How to stay motivated as you carry out user research

Get a research method

There are a couple of research methods that you can choose while conducting research but remember, designers are visual people. Most of these research methods involve a lot of theory, and they make us feel like we are literature people rather than visionaries.

This feeling can prevent most designers from indulging themselves in doing user research thinking that it should be left to only researchers. Usually, this fear is a result of not knowing about the different steps involved in doing research.

Research shouldn’t sound wild to designers, be it graphic designers, because it comes with a lot of benefits, of which learning about your users is the most important of all. When I had just joined campus, I didn’t like doing any research and almost always did things on the fly. I have learned how to change that behavior with time.

I started by looking into the easiest research methods that don’t require rigorous activities, and one of the methods I settled down for was observation. You don’t need a lot of energy to observe something; you just have to look at it, and that is all.

Observation doesn’t also mean you are going to look, and that’s the end of the story. You have to recognize patterns and record them for reference. Observe then pick traits that you might be looking for. Remember such traits come from your research objectives.

Once you learn how to observe and record, you are ready to move on to the next step.

Find visual hints

After getting into the habit of observing and recording, you will be able to always recognize visual hints amongst your research subjects. This technique is really good for designers because they are able to spot visual hints here and there in regards to what they might be exploring.

If you haven’t yet nurtured that skill of staring at something and picking out visual clues that might be of importance, then you can start now. You know, although design is not art, it borrows most of the principles used in art inorder to reach certain conclusions.

For design to be considered a solution, you have to come up with something tangible, and usually the things we create resemble those already in existence. Learn to always pick up visual clues while doing anything like traveling, swimming, at the gym, parenting, or even at work.

Once you are able to pick up visual clues here and there, you will not only be able to build up a visual library but also a physical library of examples of what you might need.

Pin visual hints where you can clearly see them

Usually, motivation doesn’t come from far unless something is wrong, but in most circumstances, we are motivated by what we are able to do. If what you are doing currently doesn’t motivate you to continuously do it, then you are probably being forced to do it, or it’s wrong.

The last step is to find an empty wall, a manilla, or a scrapbook and stick, write, or draw your visual hints. How you do it is entirely up to you; just do it.

To keep on doing user research, you need to see some immediate results that can motivate you to keep searching. You can also make a mood board and put it in your bedroom so that you can see the beautiful visuals you have collected over time before and after going to bed.

I have a sketchbook that I place on my bedroom table to remind me of what I have to do next and, most importantly, to motivate me in order to continue working on my ideas.

Thanks for reading 🎉