PayPal Rapid Research Program
Background
I joined PayPal during the summer of 2021 to help launch their Rapid Research program. PayPal’s Rapid Research is a weekly usability assessment program to support iterative design and making the customer a constant part of the design process. Rapid Research studies focus on evaluating design and content, uncovering what works well and what needs improvement. Since this is a consistent weekly program, we streamlined the process to cut down on lead time needed before a design goes in front of consumers.
My role in this program was to complete these studies, working with a senior researcher who selected projects each week based on timelines and company priorities.
Goals of Rapid Research:
Help teams get fast results for small scale usability evaluations by establishing a consistent cadence and avenue for testing
Build customer empathy among teams participating
Enable UXRs to focus on more complex research activities
Process
Step 1: Intake and Selection
Teams across the consumer side of PayPal can submit requests for Rapid Research. Due to the nature of this research, we have limitations on what we can study. Projects get selected based on their timelines and company priorities.
Step 2: Kick-off
After projects are selected, I scheduled kick-off calls with the teams to confirm the details from their request, and otherwise make sure I have all the information I need to conduct the research and answer their questions. This call is also a way to make sure that teams understand how this program works and what to expect.
Step 3: Conducting Research
Over the course of a day, I meet with 6 users for an hour each. Stakeholders can observe all sessions, and in between sessions I typically check in with teams if anything of interest comes up, or if they have any questions. Normally in between sessions I begin inputting data for analysis, and complete that analysis the following day.
Step 4: Present results and Follow up
I typically present results to each team individually the following week, answering any additional questions they have. Occasionally a team will ask to do a follow up study on the same topic. In that case, I add a slide to my readout comparing the results of the previous study. After about a month has passed, I reach out to the teams I’ve worked with to see how the results were used. If a team doesn’t use the results, this impacts whether or not they are prioritized for a study in the future. As we were piloting this program, we also tracked how the results were used to show impact.
When I joined PayPal, my manager who helped create this program built a rough timeline that I went on to refine. Below is an outline of my daily tasks
Monday:
Present findings from the following weeks’ sessions
Build the moderation guide for this weeks’ sessions
Tuesday:
Finish moderation guide for this weeks’ sessions - share with relevant stakeholders
Receive list of teams selected for the following weeks’ sessions
Wednesday:
Moderate sessions (6 total, each an hour long, testing each topic for approximately 15 minutes)
Begin analysis
Schedule kick-off calls with teams selected for the following week
Thursday:
Attend kick-off calls
Finish analysis
Begin building readout decks
Schedule readouts for the following week
Friday:
Attend any remaining kick-off calls
Complete readout decks
Start building the following weeks’ moderation guide
Impact
I ran the Rapid Research program from July 2021 until January 2022, when I moved into another research role at PayPal. In that time, I completed over 50 studies with over 100 participants. Nearly all teams reported using the results of their Rapid Research, sometimes by incorporating design or content recommendations, using the research to help launch a larger scale effort, and more. The Rapid Research program has been an overwhelming success, and continues over a year since it’s inception as I write this. The Rapid Research program continues to reach it’s goals: help teams get fast results for small scale usability evaluations, build customer empathy, and enable UXRs to focus on more complex research activities.
