Using Iterative Research Tools for agile Product Development & Prototype Testing

The research brief: using Iterative Research Tools to accelerate the development of a Smart Device

Smart devices and appliances made for households present unique opportunities for manufacturers and brands to leverage novel and dynamic approaches to understanding all aspects of new products. More importantly, it is how customers/users behave with these smart devices. From generative research, to UX research, and usability testing - building a deeper understanding of the user experience and the context of user behaviours has become critical to the success of rapid digital transformation and omni-channel experiences. For many, finding the right solution to build this understanding can be difficult. In some ways, there is no one solution.

This case study presents Iterative Research as means to capture many aspects of the user experience, including user behaviour and an entire in-home product experience. By applying an iterative process, the example outlined showcases how multiple phases of iterative research and continuous engagement with users can directly inform quick turnarounds in product development.

Key takeaways from this case study illustrate that an iterative research approach can increase customer closeness, speed up product iterations, reduce UX Debt, and achieve better collaboration within product development teams.

The Iterative Research Objective

For this project, our client was looking for an effective way of capturing critical areas required for product development, but one that was both dynamic and holistic. Essentially, a qualitative research approach that would allow our client to see, hear and understand user behaviour, user experience, and product experience all in one. 

By establishing a robust yet flexible research design that would cater for this objective, the project would ultimately aim to keep all members of our clients team in sync - from research to development, to manufacturing, to testing, to refinements, and back again. 

In addition, and probably the most important requirement for our client, was the need to maintain engagement with their customer/users on a continuous basis - allowing the research team, development team, and management to get a greater sense of understanding of the user needs and requirements. Essentially, to develop a stronger sense of customer closeness was imperative for our client. After discussing the strategic research approach with our client, it was agreed that an agile approach would be the best fit for their objective.

The Solution: Agile, Iterative Research

The agreed solution for this project resulted in the adoption of Iterative Research. This approach would align well with the agile principles our clients team work with on a daily basis. Iterative Research, an increasingly adopted methodological approach in product development, caters for a range of objectives to be implemented at the same time, whilst also affording changes to be made to both prototypes and research strategy in an agile manner. 

Most importantly, Iterative Research is viewed as a key component to maintaining frequent and meaningful engagement with your users/customers - enabling rich and contextual user feedback to be captured over time.(To learn more about iterative research, you can read our recent blog post here).

The Iterative Research method chosen: Sequential Tasking

By working with us, our client was able to build a strong and flexible iterative research process by applying a Sequential Tasking approach. Ultimately, sequential tasking means that each task will appear (i.e sent to your research participants through the Indeemo Mobile App) one after the other. The benefit of this, is that you can maintain a strong cadence with your users throughout the iterative research process.

Phases of Iterative Research

At a macro level, the connection between all phases of this form of iterative research seemed to have spanned an entire customer journey. For instance, prior to the initial phases kicking off, we could see that our client was also capturing that “first impressions” insights. For instance, research participants used Indeemo to take photos and videos of the product when they first received it. They recorded their unboxing experiences, took photos of where the new smart device would be installed in their home, and used the Indeemo Mobile Screen Recording functionality to show how they connected the product to the app. This provided a tremendous amount of context underpinning the richness and value of research being carried out in the moment.

A combination of tasks made up what we refer to as phases. For this case study, our client implemented a total of five iterative phases for this project. On average each phase consisted of 8 different tasks The duration of each phase ranged from 2 to 4 weeks. What is key to note here is that there were breaks in between each phase. The breaks usually lasted from one up to two weeks. Adopting and applying Iterative Research to your toolkit does not necessarily mean you and your team need to stick to a strict format or set of rules. As mentioned previously, Iterative research is highly flexible, which makes Indeemo a strong fit. 

The agile nature of Indeemo for Iterative Research allows you to be flexible in your design. Each phase can last from several days to several weeks, and the number of tasks you incorporate into each phase is completely configurable depending on the overall objective of your project.

