Ahead of Design- UX Research Portfolio

Ahead of design UX RESEARCH PORTFOLIO

U D I T A C H AT U R V E D I

01.

U BERN EXT 2020 Trend Forecasting In

Tech & Transport (2019)

Disruption Consumer Behaviour Analysis The golden age of the zealous millennials is nearing its

once they inherit this world, and give

Prior to unveiling the trend forecast for UberNext 2020,

end and in their wake a new generating is prepared and

businesses relatable insights to meet

allow me to present the process I followed to explore and

standing ready to take over their reigns.

the new consumers’ changing needs.

develop this study.

This is the new Generation Z.

This forecast delves into the changing mindsets and

psychologies of this new generation and how would they

While Gen X leads the economic breakthrough with pride, Gen Y is happily embracing consumerism, Gen Z is the

Gen Z is the disruptive generation who are unable

disruptive generation who are unable to derive their

to derive their happiness

happiness from material good.

from material good.

impact the consumability of offerings and the overall functioning of the businesses.

The most impact­fully emerging signs of our new gen

consumers’ needs and lifestyles, together with our

The concept of ownership is moving to renting and placing

evidence exploration and our conversations with the

the larger good of the society above their temporary

Generation Z, leads us to our insights.

losses. Raised during the digital revolution, this generation Z is questioning the world they live in from all perspectives.

It is essential for us to understand this new generation Z; their hopes, dreams, worries and fears, & what will happen

Raised during the digital revolution, this generation Z is questioning the world they live in from all perspectives.

The forecast extends its business implications to guide brands towards better development of innovations and their relevance in the future.

Process From Consumer Behaviour Analysis to Trend Forecasting Defining Success­

­ “I want to open up one app and learn the fastest and most affordable option. That comparison can help

If the forecasted trends could be aligned with Uber

me decide, how much do I want to spend, and how long do I want to take to do it?” Participant 2

product offerings.

­ Subscriptions fits into the “Look out for me beyond the trip” transportation need.

­ Can help instil trust that Uber is suggesting what’s best for the user; even if it’s not necessarily

benefitting Uber financially

Primary Data Foundational Research

Secondary Research

Workshops & Design Sprints

­ Provide rewards and give an element of safety ­ “Building my own package is way more appealing, especially because I may build different packages at different times of the year”

Roadmap to UberNext Trend Forecasting (Phase I)­

Findings from Foundational Research­

Brainstorming categories that resonate with Uber

­ Subscriptions were not essential, but they could be very powerful in increasing intent to use Uber over competitors

Identifying one category to forecast trends in

­ “I would love this a lot because right now I open all the apps and jump from app to app. I just want to see what’s fastest, what’s cheapest. This would save so much time” ­ Participant 1

Understanding structures of trend reports

Vertical reading in the identified category Secondary Research

Horizontal reading for in­depth understanding

Roadmap to UberNext Trend Forecasting (Phase I)­

Challenges Faced­

Cross Referencing Brand Newsrooms

Identifying progressing themes

Affinity Mapping of themes for more definition

Design Sprint for refining and clubbing for Mega Trends

­ The right ’whys’ weren’t easily identifiable ­ I wasn’t versed with trajectory of existing trend from the past decade, therefore forming trajectories for the

Trend Analysis Affinity Mapping

Trend Definitions

Defining themes with supporting evidences

Team­

Process­ UX Research Manager

UX Researcher

Macro Trends Identified

LOOKBOOK Cross Referencing & polishing trends

new trends was a challenge ­ All progressions, halfway through the project, therefore kept on being discarded for being repetitive, invalid/irrelevant to emerging themes or for not being anything new at all ­ The project was funded majorly by secondary

­ Observing changes, nuances, inventions and all incidents in our

research, all the reading and mental filtering of the

chosen categories

perceived information created a lot of fatigue

­ Identify sub themes emerging from the strong evidences

­ Maintaining the reliability of the sources the reading

­ Ask the right ‘whys’ to invoke thoughts for predictions

was being done from

­ Cross referencing with previous trends to form trajectories and

enhance nuances

Overcoming Challenges­

­ Find and source relevant images to provide visual support and

relevance to the merging trends

­ Arranging workshops with a larger team frequently, to dish out undesired themes before they were fully blown

UX Research Intern

­ A lot of self motivation to read, read and re­read to support progressing trends

Macro Trends

?

