UX Research
Planning, Analysis & Reporting
The research planning phase is a crucial step in the user experience process. With this in mind, we used the Context-Scenario-Demands (CSD) Matrix as a starting point and defined our proto-persona before redacting the interview script. The research focus was to discover the key strategies and motivators for employees to complete training courses.
We created a semi-structured interview script to address questions related to well-being in the workplace and motivators for courses. Below are some of the questions we aimed to answer:
What does quality of life mean to the employees?
What actions are significant enough to earn points in the learning journey?
Do employees find value in the courses offered by the company?
Does the company culture aid or hinder the learning process?
Do the employees understand the importance of their roles in the company's processes?
Will the employees’ performance in the courses translate into advancements in their careers?
Do the employees comprehend the importance of training courses for the company?
Is competition an effective strategy for increasing employees motivation?
What are significant tasks for the company do we need to encourage employees to perform?
How can we emphasize the importance of studying to the employees for their personal development, beyond exchanging points for money? How can we highlight the intrinsic value of the courses beyond the extrinsic perks?
Do the employees think it is important to be part of an organization that promotes intellectual growth?
What mechanisms create engagement?
How can we define the scoring system in gamification on the platform?
We interviewed four individuals and encountered an obstacle: the topics of quality of life and motivation to complete courses were not relevant to the interviewees. Moreover, we didn't find a consensus on reported pains or patterns of potential issues in the course journey. This hindered the data that would be the foundation for building the final product.
In other words, a complete overhaul of the script was necessary.
For the research restructuring, we first identified internal errors. The main one was that, even though we had defined a proto-persona, not all of the recruited individuals fit that profile. This resulted in interviews with people from both public and private companies, with a wide range of ages and seniorities. The analysis was compromised as the profiles were too diverse and there was no consensus on corporate training (platforms, methodologies, online or offline).
We decided to conduct another round of question prioritization, using an Impact x Knowledge Matrix, and refined the interviewees profile. After this process, we wrote the second script:
Research Planning on Gamification in Companies
Main Question
a. What are the main shortcomings and issue of corporate training platforms?
Question(s) we want to answer - Specific Objectives
a. What are the primary pain points users experience with these platforms?
b. What are the causes of users' lack of motivation in completing training courses?
c. How do employees perceive the importance of the courses?
d. What level of importance do employees assign to corporate training?
e. How do employees view the retention of knowledge from training courses?
f. What are the main issues regarding knowledge retention?
g. What is the most effective method for knowledge retention?
Research Objective
a. Understand how employees interact and view corporate training platforms.
Hypothesis(es)
a. Users struggle to prioritize corporate training.
b. Difficulty balancing completing the courses and other responsibilities.
c. Outdated teaching methods. d. Platforms lack appeal and engagement mechanisms.
e. Employees don't find the course topics relevant.
f. Employees struggle to complete tasks and meet deadline when they have to assign some of their time to studying.
g. Completion of courses boosts employees' confidence.
The research method employed was semi-structured interviews, similar to the previous interview conducted. We interviewed 10 employees from medium to large private companies, aged 20 to 50, with junior and mid-level positions. This focus was crucial in identifying a need to:
Shorten the duration of lessons.
Clarify the impact of course completion on the user's routine.
Integrate courses into each user's individual routine.
Provide the option for practice exercises.
In the first research trial, emphasis was placed on the work environment and discovering motivations beyond the course through rewards. The second trial delved into platforms and the course completion process. The research was designed to uncover artifacts that would make the course completion process more enjoyable and highlight the intrinsic value of courses as a way to motivate users, with external rewards taking a secondary role. This shift was essential in creating an efficient database for product development while still investigating user profiles. As a result, we were able to move forward to the next stage of solution building.