Research and strategy

I start by understanding your business and your users. I analyse the data and the competition, and look for the best solution for the project to increase conversion.

Discovery
Interviews
Usability testing
Information architecture

Let’s talk about your question See how it works

Research board42 opinions

SSales“Customers leave because it’s too expensive.”

CCEO“We need an app.”

Everyone has a theory, and every theory weighs the same.

Example: an online shop checkout study. Illustrative data.

The most expensive mistake in a project is a well-designed solution to the wrong problem.

The right problem

Drag the solution onto the problem

01InterviewsWhat people actually do, not what they say they do.
02TestsWhere they get lost, before you pay for code.
03ArchitectureWhere they look for information and what they call it.

The problem

Sound familiar?

Every one of these ends the same way: the team builds on assumptions and only learns the truth after launch.

We built a feature nobody asked for.
Everyone on the team has a different theory about why customers leave.
The menu grows with every feature and nobody knows where anything is anymore.
The decision goes to whoever talks loudest in the meeting.
We know how many people drop off. We don’t know why.

What do we build next quarter?Voice in the meeting

Dark modeCEO
New home pageMarketing
Smartwatch appSales
Shorter checkout formCustomer support
Delivery cost on the product pageAnalyst

Voice in the meetingQuoteRecordingNumber

Ideas sit side by side and each one weighs the same. Whoever brings more arguments to the meeting wins.

How it works

From conversations to decisions

Research is not a report for the drawer. Every step narrows the field until a few decisions remain, and the design starts from them.

