User research standards

Our user research standards were developed to identify the distinct qualities that define Lagom’s user research process. These standards make sure we up hold our commitment to provide effective and appropriate user research across all of our projects.

01: Find the needs of actual users, then validate them

We provide detailed evidence that allows service owners to start with user needs.

To do this we must hear from a range of perspectives to identify people’s unmet and unknown needs, including those of which a client may not be aware of. We validate our findings at scale with more users to ensure the rigour of our user research.

02: Understand the whole user journey

We recognise that the user’s experience goes far beyond the tangible touchpoints of a service.

Our immersive research engages people, observing how a service impacts them and better understanding their wider narrative.

This enables us to contextualise their perspective, needs and aspirations by seeing the bigger picture.

03: Advocate for the user throughout

We represent the people we engage with so that their voices are always heard.

This means that there are times when we must highlight some uncomfortable truths, which may challenge expectations and defy the status quo.

By doing so, the services we work on stay user-centred throughout its design and development.

04: Make sure our work supports digital inclusion

Every potential digital service will have users with access needs and assisted digital needs.

Our digital inclusion recommendations outline how to avoid excluding users based on digital skills, connectivity, and accessibility.

This means services are inclusive and meet the needs of all users.

05: Choose the right methods, and adapt them to the task

We know that there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to conducting meaningful user research.

This is why we adapt, reconfigure and rescale our methods to meet the circumstances and demands for each unique research challenge.

Our ability to reflect, iterate and evolve our process enables us to deliver the best in research outputs.

06: Embed user research into the wider team

We believe that user research should never be a siloed process or conducted in isolation.

Our user researchers establish strong partnerships within multi-disciplinary teams to form collective, blended insights into a service and its users.

This embedding of user research helps to ensure that decisions made are in the best interest of users.

07: Do user research to be acted on

We only conduct research that will bring value to a client, their service and ultimately, their users.

We analyse, package and communicate our research in a way so that it can be acted upon immediately.

Our evidence-based recommendations are derived from the research findings, enabling you to make the smart, informed decisions needed at this moment.

08: Be Lagom: do just the right amount of user research

We value the effort and commitment that is required to conduct high quality, purposeful user research.

Our approach makes the best use of everyone’s time; particularly for research participants, but also providing us with enough time to conduct thorough analysis.

Our process is targeted to extract the insights needed in order to make smart, informed decisions.