USER RESEARCH
Role — Lead UX Researcher
Methods — Ethnography, Direct Observation, Semi-structured interviews, affinity mapping
Duration — 2 weeks
Problem statement
Professional cleaners work in demanding environments where efficiency, physical effort, and routine maintenance directly affect productivity. This research explored how operators interact with equipment in real working conditions to uncover usability challenges and identify opportunities for more intuitive, user-centred product design.
SNAPSHOTS OF ENTHOGRPAHY RESEARCH
Research methods
Four methods, one research narrative
DATA ANALYSIS WORKFLOW
To improve consistency across research projects, I developed a standardised workflow that transformed raw research findings into actionable design insights, which was adopted across Numatic's research studies.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
All observations from interviews, contextual studies, and field research were captured in a single template. Evidence such as quotes, photographs, videos, notes, and behavioural observations were organised to create a consistent record of each study.
SYNTHESIS
Individual findings were grouped into recurring themes to identify behavioural patterns and generate actionable user insights. This structured process helped transform large volumes of research data into clear design opportunities.
DESIGN OUTPUT
The resulting insights were categorised into design requirements that could be communicated clearly to engineering and commercial stakeholders, ensuring research findings directly informed product development.
ETHNOGRAPHY & INTERVIEWS
Ethnographic studies were conducted with professional cleaners in real working environments to capture natural behaviours and workflows with minimal intervention. Observations were analysed and translated into transcripts and key observation frames to identify recurring usability issues, workflow challenges, and design opportunities.
Workflow Adaptations
Operators improvised methods for carrying a mop alongside the machine, indicating unmet workflow needs.
Boundary Cleaning
Operators relied on a mop for edge cleaning, suggesting limitations in the machine's effectiveness for boundary areas.
User Confidence
Operators lacked confidence that brushes had been installed correctly due to limited feedback from the machine.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with professional cleaners to understand their experiences, behaviours, motivations, and daily workflows. Interview recordings were transcribed and analysed to identify recurring themes, build empathy with users, and uncover usability issues and opportunities for improvement.
Operators relied on secondary cleaning tools
Operators routinely carried a mop alongside the floor cleaner, suggesting the machine did not fully support all cleaning scenarios.
The startup sequence lacked clarity
First-time users struggled to understand the startup sequence.
Automatic shutdown interrupted cleaning
Operators were frustrated by the machine shutting down during short interruptions to cleaning.
AFFINITY MAPPING
Findings from interviews and ethnographic observations were synthesised into recurring themes to uncover meaningful user insights. These insights were then translated into actionable design principles, ensuring research findings directly informed concept generation and design decisions throughout the project.
01
Complete Cleaning Coverage
The machine should eliminate the need for secondary cleaning tools during routine cleaning.
02
Clear User Feedback
Users should receive clear feedback and guidance for operation and maintenance tasks.
03
Seamless Task Resumption
Users should be able to briefly interrupt cleaning tasks and resume operation without unnecessary restart steps.
COMMERCIAL APPLICATION
The design principles established through this research became a reusable framework for user-centred design. They informed new product concepts, shaped feature development within ongoing projects, and provided an evidence-based reference for evaluating design decisions.
Due to commercial confidentiality, details of the product currently in development have been omitted, but the example below demonstrates how one design principle influenced a real commercial design outcome.
Reduced workflow interruptions by allowing operators to resume cleaning instantly after brief pauses without repeating the startup sequence.
Lower cognitive effort by removing unnecessary restart steps, enabling operators to focus on cleaning rather than machine operation.
Improved operator productivity by reducing downtime caused by repetitive restart interactions during routine cleaning tasks.
Reduced operator workload by automating routine interactions, enabling greater focus on productive cleaning tasks.
EVALUATION
Contact
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I'm always happy to chat about research-led product design, UX opportunities, or simply exchange ideas about building better products. If my work resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you.