Yes, we at Facit Digital are also practising social distancing because of the corona crisis and now spend most of our working day at home. This change has an influence on many things: Questions to colleagues can no longer be asked simply by acclamation. There is no accidental gossip at the coffee machine. But also no rush hour stress in the subway.

But it has no influence on the feasibility of our studies.

All UX and CX studies are still possible

Quantitative studies are of course continuing online as usual and are enjoying active participation.

At Facit Digital, we have been conducting qualitative studies online in the times before Corona. However, what used to be requested only sporadically - e.g. for international studies or for particularly difficult to reach target groups - is now becoming standard:

In-depth interviews, ethnographic studies, focus groups and usability tests for desktop and mobile can be implemented with reliable and proven remote tools. The tools are easy to use and intuitive even for those who are not digital natives. The feedback of the participants is currently very positive - many are obviously grateful for a little variety at home.

Incentives, simultaneous interpreting and live streaming - everything has been tested and works well online. For our customers it is almost as if they were sitting in the observation room of our test studio - only coffee and cake have to be provided by themselves. 😉

Added value instead of a stopgap

For some projects, the digital approach has even more advantages compared to personal interviews in the test studio. For example, recruitment is not limited to Munich, but can take place nationwide or internationally. For certain questions, the remote interview approach is even particularly valid, as the participants use their own equipment in their own environment. 

Are you in?

The current situation makes it necessary to throw assumptions and entrenched structures overboard and try out new things. Every day we discover that digital collaboration does not necessarily mean a loss of personal contact or productivity.

Internally, this means for us a daily status meeting with all employees via Microsoft Teams or virtual coffee breaks for informal exchange. Especially in these uncertain times, it's good to discuss project topics as well as feelings regarding this new situation. The use of the camera offers a considerable added value. Even if I myself was initially put off by it, I am now happy to see the faces of my colleagues on a regular basis. The same applies to online calls with clients and to conducting studies: Using the camera contributes enormously to establishing a natural conversation situation.

Even interactive workshops with clients work online and have already been successfully conducted. All participants were connected via a conferencing tool and worked in parallel on a virtual board on which they could attach post-its and move and arrange them as desired.

So let's fully exploit the potential of digitization and use the situation to find innovative ways forward together.