Benefits of remote UX research

- You probably know that remote work is done outside of the traditional office. That might not sound so different for UX researchers. We're used to heading into the field or staking out coffee shops to intercept people for studies. But when we talk remote research, we mean any research done when you aren't physically present with the participant. You might still moderate sessions digitally, or you can collect information asynchronously. Well, there are certainly some constraints, remote research can be very powerful. In fact, running sessions remotely has some specific advantages. Remote research is often seen as the discount way to squeeze UX work into projects. And it's true that remote sessions often cost less than traditional sessions. You don't need to travel to participants, nor rent research facilities, and you can typically offer a lower incentive to participants. Budget savings alone might be enough to convince you to try remote methods. You'll also save time for both you and your participants, meaning you can likely get more research done in a shorter amount of time. You'll never have to wait for an opening at a facility and you can be more flexible about the time slots you make available so you can accommodate you, your team, and the participants. We'll talk more about unmoderated studies in a moment, but if you'll be conducting asynchronous research, you can collect data from many participants all at once. The combination of schedule flexibility and ease of responding allows remote studies to accumulate speed that is often impossible in traditional research. Conducting remote sessions also allows you to include a more representative sample of your user base. When you aren't bound by meeting participants face-to-face, you can be sure to include people from different locations. It might be common to make sure you include participants from completely different geographies or cultures, but there also might be more nuanced differences in inclusion. For instance, I used to work at a large retailer outside of Boston. Boston's a big city, but it seemed like everybody there had some sort of connection to the place. Either they used to work there, they have an old colleague who used to work there, some sort of family member, or they just felt connected to it because it was local. We used to run research all the time, both in the store and in our lab in our office, but we'd get really consistent feedback. When I moved to new city, after I'd been working there for a couple of years, I started doing really similar research, but in my new area. And even though we were recruiting the same kind of people, they were sort of similar demographics, we got really different feedback because people didn't have those same sort of connections to the organization. Maybe they weren't as familiar with it, or they didn't have sort of the associated positive, sort of, feeling about it because they already knew the place. When we go remote, we have an opportunity to really get people from all kinds of different places. You can make sure that you capture everybody's perspective. Remote studies also let you be more inclusive of those with different abilities. For instance, it might be easier to digitally connect with someone with mobility limitations, or see the real world application of a screen reader for a visually impaired user. You should make sure to include users of all abilities in research anyway, but sometimes remote connection makes it easier to connect a diverse group. Remote recruiting may also mean that you have access to participants who you'd otherwise be difficult to schedule with just because of timing. Like, you might be able to connect over the phone with a busy medical professional who wouldn't normally be able to step away from their job for a whole afternoon to meet with you in person. Removing the barrier of physical presence allows you to be sure you're getting a more truly representative sample of your user base. Another large advantage of remote research is that you're typically going to be talking to people in their usual day-to-day context, which means you can get a truer sense of their authentic behavior and environment. Say you're usability testing a new mobile phone app. The participant will be connecting with their own equipment, their usual connection speed, and their own usual settings. If they have trouble with something, you won't have to have to wonder if it's because they're not used to the device. And something that looks great on your 15-inch monitor in your well-lit desk may look really different on a years old tablet when someone's outside. You'll also get a sense of real things that users have to account for, such as interruptions or work arounds. Do they have a post-it note of instructions next to their desk? Does their kid pop in to request a snack, or their pet hop on their keyboard? This additional contextual feedback will help you see a more realistic view of a person and the things that influence their behaviors. Remote research can help you save money, run more efficiently, access a broader set of participants, and collect real life contextual feedback. What's not to love?