Nota Bene Research Plan - 2

Nota Bene User research plan
Study 1: Semi-Structured Interview
Background
a. Author: Babajide Adebiyi, UX Researcher, Babajide Martins Adebiyi
Note-taking is a vital aspect of any discipline — students, lecturers, teachers, workers,

stay-at-home parents etc. It is a tool in various toolboxes that ranges from problem-solving to
memory retention, to reflection — and even mere keepsake. Our team is interested in creating a
digital product that helps in making the note-taking process seamless, intuitive and fun. Since
note-taking is to be done with speed, we want Nota bene to be easy to use for all.
Research Goal
Our team wants to learn about how people from various works of life take notes and what
goals they are trying to achieve whilst taking these notes.
We want to determine what opportunities and needs might exist for new note-taking products
so that we can use these findings to shape the direction we take in developing our product.
Research Questions
● [Needs] What is essential for note-taking?

○ What are users' current pain points?
● [Behaviors] Which platform do they prefer to take notes
○ How do they interact with existing digital products — if any is used?
● Do users really need another note-taking application?
○ How do users feel about existing products?
Method
● 30-minute in-person or video semi-structured interview to gather in-depth qualitative

data
● The researcher will use the interview script as a guide and ask follow-up questions
based on answers from the users
Recruiting
We will be recruiting 5 participants:
● 2 young adults between (ages 25-34)
● 2 Students (ages 16-24)
● 1 Mature adult (ages 35 - 50)
Timeline
The timeline of research will be between August 26 - August 31, 2021. Here is the
breakdown:
● Design proposal: Aug 26 2021.
● Recruiting: Aug 27, 2021.
● Sessions: Aug 28-29, 2021.
● Readout: Aug 31.
Script
Notes: [italicized brackets] are used to document what we wish to learn from each question
Introduction
My name is [name]. Thank you very much for participating in this study. I am currently working
on a project related to taking notes. I would love to learn more about your
experience with digital note-taking products. This interview will take about 30 minutes. If
you want to leave the session or take a break at any point, please let me know. Do you have
any questions before we start?
Do you mind if I record this session for note-taking purposes? The recording won’t be shared
with anyone outside of our team.
Warm-up Questions [Build rapport. Start with easy questions to get to know the participant]
1. Could you tell us more about yourself?
2. What are you doing currently?
3. Which apps or websites are you currently using for taking notes? Have you tried other
apps before?
Probe into needs and behaviours

4. How did you get started using digital note-taking products? [Motivation: what did
participants hope to achieve?]
Follow-up questions:
● When did this happen?
● What was the trigger?
● How was the experience?
● What was the outcome? Did you achieve your goal?
5. How often do you take notes? [There might be internal motivation.]

● Why do you take these notes?
● What scenarios trigger these?
6. Do you need to remember things often?
7. What do you use to create notes or take notes?

● Have you used other products/tools?
● What was the very first product you were using? Why did you switch to other
● products? [Pain points]
● (If the participant is using more than 1 product concurrently) What do you use
each /product for? [Needs]
8. When was the last time you opened up [Note-taking app]? Could you walk me through how
you were using this app? [How do note-takers interact with existing tools? Better to ask
participants to show than tell]
Observation & follow-up questions:
● Observe what features the participant is using and how the participant uses
them.
● Ask what participants like or dislike about each feature, and why they like/dislike
each feature.
● Which features do participants not use and why?
● What’s on participants’ wishlist for the app?
● If participants talk about frustrations, ask why and their current workarounds
[Unmet needs]
Wrap-up
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and insights. Your answers will help our team
build a better product. If you have any additional thoughts and comments, I would love to hear
about them at any time. I can be reached at [ [email protected] ]. Hope you have a wonderful
day.
Study 2: Survey
Privacy and Task scheduling
Background
In our previous study, we learned that note-takers love to be reminded about what was taken
down (tasks, outings, lists etc) and that they love private access to their notes. This is a
promising opportunity we may be able to target with our product, but more data is needed to
better understand the needs and whether they generalize to the larger population of
note-takers.
Research Goal
This study focuses on better understanding users needs related to task scheduling as well as
note privacy. It is also intended to know if people stick to what has been preinstalled.
Research Questions
● How can digital note-taking help note-takers remember what has been noted?
○ Which features/functions are useful?
● Do note-takers like their notes out there in public?
○ Which features/functions are useful?
Method & Recruiting

● Use surveys to collect data from at least 30 language learners
● Test survey questions with 5 volunteers
● Send surveys to design slack group whose answers in our screener meet our recruiting
criteria:
○ Have a note-taking culture.

○ Use note-taking apps at least once a week.
Survey questions
1. Which phone OS are you using:
a. iOS
b. Android
c. Windows
d. Other (specify)
2. What app do you use for taking notes on your phone

a. Apple notes
b. Google keep
c. Evernote
d. OneNote
e. Paper by dropbox
f. Other (specify)
3. Have you used more than one note-taking apps?

a. Yes
b. No (I use the pre-installed)
c. No (I am fine with the one I use regularly)
4. How often do you take notes?

a. Once in a while
b. 1 - 3 times weekly
c. 4 - 6 times weekly
d. Everyday
e. Other (specify)
5. Based on your experience with the note-taking app(s) you’ve used, how essential were
the following features? [What features do note-takers care about? ]
a.
Features Not at all Low Neutral Important Very

important importance Important
I don’t want
others
reading my
notes
I would like
to share my
notes only
when
necessary
I want my
notes app to
remind me of
tasks or
checklists of
what I have
noted down
I want a
checklist to
help me with
tasks.
I would like
an
autocorrect
feature while
taking notes
6. How likely are you to recommend your notes app to someone else?
a. Very unlikely
b. Somewhat unlikely
c. Not recommending
d. Somewhat likely
e. Very likely.
Demographic questions (optional)
7. Kindly specify your age range:

a. 16 - 25
b. 26 - 35
c. 36 - 45
d. 46 - 60
e. 60 +
8. What is your employment status?
a. Unemployed
b. Employed
c. Student
d. Retired
9. 13. What is your education level? [Assumption: Education level affects learning style.]
a. High school degree or equivalent
b. Associate’s degree
c. Bachelor’s degree
d. Masters’ degree
e. Doctorate degree

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Nota Bene User research plan

Study 1: Semi-Structured Interview

a. Author: Babajide Adebiyi, UX Researcher, Babajide Martins Adebiyi

Note-taking is a vital aspect of any discipline — students, lecturers, teachers, workers,

● [Needs] What is essential for note-taking?

● 30-minute in-person or video semi-structured interview to gather in-depth qualitative

Probe into needs and behaviours

5. How often do you take notes? [There might be internal motivation.]

6. Do you need to remember things often?

7. What do you use to create notes or take notes?

Method & Recruiting

○ Have a note-taking culture.

2. What app do you use for taking notes on your phone

3. Have you used more than one note-taking apps?

4. How often do you take notes?

Features Not at all Low Neutral Important Very

Demographic questions (optional)

7. Kindly specify your age range:

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