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
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
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.