Most research studies are conducted in our User Research Studios located on the main Microsoft campus in Redmond, WA. We also conduct site studies in the convenience of your home or where you work through our Nationwide Site Visit Program. Both typically last an hour or two. We watch, listen, and learn while you work. Each are excellent opportunities to have a direct line of feedback to our product design and development teams.

Studio Studies
When you arrive, the User Researcher will greet you in the lobby. The Researcher will give you a brief tour and then, since so much of what we're working on is top secret, ask you to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Once settled in you'll be given a series of tasks to complete. The Researcher will encourage you to 'think out loud'. This helps us understand your opinions, expectations and thought processes. While you're completing these tasks the Researcher will note your actions and opinions.

At the end of your study you'll be asked to fill out an online questionnaire to record your opinions and preferences. Then you'll be offered a thank you gift from a list of Microsoft products, and the Engineer will escort you back to the lobby.

Site Studies
As part of our Nationwide Site Visit Program, our product design and development teams go out into the field to observe users in their work or home settings. We meet a variety of people with different levels of computer experience in their own unique environments, so we're better able to understand their real needs and expectations. These visits are designed to be as non-disruptive as possible, and at the end you'll be offered a thank you gift from a list of Microsoft products.