In the past year (from mid-2021 to mid-2022) we organized over 30 user research studies with almost 100 participants taking part in moderated sessions. The average session takes one hour, which means we had around 100 hours of conversations with our customers, non-user data experts, and internal solution consultants. We transcribed this into hundreds of conversation pages carefully coded and synthesized into actionable research insights.
Being part of our User Research at Ataccama is a unique chance for you to influence how new features work and look. Add your personal experience, feedback and organization’s needs to Ataccama. — Join User Research at Ataccama now!
Recruiting participants
Which of the three groups mentioned above —non-users, users, internal users—do you think most frequently participated in the research session? No, unfortunately, it wasn’t our customers. In the end, the non-user data experts participated the most, followed by internal solution consultants, and lastly our customers. Don’t ask about the ratio, it is sad.
The main reason for the results is the participant recruitment, which in a B2B setting may become challenging. Researchers don’t have access to customer databases as easily as they can get in B2C environment.
In the product development lifecycle, there are usually two brief windows when we recruit so we can talk to customers, or in general, to our target user group.
- In feature discovery, when we try to understand what the problem means to our customers, what are their needs and challenges, to scope the feature well, to account for important use-cases and edge cases that can emerge in real-world use.
- In the design phase, when we have tangible design artifacts (usually a Figma prototype), we test for usability — do users understand the feature, how do they learn how to work with it, which errors do they make, how efficiently do they interact, and how satisfied do they feel.
At both of these phases, we need to act fast, because product managers, designers, and developers, all are waiting impatiently for the results of user research studies. They wait to start scoping the feature, creating or fixing a design, and starting technological discovery or coding already. We, the user researchers, can’t impede the development speed.
To keep up with the pace, we use platforms such as Respondent.io or UserInterviews.com to source data experts fast. We would love it if we could do the same at this scale with our customers. Our customers have the best feedback, have experience with our platform, and bring their own use cases and challenges into product design and development. Being part of our User Research at Ataccama gives you a unique chance to influence how new features work and look. Add your personal experience, feedback and organization need to Ataccama. — Join User Research at Ataccama now!
That’s why we set up the User Research at Ataccama program, where customers can volunteer to be part of our research team and get invited for research studies. To be agile and quick we send invites directly to their email inboxes.
Types of research studies
Currently, we run following types of research studies. Sometimes we mix and match more of them, or use collaborative tools like Miro to explore complex concepts visually. The sessions usually take one hour (except for the online survey).
| In-depth interview Semi-structured 1:1 conversations on a selected topic, to deeply understand the problems, challenges and identify product opportunities for new features. | Usability testing The prototype or alpha version of the product is tested by participants, who try to complete a given set of tasks. Here we explore the pros and cons of the approach and what could be improved. |
| Online survey Five- to ten-minute-long questionnaires run with a larger number of participants, to understand trends in population or quantify insights emerging from interviews. | UX feedback Friday Informal session, 1:1 chat with product manager, product designer and engineering lead focused on one of your Ataccama modules. Talking about current use-cases, plans for the future, and user experience problems. |
Be part of the movement!
User research is widely adopted by the vast majority of companies around the globe. The number of user research positions is growing globally. Our team is also growing to meet the needs of our Product and Engineering teams. And we want you to be part of our journey!
In the past year, we talked to data experts from companies including:
| Accenture | Capital Power | Fifth Third Bank | NKBM |
| Adobe | Convex | Heineken | ProductBoard |
| Amazon | Daiichi Sankyo | Komercni Banka | RedHat |
| Apple | Darden | Memorial Hermann | Shopify |
| Bank of America | Dell | Merkle | MSD |
| Teranet | Bottomline | Dodge & Cox |
… and more. Not all of these companies are our customers, but we still find ways to discuss their data challenges.
Join the list of names above, and let’s talk about your use cases, challenges, and future plans. Let’s shape the future of Ataccama together. Why aren’t you on the list? Ask your Ataccama representative to learn more about this amazing opportunity!
What do you get when you join our User Research sessions?
- See new features and prototypes before the others.
- Share your experiences with our friendly researchers.
- Have the opportunity to shape the future of new products.
- Receive gifts and vouchers for your time and participation.
We see the close cooperation of our customers with our Product and Engineering team as a win-win relationship. You get a sneak peak of what’s coming up at Ataccama before anyone else, plus you can directly influence the platform’s capabilities and usability to match your organization’s needs and your style of work. We get to understand variety of needs and challenges of our customers, how to fit the product to their needs and design the best experience.
What are you waiting for? — Join User Research at Ataccama!