3 Ways to Take a Step Back and Think Strategically

Pause and Take a Step Back

Tackling a new research problem is exciting and invites creative, critical thinking. But it’s all too easy to jump in and get caught up in the details of crafting just the right wording for an elusive question or cultivating the perfect crescendo of questions. Remember to take a step back and consider the larger picture and the core goals for your research project. Why are you doing this research? What do you hope to get out of it?

Let’s say you’re doing research with Sales, Service, and Implementation associates, studying internal communications around a new product. When creating the research guides for each of these three types of associates, you must maintain coherence and obtain complementary data across all participants, but you also might want to include some questions that are specific to each role. How will you balance convergent and divergent questioning with each associate type? How will you use your overall findings to impact your product’s internal communications strategy? If you pause and take a step back, you can focus on the larger context and goals, which will set you up for success.

Everyone benefits from taking a step back and reframing their perspective. Once, I was participating in a design standup, during which UX designers shared what they’re currently working on and elicited feedback from their team members. One designer shared a flow that asked users to create an account and provide contact information. We discussed the design possibilities in great detail, including the proper order for collecting primary versus secondary contact information. After a lively debate, one person finally asked the right questions: What’s the overall goal here? What information is essential? What do we need to do with it once we’ve collected it? He pulled us out of the weeds and helped us to see the bigger picture, enabling us to make smarter, more informed decisions. Understanding the users’ needs and the goals for the flow helped the designer make it as efficient and enjoyable as possible.

Focus on Users’ Real Needs, Not Their Suggestions

During analysis of your research findings, it’s important to focus on your participants’ deeper needs and wants, not simply accept their initial suggestions. For example, if a participant says she wants color-coded communications, dig deeper to find out why she wants this. Does she need quick visual cues to aid in skimming content, or does she just want more color in her life? Her answer will have significant design and product implications.

Make sure you don’t make assumptions based on what research participants say. Instead continue questioning participants until you fully understand their deeper needs. If you find a user has suggested color coding to help her categorize and scan communications more quickly, you can consider other options that would also aid quick skimming—such as clearer subject lines or having a consistent structure across all communications. As a researcher, you need to thoroughly understand the users’ problem and leave their solutions to product, design, and development.

Conclusion

In our daily work, we often get caught up in the details, failing to pause and take a step back. On every project, we must clearly define both research and business goals, as well as the expected outcomes and uses of our user research. Only once this foundational framework is in place can we begin building out the details. Remember to regularly check your progress against the research goals, using them to guide and focus your work. From time to time, pause and consider the larger context for your work. Taking these simple steps will save you significant time, effort, and money.