Discovery operations guide

Project Lead

Must be HCD-trained and have experience leading HCD projects. For large-scale projects with multiple research teams, this person should have management training as well. Responsibilities include:

• Liaise and communicate with leadership and stakeholders, and relay communications back to the team.
• Lead interviews and/or observations.
• Guide post-interview downloading sessions, daily and weekly synthesis work.
• Lead team through exercises to find insights and opportunities, and communicate results to leadership.
• Ensure that all benchmarking, research, interview notes and photographs, deliverables, and recommendations are organized in an approved location.

Notes: On a large project, there may be more than one lead due to specialty knowledge or geographic location. In these cases, the leads are responsible for organizing themselves into a functional unit that can communicate with each other fluidly, consistently communicate to the team and stakeholders, and flex around changes in the project.

Researcher

Must be HCD trained, or an HCD-trained team member must directly oversee their work. Responsibilities include:

• Select research strategies.
• Lead interviews and/or observations.
• Lead or actively participate in daily, and weekly synthesis sessions.

Notes: All core team members should act as researchers. On any project, researchers may wear multiple hats, including recruiting, logistics, conducting interviews, or note-taking.

Note-taking includes:

• Observing the area & interview subject and documenting interesting things.
• Transcribing notes into digital format.
• Filing notes, photos, and other documentation in the project folder.

Recruiter

Responsibilities include:

• Manage and follow up with potential participants and sources of participants.
• Present participant options to the team, noting possible times for research sessions.
• Work with the Logistics Coordinator to book time for interviews, site visits, team travel, and time and sites for synthesis sessions.

Notes: This person needs to be outgoing in personality and meticulous in detail. They will need to be comfortable making cold calls and following up with people multiple times.

Logistics Coordinator

Responsibilities include:

• Own the calendar, and gather and record all calendar updates as other team members report schedule changes to interviews, travel, etc.
• Choose a hotel for the team to stay when traveling, including securing space for weekly synthesis sessions.
• Identify transportation options for the team.
• Plan for and coordinate the printing of consent forms and any other required documents for field work.
• Purchase supplies and tools needed before travel.
• Ensure that all team(s) have required supplies.

Local Contact

Can be a geographic local contact, a subject matter local contact, or the representative of a local group. Responsibilities include:

• Work with the recruiter to find the local people whose work or community position can best inform the research project frame.
• Help the recruiter gather references.
• Track down local leads when the recruiter cannot.
• Scout and secure synthesis sites that make sense in terms of size of the team, necessary all-day privacy, and distance from team members’ residences or hotels.
• Conduct pre-visit observation (recon) to evaluate interview location options and set time for on-site briefings.
• Coordinate with unions and other required parties prior to site visit.
• Communicate any needs from local power structures, such as local leadership, unions, or bureaucracies, to the Project Lead before the team assembles on site.