What if you lived in a

instead of a nation

Brand universe BRAND STATEHOOD

Moving︎ away ︎from singular domains, brands are turning︎ into aggregated power­houses not only catering︎ to versatile needs under one roof︎, but also becoming︎ larger accountable bodies who will define who it’s members (or citizens) would be and what would be their privileges.

This, coupled with the need to belong︎ to something︎ larger than self︎ in the every­shrinking, global world, brands have become the perfect personification ︎for one’s nationality, allowing︎ the consumers to be Brand netizens in the truest sense.

What does this mean for Uber?

Uber can leverage this trend to become the ‘Brand of︎ Opportunities’. As a ︎global conglomerate, we are expanding︎ our offerings so as to achieve a customer obsessed­ super­ loyalty win win situation.

Meaningful partnerships that can help them provide services across the industries beyond their own expertise, that their Consumers truly desire.

Ability to cross the legislative borders to access the world, but expect services that allow them to do so seamlessly in terms of︎ mobility, communication, transactions and even experiences.

Super App ­ My Jio. Taking︎ after the demonstrated success of︎ 'Super­apps' in China, Indian ubiquitous brand Reliance,

Access by BMW. BMW and competitors are ︎acing︎ a

is ︎gearing︎ towards consolidating over a 100 services under

strong︎ shift︎ away ︎rom car ownership. Subscription

one platform ︎facilitating︎ e­commerce, online bookings and

propositions offer the prize of establishing a long­term

payments all at a single click. While many super­apps have

direct to consumer relationship – displacing︎ car

previously tried and ︎failed in the region, stronger regional

dealerships. Access by BMW is currently a pilot and offers

presence coupled with a very steady offline infrastructure

a ‘premium’ flexible car experience that allows subscribers

is what the company is ︎focusing︎ to leverage︎ to truly serve

to switch to a different model when they want with the

a variety of︎ consumer needs.

convenience o︎ concierge delivery to any location.

SHARED GOVERNANCE Nearly two­thirds (64%) of︎ Consumers around the world will buy or boycott a brand solely because of︎ its position on a social or political issue.

This consumer trust makes brands extremely powerful to stand besides, and sometimes lead ︎good ︎governance.

Brands are finding︎ themselves in the thick of︎ political controversies, yet they are not shying︎ away ︎rom taking︎ a stand, and consumers love it.

This would also mean a ton of︎ brand­ government partnerships ︎or consumer benefits. ?

When brands become universes, will they be rulers or stay in the opposition

What does this mean for Uber?

Uber has access to immense real time data of the roads­their maintenance and scope of improvement.

The same can be leveraged by the government for a better civic planning and Uber receives the consumer’s goodwill for their help in solving the root cause of the traffic encounters.

Pseudo Inactivism Brands have always responded to trends by creating︎ impactful marketing︎ campaigns that appeal to the new aspirations of︎ the consumer, while rarely reflecting︎ inwards.

The new consumers, aren’t to be ︎fooled by polished marketing︎ ︎gimmicks, the brand has to deliver values, not slogans.

The brands will now be scrutinised ︎or the delivery of the solutions over the intents of solving︎ them.

Proactive Accountability

Spotlight On Longevity

Brands have now started taking︎ proactive measures to be in the rig︎ht place.

Not just with Data (Facebook), or increased spend on consumer safety (Toyota) but with increased accountability and transparency to ︎governments (and consumers alike).

This leads to Brands takin︎ care o︎ environmental health, consumer safety and data usage which are constitutionally a ︎government's responsibility.

Planned obsolescence gives way to a desire for robustness.

As consumers increasingly shy away ︎from owning︎ anything and enjoy the privileges of︎ renting products and services, businesses have had to step in to assimilate, own and maintain a huge range of assets required to provide these services.

Businesses as owners of these assets, thereby demand durability from fellow manufacturers.

New Age Leaders With currency of consumer trust and real moolah from global consumerism, brands are in a pole position to influence large nations and governments.

While leading︎ the discussion about how their data can be used by civic bodies to implement law and order better, they are also defining︎ what the principles o︎f privacy laws, right to access data, and the notion of︎ digital security should be.

One example of brands standing︎ up ︎or consumers by pushing︎ the government in the right direction is of︎ the Australian Futures Project who created ‘The Perfect Candidate’- a virtual politician whose views exactly represent the issues Australians care the most about at a local level. The project’s goal is to boost transparency between political groups and their constituents. (Australia)

Microsoft has come up with a Principle-based international agreements approach to govern law enforcement access to data. They have released a list of six principles that have driven, and will continue to drive, their advocacy as governments reform their laws and negotiate international agreements.

