Exploring the Future of Remote User Research

TL;DR

The paper discusses how the shift to remote work has transformed user research, emphasizing the need to redesign methods for effective remote qualitative research and exploring future opportunities for accessible, environmentally conscious practices.

Contribution

It reviews existing remote research methods, proposes new research questions, and advocates for innovative, sustainable approaches to remote user research.

Findings

Remote work accelerates the need for new research tools.

Existing methods can be adapted for remote contexts.

Future research should focus on accessibility and sustainability.

Abstract

The rapid move to remote work due to COVID-19 social distancing policies has slowed or stopped most in-person qualitative user research activities. The limitation on in-person activities has pushed many user researchers to consider how they can continue their research remotely and presents an opportunity for user research teams to (re)design their research processes for remote work. In this position statement, I outline prior work in remote qualitative user research methods and discuss how this work can help us to (re)design new tools, methods, and frameworks that can enable remote work. I then propose a set of research questions that can further our knowledge and abilities to conduct effective remote user research. With creative development, we can create remote research methods that afford new ways of understanding user experience today and build more environmentally conscious and accessible research practices for a future where remote user research is much more common.