UX Research (Qualitative)
TIER - On site research
I joined TIER as the very first UX Researcher back in 2019. My main goal was to visit multiple TIER cities across Europe and carry out user interviews and user-testing sessions.
Duration: 3 months
Role: UX Researcher (Qualitative)
Worked with: Designer, Developers, CTO, Operations, PMs
Stats: 55 user interviews, 11 cities
Location: Oslo, Paris, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Munich, Muenster, Zurich, Vienna, Madrid, Frankfurt, Lyon
The core challenge was that back in 2019, e-scooters were not allowed in Germany which led to a lack of understanding of local markets and problems TIER users were facing depending on where they lived. That is why i went for a 3 months on-site mission to collect more relevant touchpoints.
I conducted user interviews and user testing in the most guerilla way ever. Without any user panel or any solid touchpoints, I was reaching out to TIER followers via social media asking if they want to participate in 1hr study in exchange for minutes and unlocks.
In total, I completed 55 user interviews and user testing sessions (combined) in 11 cities. Every week, I presented the latest insights to the core product team as well as our CTO. I also worked closely with the interim Product Designer and tested their latest ideas and hypotheses.
Back in the days, before swappable batteries, Rangers had to collect all scooters every night, bring them back to the warehouse, plug in for charging, and eventually deploy them on the street early in the morning.
Every week i joined a shadowing night shift with TIER Rangers. I silently observed each step they make throughout the night trying to identify their frustrations and issues with areas of responsibility, searching for scooters, packing, unpacking, and unloading them at the warehouse. I was amazed how pretty standard and simple processes may differ depending on the local team and city characteristics.
Similar to the consumer app, i had weekly catch-ups with the product team working on the app for Rangers when I shared all recent findings and ideas that would eventually end up on their roadmap. I also helped global Ops to understand how different each city is regarding warehouse setup, processes and assigning Rangers to areas they were responsible for.
My bonus project during those 3 months was local competitor analysis. I collected information about vehicle types, distribution, local onboarding and riding experience. I also did a preference study where i would reposition multiple TIER scooters next to a single vehicle of our big competitor. Each time someone took one of these, I approached them and asked about the motivation behind their choice.
My on-site qualitative study was a baseline for setting up first user personas and creating a foundation of UX Research at TIER. Most importantly, it helped me to understand the user’s point of view in the best possible way before switching back to my main role - Product Designer.
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