Remote research: practical adjustments for a distributed world
When Figma organized its first user conference earlier this year, product designer Irene Kim of NPR shared advice on remote usability testing. Now that distributed work is the norm for many teams, Figma’s own research group has been adapting those ideas to its daily workflow—collecting, synthesizing, and sharing insights from a distance.
The fundamentals haven’t changed: process, frameworks, and documentation still matter. But a few tactical tweaks make remote interviews, brainstorming sessions, and collaborative boards run smoother. Whether you’re in the middle of a journey mapping exercise or planning a usability test, these adjustments can help your research work from anywhere.
Lead with empathy for participants
Seeing your product through users’ eyes is always central to research, but it’s especially important right now. Many of the people you want to talk to are facing personal and professional challenges of their own. Some will welcome the distraction of a research session; others won’t want to talk at all. It’s acceptable to slow down or temporarily pause a workstream if that’s what the situation calls for.
Remote sessions also demand more explicit guidance. As meetings shift to video calls, participants may be unfamiliar with the tools you’re using. As Kim noted, even people who work in technology can struggle to set up a video call. Don’t assume prior knowledge.
Send screeners and prep materials ahead of time, then follow up with thorough instructions for joining the call and a clear outline of what the session will involve. Some steps may seem obvious to you, but that extra thought helps participants feel comfortable and prepared.
Keep the team involved without crowding the call
Conducting interviews over video changes how you include internal stakeholders. Too many people on a call can make participants uneasy, so the research team has become more selective about who joins. A facilitator and a note-taker are typically enough; anyone who would normally observe from a back row should sit this one out.
Other ways to keep the wider team in sync:
- Record sessions with permission. Recordings preserve tone and context that written notes miss. Just secure consent before the call begins.
- Run post-session debriefs for the whole working group. Include people who weren’t on the call. This keeps everyone aligned and surfaces gaps in the findings so far.
- Share asynchronous status updates. One Figma researcher, Christa Simon, records short videos and posts them to Slack, covering who has been interviewed, who is scheduled next, emerging themes, and where to find project materials.
Collaborate on a virtual synthesis board
Without a shared conference room, the team has turned to Figma to build virtual boards for collating and synthesizing findings. File structure varies by research type, but these sections are a useful starting point:
- Research questions: Restate the core goal and the main questions you’re trying to answer.
- Participants: Include a snapshot of interviewees with photos, job titles, and key quotes.
- Theme board: After a round of interviews, group sticky notes into recurring themes. Detailed structuring approaches are available for reference.
- Open questions: Track any new topics that need coverage in future sessions.
- Next steps: Get specific, whether that means lining up more interviews or meeting with the internal team.
Lean into what remote research does well
Remote research has its own advantages, particularly when your audience is geographically dispersed. NPR’s listeners span from rural areas to major cities, making in-person sessions impractical. As Kim put it, remote testing has been and will continue to be “a really valuable tool.” The same logic applies to many product teams whose users live far from a central office.
For teams getting started, Figma offers a research synthesis template in its community, alongside Irene Kim’s slides on remote testing. A broader set of resources on remote design is also available.
