{"id":920,"date":"2020-03-05T00:49:29","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T00:49:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/robertvnewell.com\/?post_type=portfolio&#038;p=920"},"modified":"2020-12-15T01:38:17","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T01:38:17","slug":"openstax-user-research","status":"publish","type":"portfolio","link":"https:\/\/robertvnewell.com\/?portfolio=openstax-user-research","title":{"rendered":"Leading User Research at OpenStax"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Leading User Research at OpenStax<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]\u00a0[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"color: #000000;\">OpenStax wanted to make big changes to its product ecosystem. As UX research lead, I managed the team\u2019s foundational research phase of this initiative. I was charged with assessing existing findings, leading instructor and student interviews, and generating synthesis docs such as personas, emerging themes docs, and experience maps\u2014all while collaborating with a larger distributed project team.<\/span>\u00a0[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>What I did<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">1) I consolidated notable research to date across departments, pulling out and organizing data with UX implications.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_gallery interval=&#8221;3&#8243; images=&#8221;953&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"color: #000000;\">2) I led the UX team in an affinity mapping exercise on a <a href=\"https:\/\/mural.co\">MURAL<\/a> board to cluster data together into a hierarchy of categories.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">3) We then presented the map to the larger project team.\u00a0 We structured discussions by asking members to place dots on insights they felt provided opportunities or risks or both (What looks like a big opportunity?\u00a0 What makes you anxious?).\u00a0 The online MURAL board made the exercise feasible for the 14-member partially distributed team.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_gallery interval=&#8221;3&#8243; images=&#8221;927&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"color: #000000;\">4) We used insights from the map and discussion to help focus instructor and student interviews.\u00a0We interviewed 17 instructors&#8211; members of our Faculty Advisory Board and attendees at an OpenStax sponsored instructor event.\u00a0 I created and managed our interview guides and workflow.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_gallery interval=&#8221;3&#8243; images=&#8221;928&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"color: #000000;\">5) The UX manager and I led interviews and brought data back to the UX team for debriefs using MURAL. I created a template (below) with which to organize data and insights.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_gallery interval=&#8221;3&#8243; images=&#8221;930&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"color: #000000;\">6) I led the UX team in more focused affinity mapping exercises and documented emerging, high level themes.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_gallery interval=&#8221;3&#8243; images=&#8221;935&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"color: #000000;\">7) I then built seven primary\/secondary low fidelity instructor personas from our work, structuring and presenting the content in ways I think are useful when concepting and designing.\u00a0 Our UX visual designer refined the layout and added fidelity (some displayed below).<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_gallery interval=&#8221;3&#8243; images=&#8221;937&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_gallery interval=&#8221;3&#8243; images=&#8221;940&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_gallery interval=&#8221;3&#8243; images=&#8221;941&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"color: #000000;\">9) I created a set of instructor attributes that our team could use in design as a shorthand for a range of potential behaviors. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][vc_gallery interval=&#8221;3&#8243; images=&#8221;942&#8243; img_size=&#8221;medium&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"color: #000000;\">Next steps included student personas and using MURAL to consolidate student and instructor findings in experience maps, as I started here (this is in-progress and based on an early student persona draft).<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_gallery interval=&#8221;3&#8243; images=&#8221;948&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]<strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Outcomes<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The UX team collected its most comprehensive user interview data set in three years.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We collaborated more deeply on research than in past projects.\u00a0 Everyone was involved and had a say.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Project team decisions grew more user centered and evidence based.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The research facilitatied collaboration across a distributed cross-functional project team<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">We developed a shared understanding of our instructors and emerging themes across the UX of our entire ecosystem. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text] Leading User Research at OpenStax [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text]\u00a0[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text]OpenStax wanted to make big changes to its product ecosystem. As UX research lead, I managed the team\u2019s foundational research phase of this initiative. I was charged with assessing existing findings, leading instructor and student interviews, and generating synthesis docs such as personas, emerging&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"portfolio_category":[20,3],"portfolio_tag":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertvnewell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/920"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertvnewell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/portfolio"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertvnewell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/portfolio"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertvnewell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertvnewell.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=920"}],"version-history":[{"count":35,"href":"https:\/\/robertvnewell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":993,"href":"https:\/\/robertvnewell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/portfolio\/920\/revisions\/993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertvnewell.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertvnewell.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"portfolio_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertvnewell.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fportfolio_category&post=920"},{"taxonomy":"portfolio_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertvnewell.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fportfolio_tag&post=920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}