Field Updates

When the research team is out in the field there is always a bit of disconnection with the colleagues and project stakeholders who can't directly experience the context and get in touch with users. How to leverage research as a moment of inspiration for everyone, including the ones who are not physically there?

The updates from the field are short newsletters shared via email that allow the research team to stay in touch with the rest of the project stakeholders. Each newsletter can summarise what has happened throughout the day (or the week) by listing the interview participants and/or places visited, and synthesising key quotes and insights. In some cases the newsletter can even provide a quick overview of each participant met during that day, creating a more direct connection through personal details and stories.

The daily updates fill the gap between the office and the field. They help project stakeholders digest the key emerging insights without waiting for the moment in which the final report is delivered. The knowledge transfer also helps get some design activities started earlier, while the research is still ongoing, shortening the time between information collection, synthesis and action. Once the research is over and there is the need of consolidating the learnings, all the snippets collected in the newsletters will offer a quick way to surface the key points and accelerate the process of report creation.

Beyond the initial scope, the daily updates offer an interesting way to communicate the research initiative even outside the core team, engaging stakeholders who are not fully on-board at the beginning and promoting a user-centered culture.