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The problem

Ultimate Software runs an annual customer conference called Customer Connections that focuses on product promotion, training, and feedback with its current customers. As the facilitator for user experience activities at the conference I am responsible for determining how we will gather feedback from customers each year. We are allotted a booth space in the Ultimate Experience trade show room for our research, which sets some constraints as the activity has to be simple enough that people can walk up, and take part in a couple of minutes. This room is a constant bustle of energy with over a hundred booths from both internal teams and external partners.  Coming up with new and exciting ways to engage with customers, and elicit actionable feedback has become a fun annual challenge for me.

Projective methods

I am most proud of an activity I created called Customer Collaging. I spent some time researching collaging as a projective research method and decided to come up with a variation that could be applied to the event.

Collaging, as a research method, involves using random images as a visual stimulus to provoke memories and feelings in participants that they might otherwise not think of. Through this open process participants can make mental connections to attitudes and experiences, allowing them to express deeper insights than might be possible in a scripted interview.

• Environment: Research station or stand within a large trade show room setup. 
• Recruiting: Event guests walking by were invited to participate by choosing images from a basket which made them think of the product, or provided trigger words. 
• Stipend: Guests were offered entry to a drawing, or a Starbucks gift card in the amount of $5.

Images were collected from Microsoft’s Free Clip Art gallery. Efforts were made to keep the set as random, neutral and inclusive as possible. 200 Images were used in total, with 2 copies of each image providing a total of 400 images in the basket. Images were printed on business card sized sticker paper by moo.com

YEar 1

The first year we used an open collaging template. Customers chose choose any image that made them think about the product, then titled and described those thoughts and emotions. They were asked to find two images for this exercise.

Analysis

To analyze the results, upon returning from the event, each image, title, and description was entered into a large spreadsheet. I then manually categorized and labeled each of the responses identifying; its emotion (neutral, happy, annoyed, etc.), energy (positive, negative, neutral), theme (communication, usability, process etc.), and any applicable product categories. This data allowed provided us with a new depth and insight into our customers and their feelings around different offerings. For example, by tallying responses and looking at the positive, neutral and negative responses in each category we could see which products our customers held in a more positive light, and which products were associated with more stress or anxiety. After identifying key trends we could probe deeper into the customers responses to better understand more detail behind the feelings and emotions.

Once the analysis was complete I created visualizations to help represent the themes and outcomes of the activity.

We were asked to try this technique in a group setting and added it to a user experience session later in the conference.

Year 2

I decided to use this method again a couple years later, but this time I focused on a closed collaging activity with predefined association, or trigger words. Customers were given a tigger words and asked to find images that represented those words for them. Then added the image to the template, and described their emotions around the image in relation to the concept.

I tried a new analysis technique by evaluating keyword trends on the descriptions that customers provided. Gathering more insights into their word choices and vocabulary around our products and processes. I found trends around common phrases that could leveraged in our documentation and product language.

Conclusion

This new method of trade show collaging was successful in providing the company with new and valuable insights. It was approachable, and enjoyable for the customers, and the stickers were appealing and encouraged participation in the hands-on activity. It could be done in a matter of minutes, but some customers elongated their responses with in-depth conversations around their thoughts as they sorted through images and were struck with reminders of different moments and experiences they wanted to share.