Time Extremist

DATA PRAGMATISM The uproar of︎ the constant data privacy threats had brought a wave of skepticism amongst consumers. While data-breach news continues to reinstate the wisdom in that skepticism, a more pragmatic outlook ︎rows in its shadows.

Infused with new-found pragmatism, consumers are leaning on to trade personal in︎formation for certain benefits to the brands who have managed earning their trust.

These trusted brands can enjoy granular, even biometric personal data of the consumers as long as they are able to assure its ethical use and deliver something significant in its return.

?

Data v/s Value; what are we giving back?

Agnostic consumers have moved away from the traditional demographic classification to be a homogenous group separated merely by belief︎s and values. With all the definitions drifting away, longing︎ for associations has intensified. Consumers look for ways to express their new-found identities.

In November 2018, Facebook, widely—and quietly—rolled out a tool that lets you measure how much time you spend using both Facebook and Insta︎ram apps.

Aid self discovery

Agnostic consumers have moved away from the traditional demographic classification to be a homogenous group separated merely by belief︎s and values. With all the definitions drifting away, longing︎ for associations has intensified. Consumers look for ways to express their new-found identities.

With the aim to make e-︎governance more robust, Andhra Pradesh Chief︎ Minister Chandrababu Naidu said that state will use blockchain technonlogy ︎or e-︎governance.

Andhra Pradesh is collaborating with a German ︎economics and precision company to create a database o︎ o︎ its citizens DNA; keeping in mind two factors: Firstly, the South Indian states are underrepresented in areas of︎ Genetics databases and Second that it will help predict forthcoming︎ diseases in a person and provide timely and better healthcare

Larger Good

Agnostic consumers have moved away from the traditional demographic classification to be a homogenous group separated merely by belief︎s and values. With all the definitions drifting away, longing︎ for associations has intensified.

Consumers look for ways to express their new-found identities.

This week, Facebook announced that more than 60 researchers from 11 countries and 30 academic institutions had gotten the go-ahead to access some of︎ its user data for studies on how the social network influences politics around the globe.

Its part of︎ an initiative in Tandem with the Social Science Research Council (SSRC), a research nonprofit, and Social Science One, a data project to help bridge the gap between academia and the private sector.

Make My Decision

With the available rich information and insight into the consumers, brands can be expected to be their new proxy decision makers, available at disposal when summoned (or even prior).

With the aim to make e-︎governance more robust, Andhra Pradesh Chief︎ Minister Chandrababu Naidu said that state will use blockchain technology ︎or e-governance.

Andhra Pradesh is collaborating︎ with a German ︎genomics and precision company to create a database o︎f︎ its citizens DNA; keeping︎ in mind two ︎actors: Firstly, the South Indian states are underrepresented in areas of︎ Genetics databases and Second that it will help predict forthcoming︎ diseases in a person and provide timely and better healthcare.

Reverse Mobility

When businesses start asking︎ for

mobility as a service, their needs wouldn’t be categorised by consumer group definitions. They would be more holistic, universal, seamless and efficient, than consumers have ever asked for.

New age e-scooter start-up in India, Vogo, are looking to another Bangalore start-up, Ather Energy, to supply them. Ather has engineered a premium-priced, aspirational electric scooter that is one of the few to qualify for government clean-energy subsidies, and it is building a network of fast-chargin︎ stations.

02.

W ARDROBE A UDIT Ethnographic Research For

Kantar I.M.R.B (2018)

Disruption Establishing Context This foundational study was initiated to help various

It was essential to create a discussion

apparel and lifestyle brands in India to understand what

guide keeping in mind the objectives

are the new needs of their consumers. What do their

of our research.

wardrobes look like, what’s the life cycle of the products

It was tested in a mock interview to

they’re investing in; what are the brands they’re preferring

make it better and it gave direction

over others and why; how are their life stages affecting

for our personas too.

their wardrobe choices, etc.

To understand and evaluate the market to be studied, it was divided into the following four categories:

­ College Students ­ Unmarried Early Jobbers ­ Married Working Adults ­ Married Working Adults with toddlers

Our group consisting 3 design researchers studied the segment of married working adults with toddlers.

