Definition:
Shadowing is a strategy that consists of becoming the shadow of a user for a certain period of time in order to follow their activity and thereby understand both what they do and what it takes to do it.
What is shadowing?
Shadowing is a technique that is used with the aim of analyzing the information about the audience, to know it better: what it does, what is its routine, how it makes decisions, what it needs …
When performing this technique it should be done in the least invasive way possible and documenting the entire experience. It must be done through photos, videos, notes or drawings, etc. The material has to be reviewed in order to draw conclusions about the user’s behavior. In this way it can lead to design both products and services that are more adapted to the real needs of the consumer or client.
In other words, through this technique companies can have more useful information about users and thus understand it better and define in a more efficient way the strategies and initiatives they can carry out.
What is Shadowing for?
It is a technique that aims to obtain more information about users, about tastes, needs and routines. The details allow the company to develop strategies that are much more effective, as well as the development of products that better fit with what its audience needs.
Shadowing can also be used as a technique to get to know new market niches and population segments. It is a way to improve your income through being able to expand the audience, in addition to being able to develop proposals that are really effective.
Advantages of Shadowing.
Some advantages of Shadowing are the following:
- Know in real time the dynamics of the user.
- Know more easily the routines of consumers.
- Empathize with users.
- It does not require a large investment in time.
- Reduces the learning curve in the needs of a service or product.
