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About the Research Van
The research van is equipped like most other standard usability labs, with
an audio and video recording to capture both user reactions and interactions
with their mobile device. Considering that research in the field and using
a vehicle could add additional stress, the van was designed to be as easy to
use as possible. A one button record covers end-to-end and simple default
settings allow for easy set up. The cameras capture two key angles: the
interactions on the device and the participant’s facial and body language.
A third video feed includes an HDMI input for the highest resolution view
of the device’s screen. The researcher can choose to record a full screen of
any, or a combination of two in picture-in-picture. A small preview monitor
behind the participant allows the moderator to see if the device has gone
off camera view and adjusts as necessary, and a large monitor behind the
participant allows the note taker to see the video feed clearly for taking
notes. The van has enough seats to accommodate the standard moderator,
participant, and note taker, as well as two additional stakeholders for product
team involvement.
About the Research Tour
We launched the research van with a 6-week cross country research tour in
2016. We went to 10 cities across a range of regions in the US and a variety
of locations such as rural towns, college towns, and metropolitan hubs.
We were able to meet with people who had never before seen a physical
Google presence, much less the opportunity to directly interact with us. In
larger cities, we even had the opportunity to talk with tourists from across
the country and world. Over 300 people participated in our lab studies
inside the van, and we also conducted video interviews and surveys with
over 500 participants outside the van. While the research we conducted on
our cross country tour was immensely impactful and useful for our product
development teams, we can achieve these benefits even closer to home. We
can leverage the van by driving to new locations and towns just 1–3 hours
outside of Google headquarters, as these regions will also help us reach a
much different participant population.
The research van has opened up a world of opportunities for our research
practice in reaching a broader user population, increasing flexibility in
recruiting, and agility in conducting research. The success of the research
van helped us establish new models for recruiting and sourcing as well as
brainstorming new standards for our traditional labs. We’re excited to see
the interest from other areas in Google as well as practitioners industry-wide
and we hope to spread the method. We look forward to what more we can do
with the research van as a core research infrastructure product and how it can
influence research across Google and the industry.