The User Personas aimed to deliver the following requisites:

User Persona­

Kamalpreet and Ajay are in their late 30’s, working in different MNCs in Bangalore and coming to terms with the happiest change in their lives­ their 3 year old daughter.

Organised Practical Oriented Protective

Preferred Shopping Modes­

Offline

­ A quote from the

Motivations­

interview that represents

the pain points for the larger ethnographic group ­ Representation of the mindset of this target

­ Child’s Convenience and Care

­ Comfort and Style

­ Flexibility, multipurpose and

group in terms of their

longevity

wardrobe choices

Preferred Brands­

Online

“

”

We’re baby proofing our entire house. I believe one should be presentable when they leave their house, however my wish of donning matching earrings to my outfit is long gone, my baby girl likes to pull it all off.

Project Plan Research flow, Pain Points and Efforts to Overcome

Align

Plan

Observe

Interpret

Apply

Understanding the Context

Planning the Research

Conducting the Research

Interpretation & Inferencing

Application to Real World Settings

Learning the tolls and techniques, ethics of research, preparing discussion guides and conducting pilots

Refining discussion guides based on pilots, assessing prelim/secondary data and finalising the flow of research

Immersion with the recruited respondents to fulfil research objectives. Logging the observations to see emerging patterns; later clubbed to see patterns across different demographics

Challenges Faced­

­ Respondents weren’t comfortable opening up their wardrobes for us (strangers) to see and study ­ They felt awkward, weird and had a feeling that they’d be judged ­ Covering the discussion guide, all intimate questions regarding their wardrobe choices, purchase portals was a challenge for one of our group member too

Analysing the data to come up the insights; cluster those to identify opportunity areas

Applying the learnings to retail spaces­ MBO, SBO and e­commerce and present final recommendations to clients

­ There was a pressure of performance we were observing in our respondents to show up as more than what they were in terms of their wardrobe

Overcoming Challenges­

­ Hesitance was a common observation in all these pain­points; an ice­breaker activity in the beginning of each session helped create an atmosphere of ease and allowed the respondents to open up more

Generating Insights From 4 immersions with females of this TG ­

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They look out for fashionable, economic and fast changing fashion

Have underwent major changes in their physical appearance and seek expandable, free style clothing that accentuate their self confidence

They tend to not care when it comes to their babies and shop on the basis of whatever attracts their motherly instinct

They follow reality shows like Splitsvilla, Big Boss and follow celebrities for fashion inspiration

They are held responsible for the wash care of everyone’s clothes in the house

“Brand Conscious, not Brand Loyal”

Generating Insights From 4 immersions with males of this TG ­

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They’re dependent on their wives for their wardrobe choices

They don’t prefer investing time in buying clothes as frequently as they did when they were in their youth; they’d rather get durable and longer fashion relevant styles that goes for a longer time, money is less relevant, leisure of being dependable on their wardrobe investments is more

They refer to e­commerce websites, online catalogues and sometimes magazines to get fashion inspiration

Face sizing issues in e­retail therefore prefer offline modes over online

Lack of personal time after childbirth makes them crave for personal time

“Brand Loyal, not Brand Conscious”.

Apply Our end goal was to ideate for Marks & Spencers, India

Benefit to Customers:

­ Give a quintessential British brand experience to its experience

­ Focuses more on comfort, quality fabrics and stylish silhouettes

Opportunities Identified for M&S­

The people of this demographics are looking for comfortable, body flattering clothing to feel confident in their changing body shape after child’s birth

Men prefer quality clothes over the quantity, they repeat their outfits fortnightly and expect them to last very long. Women repeat clothes twice a month and focus more on quantity

Pricing isn’t a concern for either of the segment

Based on the assumptions of leveraging existing technologies, a VR based apparel trying application to save the user’s time who already struggling with time management after their child birth and beginning a new family life journey.

It can have personalised empathetic inputs for them to style and guide them for increased self confidence.

It will drastically reduce the time consumed in returns and exchanges for the brand as well, for e­commerce orders.

03.

