Conversations with corporate researchers

Tara Franz

UX Research Manager, Facebook

As a qualitative researcher, do you feel that qual is unfairly overlooked these days? Why or why not?

This is one of those arguments that tends to shift over time based on a culture within an organization or whatever is popular at the time. I think currently big data is very popular and a hot topic, which is good for qualitative research. Having numbers that indicate patterns of behavior is a great lead-in for further qualitative investigation to understand in-depth and with context why those patterns are occurring. Some say data wins arguments but I believe that stories, quotes, comments and depth of understanding are also very persuasive and act as an equally good platform from which to make product and design decisions. Numbers are reassuring because they state something that appears true and not up to interpretation – people are drawn to that. Qual research provides so much more narrative though and we can use those stories to create memorable findings that stick with you and help lead great innovation.                                              

Facebook reaches users around the globe. What methodologies have you found to be most useful for authentically gathering from and/or representing the diverse user base? 

At Facebook we keep a very global perspective on who we are designing for and work hard to keep the global user base top-of-mind. We have some research teams dedicated entirely to global consumers, customers, advertisers and businesses. In terms of methodologies, we balance in-person qualitative work with remote and quantitative. I work on our ads-creation tools and I have found it is great to go meet people where they are, do on-site office visits and see in-person how people work, collaborate and create. However, we have to be conscious about our impact and presence and often it can be less invasive but still very authentic to conduct remote interviews for testing designs and exploring concepts with a global audience. Our team has also been working hard to make it easy for researchers to include more countries both quantitatively and qualitatively. This can be challenging but it is worth the effort. If you take time to recruit with the intention of a diverse yet representative sample any method can be used to reach participants around the globe.

Are there any types of insights or data tools that you haven’t found to be effective?

Typically, most methods are useful if you apply them to the proper research question and use the appropriate analysis. I would say that my biggest insight on research tools and their usefulness is to apply the right tool to the right job. I have always loved working on diverse research teams where researchers have differing skill sets. This way, when you apply multiple methods to any one question you have someone there who can really do it well. I definitely get the most satisfaction out of work that is done in collaboration with others – researchers, data scientists and market professionals.

What new methodologies do you hope to use in the next year? 

I’ve been thinking a lot about the ways in which we can use emotional response interviewing or techniques that allow us to gauge an emotional response to our ads tools so we can get accurate readings on what is helpful and where we can work to alleviate frustration in the process. This has been in the works for a long time and I think the technology is at a more reliable place now.