Improve CX with User Testing + Research
January 11, 2023
NYC Mayor’s Office of Efficiency
User testing and research helps you meet the needs of the audiences you serve through an equitable, human-centered, data-driven service delivery approach.
Contents
01 | What is User Testing? |
02 | Benefits of User Testing |
03 | Working with External Partners |
04 | Process + Deliverables |
05 | Case Studies |
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01
What is User Testing?
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User testing and research is the process of engaging your real audience to gather information about their use cases, experiences, and pain points in an effort to improve your products and services.
What is User Testing?
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Session Types
What is User Testing?
1:1 Interviews
A facilitator and a participant have a session.
Focus groups
Facilitator(s) and participants have a session.
Surveys
Participants respond to questions and prompts.
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Activities + Methods
What is User Testing?
Guided Conversation
A thoughtful conversation tailored to the participant’s individual journey(s).
Card-Sorting
An activity designed to understand a user’s priorities, associations, and/or needs.
Interactive Whiteboarding
A collaborative activity used to draw connections, understand trends, and/or map workflows or journeys.
Concepting + Envisioning
Participants are invited to ideate on what features or changes would create their best possible experience of the service or offering in question.
Prototyping
Feedback gathered from real users in real-time through reactions to static or digital prototypes.
Q+A
A scripted conversation designed to provide standardized, conversational data.
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02
Benefits of User Testing
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Insight, Opportunity, + Leverage
Benefits of User Testing
Ensure your product is inclusive & accessible
Deliver higher quality products
Discover issues to improve over time
Make human-centered, data-driven decisions
Build trust + equity of access
Demonstrate need
Align internal teams
Prioritize features for your future state
Build relationships with your audience
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03
Benefits of Working with External Partners
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The right partner will help you build trust.
Working with External Partners
Remove internal “agency bias”
Better understanding of your audience
Make evidenced-based design decisions
Save time and focus on your operations
Engage research and usability experts
Validate your practices
Participants feel free to express opinions openly
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04
Process + Deliverables
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Process Overview
What is User Testing?
Discovery + Requirements
Work with client to understand their audience, goals, and the questions they’re trying to answer.
Planning + Recruiting
Select methods for research objectives and create a research and recruiting plan.
Data Analysis + Findings
Categorize data to determine outcomes such as trends, pain points, or gaps in service.
Insights + Reporting
Turn findings into insights that drive opportunities and solutions.
User Testing + Research
Conduct user research with participants.
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Outcomes + Deliverables
Benefits of User Testing
Findings Report
A comprehensive report of data findings which details the data gathered and surfaces any apparent trends.
Customer Journey
Mapping out your audience’s common use cases and touch points.
Insights + Recommendations
Turning data into actionable steps to improve your product.
Personas
A useful tool for cataloging your user types by behavior, motivations, psychographics, and demographics.
Future State Thinking
Concepting the future state of your product based on user feedback, needs, and pain points.
Gap Analysis
Understand where your service or product begins and end, with opportunities to expand your reach.
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05
Case Studies
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Groceries2Go
Case Study
NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy
Increasing food access for NYC Residents
To meet the needs of NYC residents who use food vouchers and benefit from grocery delivery services, we conducted comprehensive user research through focus group sessions.
The results yielded over 300+ data points which were catalogued, analyzed, and categorized. From the trends which emerged, we were able to draw insights and make actionable recommendations to improve the City’s service.
“If there was the ability to search via my diet, I would do that.”
“Wish there was a map to see where stores are.”
“My emotional support dog is my eyes, ears, arms, – why doesn’t this cover pet food/treats?”
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MyCity
Case Study
NYC Department of Small Business Services
Creating an Online Portal for NYC Business Owners
In an effort to create one centralized, online portal for NYC business owners, we partnered with NYCSBS to conduct user research through 1:1 interviews.
We met with 13 individuals and gathered over 600+ data points, which were then analyzed for trends. From these trends, we were able to define insights and actionable recommendations to support future state design decisions.
“We need to have one system where all the agencies are in one online place.”
“It’s trickle down information regarding policies, opportunities, etc… this all needs to be completely transparent and equitable.”
“A calendar would be really helpful- [to see] important dates for NY businesses- and you could sync it to your Google Calendar.”
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Let’s get started
blenderbox.com
Client Name
Contact us to learn more about how we can help your agency or organization to deliver better CX through better digital products and services.