Summary
User research helps you engage the people who will use the service you’re building, increasing the likelihood that you’ll create something that truly meets peoples’ needs. But equitable recruitment—ensuring that you’re engaging users from all walks of life—can be difficult to achieve. Traditional user research practices often exclude people like those who don’t have access to the internet or can’t take time off work, but who might most need to access a service. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for promoting equitable research, we aim to share inclusive and respectful research practices that foster trust with research participants and government stakeholders. Attendees will gain an understanding of Nava's approach to conducting user research, lessons learned, best practices, and how our work contributes to more equitable access to public services for millions of people and vulnerable populations across the country. Participants will hear examples from Nava's research and walk away with concrete practices they can implement in their work.
Key Insights
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Nava’s identity as a public benefit corporation drives a dual focus on social impact and operational responsibility.
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Building trust with government stakeholders starts early by collaborating on research strategy and delivering clear research briefs.
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Initial research participant pools often skewed toward white, middle-upper-class women, pushing Nava to shift outreach efforts intentionally toward underrepresented communities.
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Research planning includes drafting detailed interview guides that stakeholders review to ensure transparency and stakeholder alignment.
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Nava integrates government partners into research sessions and synthesis to build their capacity for conducting and using research independently.
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Recruitment criteria are grounded in Census data to reflect Massachusetts’ workforce demographics, which aids in equitable participation.
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Remote interviews are preferred for speed, cost-effectiveness, diverse participation, and enabling multi-disciplinary observers, despite some limitations.
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Participant consent is obtained with plain-language forms explained verbally to build trust and ensure clarity.
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A design research catalog stores findings for stakeholders to review current and upcoming research and supports knowledge sharing.
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Despite various recruitment methods including Craigslist and community org partnerships, certain populations—like Hispanic/Latino individuals, older adults, and lower-income groups—remain underrepresented and hard to recruit.
Notable Quotes
"Our status as a public benefit Corporation means that our values and impact carry equal weight to our fiduciary responsibilities."
"Bringing our government Partners in early as collaborators and making a clear case for the value of research is one way that we build trust with our stakeholders."
"To really be successful at validating design decisions and identifying barriers to access, we need to be more intentional about how we reach out to underrepresented communities."
"Every single thing that we would plan to say to the participant is spelled out in this interview guide."
"We want to make sure those feedback loops are closed and there are opportunities to improve based on the outcomes."
"We prioritize speaking with people who are most in need of support so we can better understand and design for all potential users."
"We use plain language in our consent form to make sure research participants clearly understand the purpose, use of their information, and their rights."
"We’ve found it a lot more efficient and cost effective to do research remotely, plus government partners and multidisciplinary teams can join as observers."
"Even with different recruitment methods, it's challenging to recruit individuals of Hispanic or Latino origin, older individuals, and folks with lower income and education levels."
"Active listening and reiterating back to stakeholders helps reinforce trust and transparency throughout the research process."
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