Questions
I start with what you want to know and which decision that knowledge should unlock.
QuestionsStep 01 / 05
Question 01?
Why do people abandon the cart?
What we already know68%abandon the cart at the delivery stepShop analyticsDecision it unlocksWhat to change in the cart
Question 02?
What do they look for before buying?
What we already know4 in 10scroll the product page all the way downSession recordingsDecision it unlocksWhat to show on the product page
Question 03?
What makes them hesitate?
What we already know1 in 3support questions are about returnsCustomer supportDecision it unlocksWhere to talk about returns and delivery
?Why do people abandon the cart?
?What do they look for before buying?
?What makes them hesitate?
ClarityEffortTrustOne-off comments
Effort for the team →Impact on users →Do nowPlanPark
“Where’s the delivery cost?”
“I don’t know what’s next.”
“I thought I’d already paid.”
“What does ‘fulfilment’ mean?”
“Why do I need an account for one order?”
“Type my address again?”
“This form never ends.”
“The text code never came.”
“I can’t see any reviews.”
“Is this even safe?”
“Who runs this shop?”
“Returns? It doesn’t say.”
“I’d prefer a dark theme.”
“The logo could be bigger.”
1Delivery cost shown on the product pageClarity · 4 notes
2Reviews and return policy next to “Buy”Trust · 4 notes
3Checkout without creating an accountEffort · 4 notes
Example: an online shop checkout study. An illustration of the method, not project data.
Interviews and observation
I talk to users and watch how they use the product or a prototype. I note what they say and what they do.
Interviews and observationStep 02 / 05
Question 01?
Why do people abandon the cart?
What we already know68%abandon the cart at the delivery stepShop analyticsDecision it unlocksWhat to change in the cart
Question 02?
What do they look for before buying?
What we already know4 in 10scroll the product page all the way downSession recordingsDecision it unlocksWhat to show on the product page
Question 03?
What makes them hesitate?
What we already know1 in 3support questions are about returnsCustomer supportDecision it unlocksWhere to talk about returns and delivery
?Why do people abandon the cart?
?What do they look for before buying?
?What makes them hesitate?
ClarityEffortTrustOne-off comments
Effort for the team →Impact on users →Do nowPlanPark
“Where’s the delivery cost?”
“I don’t know what’s next.”
“I thought I’d already paid.”
“What does ‘fulfilment’ mean?”
“Why do I need an account for one order?”
“Type my address again?”
“This form never ends.”
“The text code never came.”
“I can’t see any reviews.”
“Is this even safe?”
“Who runs this shop?”
“Returns? It doesn’t say.”
“I’d prefer a dark theme.”
“The logo could be bigger.”
1Delivery cost shown on the product pageClarity · 4 notes
2Reviews and return policy next to “Buy”Trust · 4 notes
3Checkout without creating an accountEffort · 4 notes
Example: an online shop checkout study. An illustration of the method, not project data.
Patterns
I group the notes into themes. After a few conversations, the same problems keep coming back.
PatternsStep 03 / 05
Question 01?
Why do people abandon the cart?
What we already know68%abandon the cart at the delivery stepShop analyticsDecision it unlocksWhat to change in the cart
Question 02?
What do they look for before buying?
What we already know4 in 10scroll the product page all the way downSession recordingsDecision it unlocksWhat to show on the product page
Question 03?
What makes them hesitate?
What we already know1 in 3support questions are about returnsCustomer supportDecision it unlocksWhere to talk about returns and delivery
?Why do people abandon the cart?
?What do they look for before buying?
?What makes them hesitate?
ClarityEffortTrustOne-off comments
Effort for the team →Impact on users →Do nowPlanPark
“Where’s the delivery cost?”
“I don’t know what’s next.”
“I thought I’d already paid.”
“What does ‘fulfilment’ mean?”
“Why do I need an account for one order?”
“Type my address again?”
“This form never ends.”
“The text code never came.”
“I can’t see any reviews.”
“Is this even safe?”
“Who runs this shop?”
“Returns? It doesn’t say.”
“I’d prefer a dark theme.”
“The logo could be bigger.”
1Delivery cost shown on the product pageClarity · 4 notes
2Reviews and return policy next to “Buy”Trust · 4 notes
3Checkout without creating an accountEffort · 4 notes
Example: an online shop checkout study. An illustration of the method, not project data.
Priorities
I rank the themes by their impact on users and the effort they take for the team.
PrioritiesStep 04 / 05
Question 01?
Why do people abandon the cart?
What we already know68%abandon the cart at the delivery stepShop analyticsDecision it unlocksWhat to change in the cart
Question 02?
What do they look for before buying?
What we already know4 in 10scroll the product page all the way downSession recordingsDecision it unlocksWhat to show on the product page
Question 03?
What makes them hesitate?
What we already know1 in 3support questions are about returnsCustomer supportDecision it unlocksWhere to talk about returns and delivery
?Why do people abandon the cart?
?What do they look for before buying?
?What makes them hesitate?
ClarityEffortTrustOne-off comments
Effort for the team →Impact on users →Do nowPlanPark
“Where’s the delivery cost?”
“I don’t know what’s next.”
“I thought I’d already paid.”
“What does ‘fulfilment’ mean?”
“Why do I need an account for one order?”
“Type my address again?”
“This form never ends.”
“The text code never came.”
“I can’t see any reviews.”
“Is this even safe?”
“Who runs this shop?”
“Returns? It doesn’t say.”
“I’d prefer a dark theme.”
“The logo could be bigger.”
1Delivery cost shown on the product pageClarity · 4 notes
2Reviews and return policy next to “Buy”Trust · 4 notes
3Checkout without creating an accountEffort · 4 notes
Example: an online shop checkout study. An illustration of the method, not project data.
Decisions
I finish with a list of recommendations and an information architecture to start the design from.
DecisionsStep 05 / 05
Question 01?
Why do people abandon the cart?
What we already know68%abandon the cart at the delivery stepShop analyticsDecision it unlocksWhat to change in the cart
Question 02?
What do they look for before buying?
What we already know4 in 10scroll the product page all the way downSession recordingsDecision it unlocksWhat to show on the product page
Question 03?
What makes them hesitate?
What we already know1 in 3support questions are about returnsCustomer supportDecision it unlocksWhere to talk about returns and delivery
?Why do people abandon the cart?
?What do they look for before buying?
?What makes them hesitate?
ClarityEffortTrustOne-off comments
Effort for the team →Impact on users →Do nowPlanPark
“Where’s the delivery cost?”
“I don’t know what’s next.”
“I thought I’d already paid.”
“What does ‘fulfilment’ mean?”
“Why do I need an account for one order?”
“Type my address again?”
“This form never ends.”
“The text code never came.”
“I can’t see any reviews.”
“Is this even safe?”
“Who runs this shop?”
“Returns? It doesn’t say.”
“I’d prefer a dark theme.”
“The logo could be bigger.”
1Delivery cost shown on the product pageClarity · 4 notes
2Reviews and return policy next to “Buy”Trust · 4 notes
3Checkout without creating an accountEffort · 4 notes
Example: an online shop checkout study. An illustration of the method, not project data.

QuestionsStep 01 / 05

Question 01?

Why do people abandon the cart?

What we already know68%abandon the cart at the delivery stepShop analyticsDecision it unlocksWhat to change in the cart

Question 02?

What do they look for before buying?

What we already know4 in 10scroll the product page all the way downSession recordingsDecision it unlocksWhat to show on the product page

Question 03?

What makes them hesitate?

What we already know1 in 3support questions are about returnsCustomer supportDecision it unlocksWhere to talk about returns and delivery

?Why do people abandon the cart?

?What do they look for before buying?

?What makes them hesitate?

ClarityEffortTrustOne-off comments

Effort for the team →Impact on users →Do nowPlanPark

“Where’s the delivery cost?”

“I don’t know what’s next.”

“I thought I’d already paid.”

