Stakeholder Engagement & Field Research

Stakeholder Engagement & Field Research

Before you can advise or present to stakeholders, you first have to understand them — and that means going out and listening, not assuming. This subject covers engaging with users and stakeholders as a researcher: when and how to apply interview, observation, focus group, and co-creation methods, with an emphasis on empathy and respectful engagement. This subject is about field research and user empathy, not the Stakeholder Engagement & Presentation subject in Analysing & Advising, which covers communicating technical decisions back to stakeholders.

Starting Points

• ICT Research Methods. Interview.
• ICT Research Methods. Observation.
• ICT Research Methods. Focus Group.
• ICT Research Methods. Co-creation.
• Goodman, E., Kuniavsky, M., & Moed, A. (2012). Observing the User Experience (2nd ed.). Morgan Kaufmann / O'Reilly.
• Baxter, K., Courage, C., & Caine, K. (2015). Understanding Your Users (2nd ed.). Morgan Kaufmann / O'Reilly.
• Nielsen Norman Group. UX Stakeholders: Study Guide.

Key Points

• You select an appropriate field research method (interview, observation, focus group, or co-creation) for a given research question and justify the choice.
• You prepare and conduct at least one user interview: write a topic guide, run the session, take notes, and write a brief summary of key findings.
• You observe a user interacting with a prototype or existing system, document their behaviour without interpretation, and derive at least three concrete insights.
• You facilitate or participate in a co-creation or focus group session with real users or stakeholders and translate the outcomes into concrete requirements or design decisions.
• You reflect on your posture during field research: whether you listened more than you spoke, avoided leading questions, and showed empathy for the user's context.