How humour makes me a better user researcher

2 years ago I graduated from the Made Tech Academy, and I’m now a fully fledged user researcher. One of the most rewarding jobs I have ever done, but by far the hardest to explain to my parents what I actually do for a living. ‘Yes mum I essentially find out where the button should go for 8 hours a day, yes you’re right it probably shouldn’t take that long’. Before my research (button enthusiast) career, I’ve had more jobs than you could imagine. I’ve worked in many sectors, from yoga teacher to child care and hospitality even for a short time as a vineyard hand – you name it, I’ve probably done it. The one constant attribute that I’ve brought to these roles over the years is my ability to laugh either at myself or bring humour to a situation.

Humour and user research: a partnership

Surprisingly, humour has been an unexpected asset to my career as a researcher so far. Here’s 4 ways you can use it in your next research project to get the most out of your insights. 

Opening up by breaking the ice 

Using humour can help break the ice as users can often be nervous when they come to a session. A common worry I hear is that the session may be overly formal or professional. In this situation people may withhold information or not feel completely free to speak their mind. By being able to laugh at yourself and show your personality users will often mirror that behaviour and feel free to be themself in return.

A great way to incorporate this into user sessions is through themed ice breakers. One of my go-to’s when starting a workshop is asking users to pick what cat they are. For example, giving them the option to pick a photo of a cat that aligns most with where they’re at for the day – sad cat or happy cat etc. Nothing groundbreaking, yet a really effective way to create a lighter mood and get people to open up. Give it a try at your next workshop. As a bonus, you may find users enjoy the session more – which is always a win if you’re planning follow-up research.

Think outside the box to boost engagement 

While recently working on a central government project, I found engagement in our regular user group session quite low and lacking in energy. I wanted to turn things around. I tried to think of times where I have felt engaged in meetings or workshops and why they were fun, so I could gain more from these sessions. I decided to gamify the situation by turning it into a pub quiz-style workshop. 

This was a great decision. We created teams, introduced some friendly competition and the fun element really helped people relax and be present in the moment. This quiz also kept users focused – which was a big challenge as we were hosting the session remotely and many attendees chose to have their cameras off. 

This was also a great exercise for me. It really tested my ability to laugh at myself as I was often the only person speaking with my camera on. My awkwardness paid off. There were a huge amount of comments in the chat box. Those comments provided useful insights to help direct the research while highlighting any immediate problems that could be resolved at pace. This approach also prompted debate between users – helping me to see the key differences in user needs.

Have fun with creative thinking

From my stint as a childcare worker I’d often observe the children while playing  – anyone who has spent time with children will understand that they’re not only having fun, but learning new things too. What I realised was, this can work in research as well. 

I might ask the user to imagine stepping into the shoes of another member of the team. Asking what they would do if they were designing the service for example. This gives the user freedom to imagine new ideas and think creatively. Quite often users have been doing the same things in the same way for a long time. Trying to imagine doing it any other way can seem impossible. Here’s where you can give them the opportunity to play a different role. You can use examples to prompt them if they get stuck, like showing them 2 images and asking which they prefer and why.What might they keep, what would they change and why.  

I was recently involved in a project where the organisation was going through a lot of rapid change. One user had been working there for many years and was not happy about this. They explained that they felt like the many changes were making things at the organisation complicated. While this could be a tricky situation, I asked them to pretend that I was a new member of staff and that they knew all about the updated system we were designing. I then asked them to explain to me how I should use it. The user was able to talk me through step by step on how to complete a set task. 

By doing this I was not only able to validate that the new system worked, but that they understood it well enough to teach someone. I also discovered where things within the system were a bit more tricky to understand based on their struggle to explain the steps. 

If a user is stuck thinking something will never work, try to instil a ‘just give it a go attitude’. When we don’t take these things too seriously people are more likely to get involved and tap into their creative side. Make it clear that no ideas are set in stone and it can be just a bit of fun – that’s where we see the magic happen.

Building your team relationships

Working in multidisciplinary teams can be hard. Particularly when it comes to complex projects where you’re trying to keep up with your developer’s explanations of different coding issues. In situations like these, this Taylor Swift quote comes to my mind, ‘the more that you say, the less I know.’ Having the ability to laugh at yourself and be honest about where you’re at helps to create positive communication within the team, something that is so important when it comes to collaborating. 

For this I find it’s best to be honest. In the scenario above, I’ll usually try to lighten the mood with something like “Sounds fabulous, but you lost me at bugs.” As a solo researcher on a project it’s okay to sometimes feel a bit out of your depth. It’s essential to remind yourself that you’re there to find stuff out. It’s okay that you don’t know everything. By asking clarifying questions from the start, your team will often get into the habit of doing it. I recommend booking in specific times for questions so that you’re not just blindsiding the team at stand up (I am so guilty of this). 

Having a good team relationship means the work can flow better. After all, we’re all working to the same goal – creating and building better services for society. 

Finding your voice a user researcher

Humour is the way I’ve always been able to deal with challenging situations. I’m proud it’s something I’ve also been able to bring into my work as a researcher as I engage users and unlock valuable insights. 

But one last piece of advice, I’d always advise you to take time to think about who your users are. One of the important aspects of our job is knowing when humour can help a situation, but it might not always be the right option. Some questions to ask yourself about your users include:

• what is their working environment?
• are they at home or in an office? 
• do they have a hierarchical organisation that may make junior staff uncomfortable? 
• can you separate users? 
• Is this a stakeholder?
• is the topic sensitive?

Every situation is unique. Remember, some of us may be able to laugh ourselves out of a crisis but not everyone can. Take the time to think about who you’re speaking to and whether laughter will be an asset or distraction. 

In this post I’ve shared a few of my tips, but overall I think it comes down to finding your own particular style. For me it’s not just about dropping in multiple dad jokes (though this can help) or becoming a comedian overnight – it’s about not taking yourself too seriously. People want to feel good and most of the time a bit of laughter helps that. If nothing else, I hope this post inspires you to bring a bit more of yourself to your role so your team and users feel comfortable to be themselves too. 

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