Overview
Note: Some deliverables and specific details are unavailable due to a NDA.
As a contract UX Researcher at Microsoft I worked with a product team focused on Microsoft Loop; a transformative co-creation experience that brings together teams, content, and tasks across tools and devices. This project was in the early stages of Loop’s mobile development, as the product team wanted to improve how well users could complete a specific job on the app. I was responsible for the end-to-end research and worked with my colleague Ayo Animashaun to scope the research plan and refine the study report.
Business Need
- Loop as a product was moving toward full roll-out by the end of the year. This project supported early design exploration for how users should navigate in Loop's mobile app.
My Responsibilities
- I reviewed previous UX research reports to establish a foundation for the project. Meeting with cross-functional stakeholders, I assessed designs and identified key areas for exploration. I developed research questions, selected the methodology, and created the research plan, discussion guides, and screener survey.
- I conducted the research independently, including thematic analysis of interview transcripts, systematically coding data to uncover themes and generate actionable recommendations. Insights and recommendations were presented in a PowerPoint report, which I delivered to the product team during a 45-minute meeting.
Impact
- Improved task completion rate for primary user jobs.
- Influenced product design changes to the app navigation.
Project Details
- I conducted a literature review to improve my understanding of the subject matter and to synthesize the previous related research that had been conducted on Loop's mobile navigation to understand the current state of our user' behavior and expectations.
- I conducted eight in-depth interviews which included exploratory questions and a concept test to understand how participants would complete specific tasks with two iterations of the navigation design.
Reflection
- The most important thing I learned during this study was how important it is to set and communicate realistic timelines to stakeholders. I was eager to prove myself and underestimated how long the study would take.
- After the first pilot, I realized we needed to adjust the timeline, delaying from my original estimate. Now, I anticipate study delays to deliver insights on or ahead of schedule.