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Disruptive Technology Company User Research 101

  • Writer: Anping Wang
    Anping Wang
  • Jan 12, 2023
  • 4 min read

Updated: Mar 22, 2023

The document was a small piece I wrote for junior designers in my team


To readers:

Use User Research 101 as part of your research checklist, as it is not a comprehensive list of what designers and product managers need to do. I recommend everyone to build their own ways of researching, yet keep the goals of research in mind.


Goals of Research


For existing products: Identify pain points and determine their priorities for users.

  • What challenges do users encounter?

  • Which of these challenges are the most urgent to address?

For new products: Define the target user group, user flow, product scope, and users' priorities.

  • Who comprises the target audience?

  • What are their most critical needs for the product, and why?

  • How should the minimum viable product (MVP) be designed?

To explore potential product directions for future use cases:

  • What are the users' future plans and subsequent steps?

  • What prospective designs can we develop for future consideration?

  • How should we prioritize these potential product improvements?


Enhance Your Understanding of the Product:


Familiarize yourself with the product's history before conducting research:

  • Why didn't this product exist before?

  • How were engineers designing the platform prior to the designers' involvement?


Comprehend the product's logic:

  • Meet with current product owners for an overview.

  • Experiment with the products on your own.

  • Locate and review existing documentation.


Engage with the appropriate individuals:

  • Be mindful of the differences between tech users and non-tech users in terms of their skillsets, mindsets, and objectives.

    • For instance, PMs may prioritize completion, while engineers focus on identifying the causes of system failures.

    • Sometimes tech leads may not always be the best contact. The actual developers are often most familiar with the product.

    • Users, particularly algorithm users in autonomous driving companies, tend to have more insights and pain points as they are key tech users. Designers can consult them for potential future requirements.

    • Don't forget to speak with product managers/project managers.


Talk to the right number of people. It's crucial to determine when you are ready to begin the first draft of the design, which may involve:

  • Speaking with at least one user from each user group.

  • Having ideas for the design that will significantly improve user efficiency.


Pose the right questions at the right time:

  • Observe first, then ask questions.

  • Request users to demonstrate how they perform a task while verbalizing their thoughts. Note any confusion, frustration, or positive feedback.

  • Develop your own understanding rather than one directed by users.

  • Keep in mind that not all users excel at summarizing or providing product conclusions.

  • Do not restrict your observations to the platform you're designing. Understanding the bigger picture during interviews is crucial, as tools often have dependencies with other tools.


Leverage interviews to validate assumptions and seek information:

  • Utilize interviews to confirm your assumptions rather than relying solely on open-ended questions.

  • Base your questions on observations and assumptions about the product to identify obstacles and instances where the system is not maximizing the efficiencies of its operations for users


Exercise your own judgment when evaluating the product instead of solely relying on users' opinions. It's tempting to ask users direct questions such as, "What are your biggest frustrations with the product?" However, solely doing so hands over our judgment to users, who may not always have the right answers. Instead:

  • Focus on obtaining relevant information:

    • In the context of TuSimple's platforms, the primary concern is whether they have increased users' efficiency while maintaining the safety of autonomous driving. In other words, prioritize the overall efficiency of the system over user satisfaction or design elegance (E.g., users' complaints about not being able to see the intention information is a high priority, while users' complaints about the mouse that the company offered is not comfortable has relatively lower priority)

  • Be vigilant during research and design:

    • In the following section, we'll discuss aspects of design that should raise concerns when conducting research. Pay attention to these red flags to ensure that your investigation is thorough and effective.


Evaluating the Product

Consider the following aspects when evaluating a product or design in TuSimple, and verify them during research:

  • Use cases: Does the system cover all major use cases?

  • User flow:

    • Is there a clear flow for users to follow?

    • Are users provided with clear guidance or cues for the next step?

    • Do the flows align with the design, e.g., do users need to jump back and forth to complete tasks?

  • Information and status:

    • Is the information clearly displayed with proper hierarchies?

    • Is the presentation of information based on logic, such as frequency or priority?

    • Is the presentation of information suited to its nature?

    • Are changes in information/status clearly indicated?

    • Can users easily differentiate between different information/statuses?

  • System status:

    • Are there proper indicators for users to understand the system's functioning?

    • Are the wordings clear and understandable?

  • Corner cases:

    • Has the system adequately addressed corner cases?

    • What are potential errors, and how does the system handle them?

    • Do users receive sufficient guidance when errors occur?


Outcomes of Research

Before summarizing research, remember to:

  • Provide conclusions, not just a list of users' comments.

  • Keep results brief and clear.

A research report must include:

  • Conclusions:

    • Simplified project/research goals.

    • Clear problem statements.

    • Key pain points ranked by priority.

    • Actionable plans or suggestions for next steps.

  • Evidence supporting conclusions.

  • User personas, key use cases, user flows, and other design assumptions.

When providing conclusions:

  • Keep the efficiency goal in mind.

  • Use the improvement of efficiency as a principle to evaluate priorities.

  • Consider return on investment (ROI).

  • Focus on design efforts that enhance efficiency.

  • Ensure recommendations are actionable.

  • Align with engineers' schedules.

  • Encourage engineers to explore technical limitations.

  • Consider your own schedule.

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© 2023 by Anping Wang

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