Pulling off a huge research project on a busy team at a tiny company
The Challenge.
A Fortune 500 restaurant chain was launching a new feature on their mobile app. In addition to usability testing the feature with 6 users, they also wanted us to conduct similar testing of 11 competitors’ apps, in addition to individual heuristic evaluations. The resulting request on a short timeline threatened to overwhelm our already busy 8-person staff.
By the numbers…
The client application
6 usability sessions
1 heuristic analysis
11 competitor applications
66 usability sessions
11 heuristic analyses
Reporting
1 comprehensive report
This project was the largest by far that our company had ever taken on. It was also the most well-known brand we’d ever worked with, and came at a time when we were struggling in the midst of the pandemic. It was essential that we take the work and do a great job, but the sheer amount of work had the potential to hamstring our resources at the expense of our other active projects.
The Action.
I leapt into action the moment contracts were signed, weeks before a formal kickoff was scheduled. I used the buffer time to design and document a process for the entire initiative, complete with detailed instructions and deliverable templates. This enabled the project to be spread across the entire team — even admins with limited research experience — while projecting a single researcher voice and without overwhelming anyone.
Why did it work?
Distributed Effort.
We typically assigned 1-2 researchers to even large projects, but it was clear that would be insufficient here. I needed to find a way to empower all 8 employees to make a meaningful contribution, without leading to a disjointed deliverable.
Built-in Efficiency.
Because so much of this project was repetitive (conducting the same usability study on 12 apps), I was able to build in efficiency throughout, such as by writing one master test script, and by launching parallel recruiting efforts.
Quality Control.
I ensured the work quality remained high and that the voice remained unified by providing oversight and guidance throughout the project, and by providing detailed templates and examples of every step in the process.
The “Almighty Spreadsheet,” which tracked progress across all project facets and phases.
The list of materials provided to internal contributors at the start of the engagement.
The Result.
The project remained on schedule throughout the engagement, and the final report was delivered on time, to overwhelmingly positive stakeholder reactions. Our main point of contact specifically praised the synthesis and presentation of the findings, which had in fact been compiled by 8 individual researchers:
“The information was super thorough and presented in such a manner that people could easily digest it.”
The proof is in the pudding.
Ultimately, I was able to over-deliver on our original proposal while staying true to the original goals and timeline.
Days after presenting the research, we received two new requests for work: one from the original owner, and another from another department altogether. Good news travels fast!
