Session Title
Remote Design Research
Presenter
Cyd Harrell, Bolt | Peters
Session Type: Activity
Want to do design research cheaply and efficiently with participants anywhere in the world? (Of course.) Want to observe real users in their native technology environments, from the comfort of your own desk? (Who doesn’t?) But what software and hardware do you need, and will it actually work? This session will explain the latest and greatest tools, their pros and cons, and how to put together the right toolkit for you. We’ve just about finished the upcoming book “Remote Research” http://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/remote-research/ and are eager to share some of the techniques and lessons as fun activities.
We will cover the most powerful tools for un-moderated conceptual research, remote screen observation, participant communication, observer involvement, session recording, time-aware tasks, and real-time recruiting. Get the lowdown on UserVue, Acrobat Connect, GoTo Meeting, Loop11, OpenHallway, UserZoom, Optimal Sort, Ethnio, and more. Questions are encouraged — bring a laptop and a remote research challenge and we’ll work it all out. The session is based our recent workshop “Escape The Lab” http://escapethelab.com
Biography
As the Director of Research at Bolt|Peters, Cyd Harrell coaches the top remote research team in the world. She’s a passionate believer in real time research and has taught everyone from interns to senior researchers how to get remote. Cyd and her team have made user experience real for clients such as Sony, EA, Volkswagon, and Autodesk. Cyd co-founded San Francisco Women on the Web, brought design standards to both the website and the broker desktop at Charles Schwab, and is a Socio-linguistics graduate from Yale University. She promises this session won’t hurt a bit.
One Comment
The list of possible tools that we might employ to connect with and involve users in design research is ever growing and potentially overwhelming. Remote research and the increase of digital/networked tools to mediate research and participation is a significant emerging area of design research. This sounds like an excellent overview and opportunity for discussion on the wealth of tools now available from a leader in the field.