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Askable+
I joined Askable+ at its inception as the sole designer. Back then, projects were run on spreadsheets, Trello, and emails. The Askable+ manager would spend all day on calls to get the brief from clients and to recruit the right researcher. I worked closely with the Askable+ manager to turn that process into product.
Background
Askable started out as a participant recruitment tool for UX research. As a designer, I know firsthand how challenging it can be to find users to talk to. Sometimes recruiting participants is so time-consuming that research can’t be done perfectly or just isn’t done at all. Eventually we discovered that resource constraints were a common issue for our clients.
Maybe the project is too big for the team. Maybe they have bigger fish to fry. Whatever the reason, Askable+ steps in by outsourcing these projects to freelance researchers.
At its core, Askable+ comprises of 4 workflows.
Project Creation
Client specifies the brief, Askable quotes them accordingly.
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Project Lifetime
Research is conducted in collaboration with client and researcher.
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Researcher Signup
Researcher goes through a certification process before they can take on projects.
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Project Moderation
Askable+ manager assigns researchers to projects and monitors ongoing projects.
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I formed the building blocks that enabled all of this to happen via Askable.
Project Creation
Askable+ projects can vary in both size and scope. In the early days, project briefs were sent via email. Clients were encouraged to provide as much detail as possible. To adapt project creation into the product, there were key criteria to take into account.
List all the information that makes a brief
A researcher should be able to understand the project at first glance. What it’s about, the type of research it entails, the expected output, etc.
Delegate tasks
Creating a project shouldn’t require too much thinking on the client’s part. How involved should they be in research planning? The client should know what methodology(s) to employ and what user group to target, but let the researcher worry about execution. What should be in the report? Let Askable+ standardise that, but rest assured on the quality.
In hindsight these decisions might seem obvious, but refining the process was done concurrently alongside product development. It took a few workshops to divvy up the responsibilities just right.
Maintain price accuracy
It’s important that researchers are paid fairly. Estimating how many hours a project would take upfront saves Askable+ the awkwardness of asking for more payment in the middle of a project, leading to a better experience for the client.
I ran a discovery workshop with the Askable+ manager to gather initial requirements.
As requirements evolved, I experimented with highly customised research method selection, letting clients schedule research sessions to a granular degree. After workshopping it with the team, I ended up forgoing it for something simpler.
I used card sorting to group up each step of the project creation form.
Project Lifetime
The project lifetime is rather straightforward as it seldom deviates between projects. I observed ongoing Askable+ projects to document the journey of a project, including how/when information was being exchanged.
Research
Up next
Attach link to moderation guide
Attach the link to Deliverables. Make sure to give the client Comment or Edit permissions.
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Payment
5,000 AUD
Due date
Nov 30 2022
Client
ACME Inc. (Robert Muller)
rob@acme.inc
Delivery
Up next
Attend debriefing call
The researcher will present their findings to you.
Join Meeting
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Due date
Nov 30 2022
Researcher
Amanda Walter
a.walter@gmail.com
Researcher Signup
To get quality results, we must first get quality researchers. Askable+ requires that every researcher undergo a certification process to make sure they’re up to snuff before we put them forth to our clients.
We mapped out the certification process to look for opportunities of improvement.
Going through the certification process, it was evident researchers were being bounced around multiple platforms, making for a disjointed experience. In total, 5 different platforms were used to certify a researcher.
Moreover, certification was time-consuming. The survey could take 15-30 minutes to complete, the interview took 30 minutes, add to that the waiting time to get an appointment, and a researcher could take a few days to be certified.
As Askable+ scaled, the current process became unfeasible. The live interview in particular created a bottleneck. It took time away from more critical tasks for the Askable+ manager, and it delayed the certification process when we wanted to get researchers in as quickly as possible.
We sought to simplify and accelerate the certification process.
To lower the barrier to completing the survey, I asked the Askable+ manager what we looked for in a researcher. The criteria turned out to be simpler than initially thought. It could be boiled down to 3 aspects.
LinkedIn URL
An easy way to review a researcher’s experience, in particular the industries they’ve worked in.
Years of experience
We want at least 5. Anything less we’ll reject for now, but we might circle back once the researcher has gained more experience.
Preferred research methodologies
Crucial for project assignment. We wouldn’t want to assign a researcher user interviews when they only want to do surveys.
With the update, a researcher can now be certified in 20-30 minutes.
