UX Research in the Public Sector
INTRODUCTION
After learning about local civic issues through a technology lens, we applied UX research techniques to explore ways we could enhance civic engagement. Our insights and recommendations were shared with the city of Ann Arbor sustainability manager.
THE TEAM
4 UX Researchers
MY ROLE
Collecting user data through interviews and research, analyzing data to derive insights
TIMELINE
4 weeks
💭 How Might We
…connect and engage low income individuals with sustainability practices in Ann Arbor?
🎯 Goal
Investigate Ann Arbor’s low-income population’s perceived ability to engage with sustainability practices within the city. This research aims to find locals’ opinion of sustainability in regards to the city.
RESEARCH
💬 User Interviews
Six participants were asked questions regarding their perspectives and experiences with the city and sustainability. These interviews helped showcase the perspectives as a local citizen, who may not always be heard, but feels the effects of the city’s decisions. Interviews were beneficial because the target group can share their views in hopes for the city to recognize, understand, and address their concerns.
We established a recruitment strategy as well as participant selection criteria that each user met.
🖥 Desk Research
This entailed conducting research through credible sources to gain information about the context of sustainability practices and engagement in Ann Arbor. The sources were carefully chosen to directly relate to user perspectives. We extracted valuable data regarding sustainability that helped us to establish deeper context for Ann Arbor’s low-income population.
Information gained from user interviews can be compared with desk research and further analyzed with a better understanding of the background of the problem and situation.
ANALYSIS
Organizing Insights
Observations from our research were clustered into themed groups:
🟨 user interview observations
🟦 desk research themes
🟧 themes gathered from what users frequently discussed
Insights from user interviews and desk research were used to find common connections, patterns, and themes. This information was documented on colored sticky notes and organized into themed clusters. This affinity map allowed us to view the large amount of information we collected sorted into a digestible and organized format.
Understanding Our User
To best understand our users on a deeper level, we created an empathy map. We categorized our research insights into what a user says, thinks, does, and feels. This map allows for user attitudes and behaviors to be better understood and helped in future decision making.
INSIGHTS
🤼
Discord between the university and city locals discourages sustainable engagement due to self-segregation and a lack of companionship within the city.
😕
Low income individuals aren’t voicing their opinions because the city hasn’t validated their actions in the past.
♻️
Locals are unaware and assume many sustainable practices are too inconvenient to become involved in.
Recommendation:
To encourage positive interactions between Ann Arbor locals and University of Michigan students, the city should sponsor events that foster social harmony and cultural diversity.
Recommendation:
Increase accessibility and awareness towards civic participation. The city should promote the participation of everyone to attend city hall meetings or discussion forums, stressing that any citizen, regardless of background and financial status, can participate.
Recommendation:
The city should advertise their sustainability opportunities. With greater visibility, low income individuals can learn about easy and effective ways to become involved, promoting a sustainable culture across the city.
REFLECTION
There were a couple limitations to this project. It was difficult to confirm whether the interviewees are classified as low income individuals due to the fact that this is not a straightforward trait and this topic can be sensitive to inquire on. Furthermore, we had a small sample size of six interviewees and five of them were males. It is unlikely that these interviews are fully representative of the views from the entire demographic.
This project was a great experience to fully delve into the research process. It was challenging and put me out of my comfort zone, but I became a better researcher because of it.