Context: In this research project, the aim was to assist the team members in increasing their creativity and confidence while reducing anxiety when working on a novel task.
Method: Thematic Analysis, Interview, Diary Study, Literature Review
Team: Justin Lee with academic advisor
Duration: Q1-Q3 2021
Role: UX Researcher & team member
In the realm of research and development (R&D), projects often begin with enthusiasm and strong team communication. However, as new skills are required and novel solutions must be devised, anxiety can emerge, hampering effective collaboration.
My motivation for this research stemmed from past team projects marked by unclear roles and communication breakdowns. Specifically, this case study centered on my personal involvement in "ARSS" project, where the unfamiliar research topic led to anxiety and communication hurdles. As a team member, my genuine aim was to explore ways to foster an environment where all members could confidently and creatively express their ideas.
Photo from Twitter
I first dedicated myself to immersing deeply in the project to gain a profound understanding of the challenges that lay ahead.
This helped me to build more of empathy and truly get to understand more of what our team was feeling.
Thus, it was important to remind myself to know that I am the UX Researcher AND a member. So it was essential for me to stay objective and make sure that my research process must be unbias as possible.
Explore factors contributing to anxiety and creativity
Identify pain points in team collaboration
Develop recommendations to improve remote team communication
01. Literature review
02. Diary Study
03. Thematic Analysis
04. Interview
Before embarking on primary research, I conducted a literature review to better grasp the problem space. I focused on factors that enhance team project experiences, especially in remote environments.
Being able to share work experiences (both positive and negative) enhances team bonding and empathy
Creating clear boundaries within what role they are responsible for
Effective communication, clear plans, and instructions reduce stress and confusion
Inclusive language promotes team equality and diminishes hierarchical status
Excessive information sharing and processing can overwhelm members' processing capabilities.
I have selected all participants from my ARSS project team. A big advantage was that they were my team members within the project. I explained to them that I am working on my UX case study to help improve our project experience, and I was able to collect everyone's data in a span of the ARSS project life cycle.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of the "what" and "why" behind our teams' experiences, I conducted a six-month diary study. This involved utilizing Qualtrics surveys to collect insights from all 7 team members throughout the six-month duration of the ARSS project. The Diary Study included encompassed 2 key components:
Members provided weekly ratings of their feelings and opinions, offering a "temperature check"
Example below
Team members responded four opened questions designed to uncover frustrations, sucesses, and motivations
Now it was important to wait and make sure that all the member's data are gathered. However, throughout the project cycle, it was quite difficult to motivate each member to submit their weekly diary study submission every week. I had to make sure to give them weekly reminder through group messages and during online meetings.
After I have gathered all the data from the diary study from 7 of my team member, I decided to utilize affinity maps on Miro in order to uncover emgerging patterns and themes.
With over 50 open-ended responses to analyze, I oragnized them with color-coded stick notes, allowing me to track changes in each member's sentiments
Initially, the project began with a strong sense of excitement and effective communication
However, as weeks passed, team members started to feel lost about what they were suppose to do and felt uncertain about the success of the project.
Now it was time to start analyzing and find what were the common problems that the team faced. I had to make sure to stay objective as possible when understanding each member's responses from the lead instructor.
There was a lack of communication and collaboration
Difficult to manage their own time due to other works
Unclear about instruction and roles
Difficult writing the literature reviews
It was overwhelming to constantly check and give specific feedback to each member
Wasn't too sure if the team were on the same page
The progress of the research was slow
Overall, team members grappled with uncertanity regarding the acceptability of their work. Specifically, they found the task of crafting a literature review to be open-ended, lacking a clear stopping point, and they were unsure about what was considered acceptable
"writing a paper [literature review] is very open.. it is a task that has no stopping point.. not sure what is acceptable"
Thus, key takeaway from these findings was the necessity of outlining clear objectives and ensuring that each team member understood what was expected out of them.
After reviewing the bigger picture, I needed to understand why each member felt that way through user interview
I have created an interview guide based on what each member said in their journal entry and used those previous responses to probe my interview questions. I conducted semi-structured interview with each member that was available
Majority of the team members experienced growing confusion as the projected advanced, indicating a need for clearer direction and communication
The lack of effective communication and feedback from the lead instructor to team members was a recurring issue
Providing a context and a clear understanding of the project's overarching goals were crucial for improving team dynamics and individual performance
Providing feedback as a team
Having weekly meetings and check ins
Establishing clear task instruction
Sending out weekly reminders and clarifications
Giving quick feedback and guidance
Utilizing social platforms for easy communication
Delegating for more task/roles to other members to alleviate stress
Focusing on "development" instead of "research"
Not being too caught up with planning for meeting + logistics
My action research was distinctive in its concentrated focus on collecting foundational data. This profound understanding of the problem space allowed for the development of general operational guidelines and the proactive enhancement of the team environment
Collecting data weekly initially seemed ideal, but it became evident that not all team members could consistently submit their responses due to repeitive project tasks.
Instead, focusing on collecting responses during weeks with the most significant chllenges could have been more effective
Crafting in-depth interview questions proved challenging as it was my first experience. Avoiding biases and maintaining a clear boundary between my role as an interviewer and team member was important
Rather than fixating on obtaining the "ideal" answers, I needed to concentrate on discovering participants' genuine perspectives and ensuring my questions aligned with the research objectives.