UXPA Boston 2017 Conference

As researchers, we sometimes take for granted that studying human behavior can be elusive to non-research stakeholders. Ambiguous, subjective, and difficult to interpret into insights, human-centered data requires expertise and practice to analyze meaningfully. While researchers are equipped to manage the ethereal process of raw data analysis, it can be difficult for non-researchers to understand.

A challenge many researchers face is describing the validity of their findings. Because human-centered data is more likely to originate from anecdotes, behaviors, and emotions, the steps it takes to translate them into findings is more of an art than a science. Hermeneutics, the interpretive processes of understanding, require significant study and appreciation to be executed properly. What many non-research stakeholders struggle to internalize is how to consider these unmeasurable processes of knowing.

The presenters will talk about a 5-step approach they use to introduce clients to human-centered data, and how they usher clients through the analysis process. Attendees will learn how and when to introduce non-research stakeholders into the broader research discussion, and how to directly engage with them at the point of crafting themes and insights.