Research users' software purchase and renewal cycle
The ask
- Provide research-based insights into the business customer's journey for software purchase and renewal.
- Provide envisioning for how to better meet user needs across client's multiple channels and platforms.
The challenges
- Compile and summarize qualitative data from ~53 user interviews.
- Represent the user/customer views in language relevant to client, without changing context or voice.
- Advocate for user as research informs envisioning.
My process
I conducted remote empathy task interviews to discover the customers' primary tasks and goals. I asked people to talk about how they selected, purchased, and implemented software for their business. Clients were invited to observe these interviews and another member of my team often attended to provide additional insights.
These conversations were structured around a script to ensure a measure of consistency and guidance across all of the interviews. In the first round of research I used the script that was provided to me. By the second and third rounds, I adapted the script based on client goals and a deeper understanding of the problem space.
I used the transcripts from these interviews to identify specific tasks that the users did. I was careful not to include opinions, feelings, speculation, or second-hand accounts in these tasks. Once these were compiled, I grouped them into task towers (groups of tasks) and mental spaces (groups of task towers). After my initial pass in a spreadsheet, I used a modified Python script to convert the CSV file into a graphic format. That graphic format was printed out, marked up, cut apart, and sorted by hand to further refine the groups.
After this physical sorting of data, I reentered the adjusted information and created the final mental models. This document was divided into 4 distinct parts to outline common tasks for software pre-purchase, small business implementation, enterprise implementation, and post-purchase.
Once the mental spaces were established, I worked with a content strategist to align content objects and features with the users' tasks. I categorized these as items the client had, items the client had but were hard to find, items the client didn't have but should, and items the user had. This was used to show how the client was accommodating their users and where there were opportunities to grow.
As work for this client developed, the mental model and interview transcripts were referred to constantly to validate new ideas and check that product recommendations aligned with user needs.
For example, a later project requested an evaluation of platforms and touch points with users. While outlining new ways to engage with users, the mental model was consulted to extract topics of interest. Interviews were recalled to talk about surfaces that users actually touched and why. This allowed the project team to concentrate on the right activity at the right time and place.
Summary
This mental model was used to consolidate real user tasks discovered in empathy interviews. It revealed core requirements during the software purchase cycle for different kinds of business users. It inspired updates to the software evaluation and purchase cycle that was grounded in user insights.