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Digital.NSW

User research methods

To build a service that works, you need to understand users from their point of view. This avoids designing based on assumptions that are biased by your own perspectives.

Gain deeper understanding of your user
Articulate who the customer is, how the problem effects them and their needs.
Visualise when, how and why a user interacts with your system and product
Showcase your findings to the product team
During discovery you should start to map the broader service landscape, research the real needs and problems faced by your users, and understand the policy intent and technology constraints.
The aim of user research in the Beta phase is to test the service with likely users to make sure it meets their needs and to understand and resolve usability issues.
The aim of user research in the live phase is to assess people's experience of using your service, understand their evolving user needs and test new features, changes or improvements.
‘Ethical conduct’ is more than doing the right thing. It is acting in the right spirit, out of respect and concern for others.
We recommend paying research participants for their time, experience, and insights they provide to help design and create NSW products and services.
Include current and prospective users. Use existing research to know their needs.
Includes getting user consent, ensuring privacy and keeping information secure.
Know what your users need and want from your product or service
Learn how to gather actionable insights from your audience
Test the functionality of your service
Alpha is an experimental phase. It's an opportunity to check if you are building the right thing, before you go ahead and start building a working service.
Plan to gather evidence. Decide how you will analyse and use your insights.
Making sure you are inclusive in your recruitment process will help your team develop better products, systems, and experiences.
Organise your findings to elicit clear and actionable insights