The current climate of Social Distancing is changing the way we work and the way we do qualitative UX Research. Researchers have closed the lab doors and are looking to remote methods to continue their projects.
Even before the current necessity to do so, conducting remote moderated research sessions has been one of our favorite go-to methods, for a few key reasons:
We can talk to people from all over the world without needing to go any- where. This greatly extends our reach and capabilities and enables stakeholders from multiple locations to observe the sessions as they happen
People are often more comfortable speaking with us as they’re in their own environments.
We benefit from the “ethnographic bonus” of seeing people’s homes, offices, etc. as well as their computer desktop, mobile apps, and so forth when they share their screens with us.
Despite these benefits, video can be more complex to do well in a remote context and it’s something that’s a central topic in our new book The Heart of UX: The Way of the Connected Researcher. A major complicating factor is the fact that we have no control over the participants’ setup. They may join your meeting with premium sound and a high-definition camera or using their computer’s microphone and a built-in camera with dark lighting, looking like an FBI informant. In these cases, the only thing we can really control is our half of the conversation. The following guidelines are tried-and-true based on thousands of hours of conducting remote research sessions using a wide array of online conferencing platforms.
Implementing these techniques and making seemingly minor adjustments will have outsized effects and lead to conversations and videos that are just as engaging as anything taking place in person.
Video
Good video starts with investing in a high-definition webcam. The built-in camera in your laptop is likely quite good but it can’t match the quality and flexibility of one of the readily available external webcams that offer 4K Ultra High Definition and support for diverse lighting environments. You will of course also need a high-bandwidth connection to easefully manage the amount of video data being passed between you and the participant. A crisp and smooth image directly impacts the ability to establish and maintain a resonant connection with our participants.
Place the camera so that it is at the top edge of the screen and as close to your own eye level as possible in order to facilitate an approximation of eye contact with your participant. This may necessitate your conducting remote sessions from a standing desk orientation, or otherwise positioning the camera and desk to achieve this effect.
Maintaining the camera at eye level makes the interaction feel a lot more natural
When you’re speaking with the participant, try to keep your eyes aligned with the camera in order to maintain relative eye contact. This is not a trivial detail — even looking somewhere else on the screen for only what feels like a small amount of time has a large effect on the interaction. One technique that we’ve found to be effective is to place the participant's video as close to the webcam as possible, near the top of the screen. This helps you keep your face and eyes oriented with the participants.
Audio
You’ll want to use headphones if you can so that you can hear your participants more clearly. Most quality headphones and AirPods also now provide at least acceptable audio microphones as well.
If you want podcast-quality audio, you’ll also want to invest in a quality microphone as a companion to your external webcam. Again, we don’t recommend relying on your laptop mic, doing so will result in a distancing effect that your participant will notice, either consciously or subconsciously and this will have a felt effect on the interaction. We really like the Yeti Pro for its relatively low price point compared to excellent quality and versatility. Most pro-quality microphones provide different polar patterns to choose from, tailoring the range of audio input to your context of use. For remote research, set it to shotgun mode and orient the microphone towards you, as it’s just your audio being captured.
For a one-on-one remote interview, set your microphone to “Shotgun”
Orienting your body
We’ve already discussed the importance of keeping your camera at eye-level. Another factor to consider is your background and lighting. We’ve seen many remote conversations take place in someone’s dark kitchen with a slowly rotating ceiling fan in the background. Trust us, this is distracting and ruins the mood. Be mindful of what is behind you. Ideally, there’s a nice wall or bookshelf that can serve as a tasteful backdrop.
If you have a beautiful view and window behind you, that’s great, but be sure to fill your light in front of you with an added light source, like a desk or floor lamp so that you’re not a dark silhouette with a beach scene behind you.
If your working from your spare bedroom don’t have a nice background available, consider a small investment in a backdrop. A simple white background, or even a tasteful patterned background, goes a long way with overcoming any effects that an otherwise distracting room may have on the conversation.
Your attention — the most important orientation
A final note about positioning in remote meetings. This one is subtle, but it has to do with the position of your attention. It’s very easy to get distracted in an online conversation. It may be your third session of the day and you’re not really feeling the conversation. You might be tempted to glance at that email or check those Slack notifications that keep bouncing in your dock. As much as you can, resist the urge to peek at your other windows or interact with others during your conversation.
In our book, we talk about the importance of being a “Connected Researcher” — one who always strives to focus on the connection with the person directly in front of them, above all else. Although it seems like they don’t, the other person notices when you peek at a distraction, especially if you’ve already attuned with them and have established a connection. They’ll feel your attention drop and know that you’re not paying attention. This situation is recoverable, of course, but it’s important to know that dropping attention has an impact on the interaction.
There is, of course, no substitute to the experience of speaking with someone in person but, by starting with these techniques and being mindful of how you interact with those on the other side of the camera, you’ll have a solid head-start to mastering the finer points of making the interaction feel as connected as possible.