Sprint - Break - Learn - Iterate

This stage of the project was critical. It is during these breaks that our client would make necessary changes to tasks where applicable. Often this involved evolving tasks based on the insights uncovered during the previous phase. In some cases, new tasks would be created and programmed into Indeemo for the next phase. Broadly speaking, some tasks became more targeted, whilst others maintained a consistent structure.

From a product development perspective, the breaks also allowed the team to sync and look at three central areas to inform improvements and changes to the product. These areas include user behaviour, user experience, and product experience as a whole. To be more precise, the “genetic make-up” of each phase incorporated tasks that aimed to draw insights on one of the three areas mentioned above.

Areas of Importance for Product Design & Development

Some tasks concentrated solely on user behaviour. Depending on the area of the product the research team wanted to put the spotlight on, user behaviour would either be exploratory or detailed. For our client, each task rarely, if ever, repeated the same activity for the research participants. User experience requirements tend to ask participants to provide descriptions on their opinions and perceptions of certain areas of the product. With respect to the overall product experience, other tasks would then focus on a strong element of the interconnectivity between the physical prototype and the app used to control the product.

The benefits of Iterative Research

In this section of the case study, we highlight the main characteristics of Indeemo that our client leveraged to capture contextual insights into their customer/user base.

As we followed the progress of this project there are a number of benefits that began to emerge from our client implementing Iterative Research through Indeemo.

Video for Product Experience and Context

Our client leveraged all of the Indeemo capabilities to achieve the best possible results. Video was frequently used, and more so to understand how the research participants interacted with the physical prototype. Context meant everything here, simply because the researchers were able to appreciate the differentiations between participants' environments and see their behaviours vary when using the prototype after it was installed in their home.

Mobile Screen Recording for User Behaviour

First, because this project involved built in tasks that looked at various areas central to the development of the product (most notably, user behaviour, user experience, and product experience), our client leveraged the multimedia functionality in the Indeemo App. To gain a deeper understanding of user behaviour, the team heavily relied on (and utilised) the Indeemo Mobile Screen Recording capabilities. The strong digital component of the product, i.e. the app, meant that the team needed to see how users interacted with a range of functionalities. This form of User Research simply allowed the research participants to explore the application and navigate through various informational and interactive features. 

Captioned Photos for User Experience

Second, the research team applied the Indeemo notes feature. This was used to directly inform the wider team of our client on the user experience. Tasks that leveraged the use notes asked participants to describe in their own words what they thought of specific areas of the application. Our clients' understanding of the UX involved research participants describing their opinions, perceptions, and pain points.

Furthermore, to complement tasks that required participants to upload a note to Indeemo, they were also asked to either take photos of the physical product in their home, or screenshots of various UI in the app. In some cases, research participants were asked to take a selfie photo to accompany their note upload, i.e. captioned photographs (selfies and/or screenshots) . Accompanying visual data like these appeared to have added an additional layer of context to the overall product experience insights.

Ratings and Journey Mapping to Complement Contextual Insights

Lastly, every phase of this project required a quantitative element to allow for synergy between the various types of uploads to Indeemo. Throughout this project, the researchers applied Indeemo’s Journey Mapping ratings feature to their tasks. Indeemo’s ratings simply ask research participants to rate their experience on a 1-5 likert scale. In the context of Iterative Research the ratings could direct the researchers and development team towards patterns across the entire cohort of participants. 

Areas that were rated low user experience could be quickly drawn out through the Indeemo dashboard. The use of ratings for this Iterative Research project provided the research team with direction to engage further with research participants in the moment, and additionally it gave the design and development clear direction of areas to focus on for the next iteration.

The Iterative Research Outcome

Over the course of this project it was clear that the Iterative Research approach that was adopted, had in fact resulted in many unexpected outcomes.

Better Collaboration Across Teams

First and foremost, it is imperative to highlight that our client approached us with an inclusive attitude toward this project. That being, they wanted all primary stakeholders/actors to be actively involved in this iterative research process. The combination of project management, a ux design team, development team, and research ops meant that all voices needed to be at the table. This is not to mention the most important stakeholder, the customer. 

From an internal and product development perspective this research design formed a cohesive management and flow to each phase and iteration of the project. For instance, all user feedback, and each upload to Indeemo went to a central repository - The Indeemo Dashboard. It was here that different teams within the project got to see and hear the user experience.

