Revisiting Assumptions After Research

Apply a five-step sequence to suspend provisional models and reconstruct user groups from evidence. Identify coverage gaps and adjust research scope to ensure your final user model reflects the actual user base rather than initial guesses. Learning Objective: By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to apply the five-step revision sequence to update provisional user models based on research evidence. Transcript Suspend and Reconstruct User Groups The first move is suspension. Take the original assumptions and any provisional user models created before research began and set them aside. Do not attempt to force new data into the old framework. When you try to fit fresh evidence into a pre-existing structure, you distort the findings. The goal is to clear the mental space so the data can speak for itself. Next, reconstruct the user groups from the evidence. Ask yourself, "What user groups would I create now that I have more information?" This question forces a fresh look at the patterns in the data. Use the new knowledge to define the groups that should actually be the focus of the project. This revised definition replaces the initial guesswork with grounded reality. This shift changes the target of your design work. You are no longer designing for who you thought the users were, but for who they actually are. The next step involves comparing these newly defined groups against the participants you actually researched to identify any coverage gaps. Key Points: Step 1: Suspend original assumptions and set provisional user models aside without forcing new data into the old framework Step 2: Reconstruct user groups by asking 'What user groups would I create now that I have more information?' Use the new knowledge to define the groups that should actually be the focus of the project Identify Gaps and Adjust Scope You have already set aside the old assumptions and defined the new user groups based on your latest evidence. Now you need to check if your research actually covers them. The critical step is to compare the newly defined groups against the participants you have actually spoken with. This comparison reveals whether any earlier assumptions were invalid. Often, the data shows that a key user group was completely excluded from the research. This happens because that group was not identified in the initial assumptions. If you only spoke to power users, you might have missed the casual users who struggle with basic navigation. That gap represents a blind spot in your current understanding. If you identify this gap early enough in the research activity, you can still adjust the plan. The move is to add another set of participants to the research in progress. This expansion ensures you get a full picture of the user base before you move forward. You are not starting over; you are simply widening the net to capture the missing perspective. This adjustment is only possible if time permits. If the research phase is winding down, you may not have the budget to recruit new participants. In that case, you must acknowledge the limitation and note that specific group for future validation. The goal is to match your research scope to your actual user groups, not just the ones you thought existed at the start. By applying this gap analysis, you determine if your research scope needs adjustment. This ensures your final insights are grounded in the reality of your users, not just your initial guesses. Once you have this validated coverage, you can move to revising the user model itself. Key Points: Step 3: Compare newly defined groups against participants actually researched to determine if earlier assumptions were invalid Check if a key user group was excluded from the research bec