“What does ‘fulfilment’ mean?”

“Why do I need an account for one order?”

“Type my address again?”

“This form never ends.”

“The text code never came.”

“I can’t see any reviews.”

“Is this even safe?”

“Who runs this shop?”

“Returns? It doesn’t say.”

“I’d prefer a dark theme.”

“The logo could be bigger.”

1Delivery cost shown on the product pageClarity · 4 notes

2Reviews and return policy next to “Buy”Trust · 4 notes

3Checkout without creating an accountEffort · 4 notes

Example: an online shop checkout study. An illustration of the method, not project data.

Information architecture

The same information, two languages

Information architecture is more than a menu. It decides what a person needs to know first, and in which words. Move the slider to compare the language of the document with the same content arranged for a patient.

Patient language

Who can take part: Adults who have had at least one treatment before and manage everyday life on their own.
Who can’t: People with an active infection, and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Before you apply: If you took part in another study in the past month, tell your doctor.

Protocol language

Inclusion criteria: patients aged over 18 with a confirmed diagnosis, following at least one prior line of systemic therapy, with an ECOG performance status of 0–1 and adequate organ function as defined in the protocol. Exclusion criteria: active infection requiring systemic treatment, pregnancy or breastfeeding, participation in another interventional study within the past 4 weeks, known hypersensitivity to any component of the investigational product.

An illustration of the method, using clinical trial criteria.

Scope

What you get

Not a report for the drawer, but material the design starts from.

RECInterview 3 of 5
00:41:4800:42:18
1. RResearcher00:41:50What did you do before adding the lamp to your cart?
2. UUser00:41:55I looked for the delivery cost and couldn’t find it.
3. RResearcher00:42:05Where did you look?
4. UUser00:42:10On the product page first, then in the terms. In the end I closed the tab.
“I looked for the delivery cost and couldn’t find it.”
User interviews01Conversations with people who use the product or will. Quotes, recordings and everything the analytics can’t show.
Usability testing02I watch people complete tasks in the product or a prototype.
Information architecture03Structure and labels users understand without guessing.
Competitor analysis04How similar products solve the same problem.
Priority list05What to do first, what later, and what not at all.
Customer journey map06From first contact to purchase: where customers hesitate and where they give up.
Report and team workshop07We go through the findings together, so the whole team sees the same thing and decides on the same facts.

What you gain

Less rework, more certainty

Less rework
01
Caught in a conversation, a problem costs one sentence, not sixteen fixes.
Decisions based on facts
02
Instead of “I think”, the team has quotes, recordings and numbers.
A shared picture
03
The whole team sees the same users and the same problems.
A product people understand
04
Labels and structure come from users, not from company jargon.

Example: an online shop checkout study. Illustrative data.

Where to start

Start with your question

Pick the question that bothers you most right now. I’ll suggest the research that answers it.

Pick one question

Research

Usability testing

What I do: I watch a few people go through the key flow and mark where they get stuck.
What you get: Recordings, a list of issues and proposed fixes

Ask about this research

Process

First I widen, then I narrow

Research has the shape of a double diamond: I gather broadly, narrow down to the problem, then to decisions.

01
Questions
We agree what you want to learn and which decision that knowledge should unlock.
After this step you have
- A research plan
02
Interviews and tests
I talk to users and watch how they use the product or a prototype.
After this step you have
- Recordings and notes
03
Analysis
I group observations into patterns and rank them by impact on users and on the business.
After this step you have
- Findings and priorities
04
Recommendations
I turn findings into decisions and an information architecture to start the design from.
After this step you have
- A report and workshop
- Information architecture

Research ends with decisions, and decisions with design. The usual next step is Digital products.

See Digital products

Questions

Questions about research

Can't find your answer?

Please get in touch with me.

Get in touch

How many people do we need to talk to?

A handful of conversations is usually enough for the same problems to start coming back. I match the number to the question and the budget.

Will research delay the project?

Research takes less time than reworking a finished product. Most often it saves time, because the team doesn’t build things nobody needs.

What do I get at the end?

Findings backed by recordings and quotes, a priority list and an information architecture the design starts from.

How much does it cost?

I price every project individually, depending on its scope and complexity. After a short conversation, I’ll prepare a quote tailored to your needs.

Not sure where to start?Let’s start with the right question.

Get in touch

I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

Back to the home page

Research and strategy

Sound familiar?

From conversations to decisions

Questions

Interviews and observation

Patterns

Priorities

Decisions

The same information, two languages

What you get

Less rework, more certainty

Less rework

Decisions based on facts

A shared picture

A product people understand

Start with your question

Usability testing

First I widen, then I narrow

Questions

Interviews and tests

Analysis

Recommendations

Questions about research

Not sure where to start?Let’s start with the right question.