Vanessa Ng
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GOOGLE DUO

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GOOGLE DUO

 

OVERVIEW

Generative and evaluative qualitative research conducted on the Duo team at Google between May 2019 - January 2020.

DUO

As the UX Research Assistant, I supported and worked with the 3 user researchers on the Duo team:

Research moderation and execution: scheduled study sessions, prepared and coordinated study assets with stakeholders, and moderated research using remote and in-lab tools.

Analysis and reporting: synthesized qualitative and quantitative data, created reports based on data-driven insights to align user needs with product direction, and shared study results with crossfunctional stakeholders.

 
 

ROLE

UX Research Assistant

TEAM MEMBERS

  • Kerry Spalding (Senior UX Researcher and Team Lead)

  • Conor Steckler (UX Researcher)

  • Kimberly Ha (UX Researcher)

DURATION

~ 3 weeks (depending on study)

TOOLS

  • AppAnnie

  • Camtasia and iMovie

  • Ziggi Camera

  • Google Docs

  • Google Meet

 
 

SELECTION OF STUDIES

Listed below are the various methods I used while on the team, as well as a small selection of studies I conducted that had significant reach and impact within the team.

METHODS

 
 

  • Usability testing (moderated, in-lab)

  • User interviews (moderated, in-lab and remote)

  • Literature reviews

  • Concept testing

  • Card sort

  • Competitive analysis

  • Heuristic evaluation

  • Participatory co-design activity

 
 

USABILITY TESTING

DUO ICON TESTING

  • Problem: the broader Comms team was considering adding Duo entry points in the different communication products (e.g., the Android Messages app and the phone app), but depending on if the user and their contact had Duo, the icon at the entry point would look different.

  • Outcome: some buttons were more understood than others. The team decided to replace one icon with another, but the subsequent action would differ depending on if the user had a Duo account.

DUO MOMENTS (LAUNCHED)

  • Problem: the team was preparing to launch a new screenshot feature in the app, but wanted clearer signal on users’ expectations regarding consent and functionality.

  • Outcome: the team implemented some of the expected and positively received aspects of the feature (e.g., users expected the screenshot to be locally saved, etc).

USER INTERVIEWS

DUO CONCEPT TESTING

  • Problem: the team was considering developing some new features, but want to get some signal on how they would be received before investing time and resources in building out these features.

  • Outcome: automatic features performed poorly and the team refocused their resources on features that served a functional purpose or resonated on an emotional level.

 
 
 

REFLECTIONS

RESULTS

In 9 months, I conducted 18 studies, helped train two new researchers on the team, and developed my research scoping and planning skills. These skills helped prepare me for my next role as the UX Research Assistant on the Business Communications team, where I began to work more independently as a researcher and own more of the research process.