This resulted in a massive reduction in handoffs, from analysis reports to design specs and so on. Instead, the voice of the customer was central and all teams were able to work together towards the next iteration and the next phase of the project.

Faster Iterations for Quality Improvements

The format of iterative research meant that the collaborative team (researchers, product designers, and software developers) were able to capture issues as they arose. Ultimately, this in the moment research format produced user pain points instantly.Any UX issues were identified much more clearly through photo, video, and mobile screen recording data. As a result of this iterations to product improvements had a significantly quick turn around - often feeding into upcoming phases of the research. 

Reducing UX Debt

Each phase of this project resulted in a quick turnaround in both insights and improvements to the product - most notably from a UX and design perspective. However, our client also noted that they were also able to reduce the project timeline, ultimately cutting down time to make necessary alterations to the product and speeding up shipping time to market - All a result of fast and effective iterations.

When our client investigated the implications of their Iterative Research they highlighted that an evaluation of UX improvements made at the interim of phases and through quicker turnaround of insights had a significant impact on the quality of their final product. They stressed the importance of iterative research and design in helping reduce or even eliminating UX debt. This was attributed to all team members being embedded in the data and insights, and from the entire team being aligned with their customers.

Improving Customer Closeness & Building Empathy

Lastly, the iterative research process resulted in a great sense of customer closeness. Our client stressed the importance of establishing a cadence and rapport with their user personas throughout the duration of the project. This required continuous engagement with the research participants. As a result of this continuous engagement, the team learned more about their customers as having both different and similar needs and desires when it came to this product. For our client, it was noted that context provided the entire team with a greater level of understanding and empathy for their users than they would have achieved by adopting a traditional approach to the project.

Did You Know? 

Indeemo is revolutionising the landscape of market research with its multifaceted research platform, designed to cater to the dynamic needs of modern researchers and insights teams. At the forefront of asynchronous data collection, Indeemo is a market leader, especially renowned for its video-based, in-the-moment data capture capabilities. Here’s a glimpse into the innovative features that make Indeemo a game-changer in the realm of qualitative research:

Asynchronous Video Data Collection: In-the-Moment Insights

Indeemo empowers researchers to capture authentic, in-the-moment experiences through video. This approach ensures that the data collected is not just rich in detail but also reflective of genuine consumer behaviours and reactions as they happen. The platform's ability to facilitate this level of real-time, video-based data collection positions it uniquely in the market research industry.

Seamless Video Import Capability: Effortless Integration and Transcription

Taking flexibility a notch higher, Indeemo’s video import capability is a testament to its adaptability and user-centric design. Researchers can now effortlessly upload their interviews or focus group sessions directly from popular conferencing tools like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. This seamless integration is further enhanced by Indeemo’s automatic transcription feature, transforming video content into analyzable text, thereby streamlining the data analysis process.

Advanced Qualitative Data Analysis: Leveraging Generative AI

Indeemo introduces its state-of-the-art generative AI, a groundbreaking addition that propels qualitative data analysis into a new era. This intricate yet user-friendly AI tool specialises in dissecting interview transcripts and in-the-moment video uploads. Researchers can engage Indeemo’s AI for a variety of analysis tasks, including sentiment analysis, quote extraction, and thematic analysis. The AI’s proficiency in uncovering preferences, nuances, attitudes, and more, adds an unparalleled depth to research findings.

Whether it’s understanding consumer sentiment, extracting impactful quotes for marketing, or conducting an in-depth thematic analysis, Indeemo’s platform is equipped to handle diverse research demands. Its intuitive design ensures that both experienced researchers and newcomers can navigate its features with ease, making sophisticated data analysis accessible to all.

In summary, Indeemo isn’t just a research tool; it’s a comprehensive solution that bridges the gap between raw data and actionable insights. With its capabilities in asynchronous video data collection, seamless video import, and advanced AI-driven analysis, Indeemo stands as a beacon of innovation in market research technology. Embrace Indeemo, and unlock a world of insights that were once beyond reach