the workshop, ensuring that the appropriate channels were set up to collect data during the session. And I shamelessly used Orchestrating Experiences as a reference. (You should read it, it's pretty good.)
ARGOS is a database-oriented solution designed to help higher education institutions with their data reporting. By inputting specific datasets into components referred to as DataBlocks, ARGOS translates the data into charts and dashboards.
First, I emailed all 8 participants surveys to gather initial data. 6 responded.
4 of 6 survey participants used Argos daily, and the other 2 used it weekly. Results related to the Argos Web Viewer, an alternate version of Argos, were slightly different - while half of participants admitted to using it once monthly, the other half stated use of Argos once a week. These usage patterns were revealing something interesting.
I provided a space for open discussion, where users could discuss likes, dislikes, and ideas.
After the 8 participants left their comments on the board, I codified the data into quantitative insights that the development team could later use to make more informed future decisions related to Argos development. My aspiration was to arm them with sufficient knowledge of how the user interacts with our products.
Using my newly developed understanding of data science, I quickly translated these comments left on the board into real insights.
LI created a couple of charts that compared comments and issues discussed (whether they were visual or functionality based).
Performing this research session with Argos customers proved to be insightful for not just the development team. It proved to be insightful for the design & customer support teams as well. And by acting upon these insights, we were able to figure out the next best direction for ARGOS.
With the right designer, you can do just about anything. It's time to hire someone who knows the science of human-centered design.