S YSTEMS D ESIGN Design Research Methodologies To Improve

Library Design System (2018)

Design Process To identify the pain points of the users in this system

2. Non Participant Observation: We spent a couple of days to observe from distance, what all our stakeholders go through in a day at work

1. Shadowing:

We tried to trace the work lives of our stakeholders by shadowing them in their work places

4. Journey Mapping:

While doing the previous activities, we mapped all their daily tasks, environment interactions and journeys in their workplaces

3. A day in the life of: As a group we divided ourselves in pairs of two to spend time with one stockholder each to understand their work for a couple of days and then tried spending a day in their shoes

Initial Problem Align Statement

User Personas

6. User’s Intent:

These activities helped us identify what is it that our stakeholders are trying to achieve at their work places

5. Pattern Mapping:

On the basis of all the above information we formed the initials problem statement and a ‘How might we__’ for the same

7. AEIOU:

The insights from the previous activities were mapped on post­its to observe patterns

Observe

8. Problem Statement:

We explored the Activities, Environment, Interactions, Objects for each User

Brainstorm & Ideate

Prototype & User Testing

9. 5 Whys:

Questioning and re­ questioning the HMW statements gave us a clearer understanding of the scope of the problem at hand

Stakeholders Identified­

Journey Mapping­

AEIOU­

A

CTIVITIES­

a) HEAD LIBRARIAN:  Managing the working of the resource center  Overseeing the work of other resource center employees  Finding articles in the newspapers to pin on boards

Head Librarian

 Checks the coding and prices of new books

Assistant Librarian

 Comparison of prices of books online and offline b) ASSISTANT LIBRARIAN:  Binding of old books  Ordering new books

Understanding the Environment­

 Maintaining records of CDs, Periodicals and Documentaries  Book Issuing c) LIBRARY ASSISTANTS:  Photocopying  Keeping track of due issues  Book Issuing

Library Assistants

Security Personnel

 Stamping  Book restacking in their right places d) SECURITY:  Maintaining visitor’s entry and exit record  Maintaining decorum in the resource center e) VISITORS:  Entering their information at the time of entry in the RC  Enquiring about the books they need from the assistant librarians  Finding books on shelves, bending and stretching to reach shelves  Getting books issued by the assistant librarians

Visitor

 Getting photocopies done  Referring books and journals

E

I

NVIRONMENT­

The environment is a humungous library with a lot of books around and tall towering

NTERACTIONS­

BJECTS­

The interactions take place in the following manners:

shelves with a lot of books littered on the tables.

O a) 3M

a) Person to Person:

Challenge faced in the environment is bending and jumping to reach to shelves and

 Inquiring about books

then struggle finding the right book.

 Providing verbal directions to find books b) Person to Object:

Characteristic of the environment is the maintenance of quiet and calm atmosphere.

a) Head Librarian b) Assistant Librarian

c) Books

c) Library Assistant

d) Computers

d) Security Guard

e) Pens

e) Visitors

g) Glue

 Scanning books in 3M

SERS­

b) Registers

f) Stamps

 Data entry in registers

U

h) Xerox Machine

 Photocopying

i) Resources

 Putting books in shelves

j) Tables and Chairs

 Finding and taking out books from shelves

k) Shelves

 Stamping on books  Coding of books

 Maintaining the resources

Initial Problem Statement­

Well­being of the stakeholders of a library system

Final Problem Statement­

How might we help the stakeholders in a library system to find the books they’re looking for easily and help stack them back in the right

Ideation Process Quick sprints of ideating on all sorts of ideas to help our stakeholders FINAL SOLUTION:

­ An application that let’s you scan in to libraries registered with the system

­ Helps you find the book you’re looking for by guiding you to the exact rack and shelf

­ Each rack has a bar­code scanner that scans the barcode that comes with the book’s information and turns a light on to show the exact location

­ The same action in reverse helps the library assistant to stack the books back in shelf; given the book has the same barcode on its neck

Prototyping Creating wireframes for the application

Find My Book Pro­

The scanner triggering visual guidance helps find location of the books on a shelf easily thereby easing user experience in terms of avoiding a lot of bending/stretching to locate as well as re­stack books on a shelf.

Quick searches, categorisation and personalisation based on data collection makes visiting libraries a smoother experience.

Gamification encourages readers to put their books back on the shelves and inculcates responsible behaviours.

Learning outcome Most of all, I understood the value research adds to the product deliveries and understood how performance differs from one project to other which lacks user research inputs.

“User research is how you will know your product or service will work in the real world, with real people. It’s where you will uncover or validate the user needs which should form the basis of what you are designing.”

— Chris Mears, UXr

I learnt various tools and processes for understanding user behaviours, needs and attitudes and how different observation and feedback collections methods work differently in different situations. I am acquainted with research tools and wish to continue learning to use the right method at the right time during the development of any product to give informed design solutions.