Tracks: Leadership in Research

Measuring trust when conversion isn't enough.


According to a recent report by Accenture, “To be competitive in today’s environment, companies need to execute a balanced strategy that prioritizes trust at the same level as growth and profitability.”*

As a company, Groupon recognized the importance of customers' trust. As product teams worked on improving this, they needed a way to measure their success. While many qualitative UX research methods exist, none allowed the teams to robustly and precisely measure changes in users’ attitudes, emotions and perceptions as they pertain to consumer trust.

In this talk, Ling and Nicole will show you how they mixed qualitative UX research with the field of psychometric scale development to create a survey tool for measuring consumer trust in Groupon’s online ratings and reviews. They will introduce this powerful approach, explain the scale creation process and discuss some of the challenges and lessons learned when undertaking such an endeavor.



(* Accenture report: The Bottom Line on Trust https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insights/strategy/trust-in-business?c=strat_latestthinkinglinkedin_10390707&n=smc_1018)

Ling Hu.

Independent


 

Ling was a Senior UX researcher at Groupon, leading the consumer experience research end-to-end, covering search & discovery, conversion and redemption. Ling had a focus on marrying qualitative with quantitative methods to drive product decisions. Prior to Groupon, Ling worked as a UX researcher at Nationwide Insurance, conducting research studies that informed the business strategy on self-service, claims and call reduction. She has a MFA in Design Research from The Ohio State University.


Nicole Hill.

Senior UX Researcher, Groupon


 

Nicole is a Senior UX Researcher at Groupon. She has worked on some of Groupon’s most strategic initiatives which are critical in our evolution from a deal site to becoming a marketplace for all things local. Projects have focused on generating actionable insights to help make Groupon a “daily habit” with customers through new services and redemption models such as Groupon + (i.e., credit card cash back deals) and online booking, as well as understanding opportunities in the health, beauty, and wellness space. Prior to Groupon, Nicole worked at Grainger and two UX consulting firms, GfK UserCentric and Electronic Ink. She has a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from University of Pittsburgh; her graduate research focused on expertise, attention, multitasking ability, and brain imaging (fMRI).