How to conduct remote user research in healthcare and pharma

Remote research is particularly valuable when participants are difficult to access through traditional methods.

In healthcare environments, this situation is common. Clinicians often work long hours in busy settings, making it difficult to attend in-person research sessions. Patients may be managing symptoms that make travel inconvenient or physically demanding.

Remote sessions allow participants to join from their home or workplace, making research more accessible and flexible.

Remote research can also enable organisations to recruit participants across multiple locations. This can be particularly valuable when studying rare conditions or specialist clinical roles where the participant pool is relatively small.

Many user research methods can be adapted for remote environments.

Interviews

One-to-one interviews translate naturally to remote settings. Video calls allow researchers to explore participants’ experiences while building rapport through conversation.

Remote interviews can be particularly effective for discovery research, where the goal is to understand how users approach problems and how digital tools fit into their daily routines.

Usability testing

Usability testing can also be conducted remotely by asking participants to share their screen while completing tasks.

Researchers observe how participants interact with a product or prototype, noting where they hesitate, struggle or misunderstand the interface. Participants are usually encouraged to think aloud as they complete tasks so researchers can understand their reasoning.

Moderated sessions allow researchers to ask follow-up questions and explore issues in greater depth.

Diary studies

Diary studies are often conducted remotely by design. Participants record aspects of their behaviour or experiences over time, often through digital platforms or structured logs.

This approach is useful when researchers want to understand how digital tools fit into everyday routines over a longer period.

Preparation is essential for successful remote research.

Researchers should test all technical tools in advance to ensure participants can join sessions easily. Providing clear instructions ahead of time helps participants understand what will happen during the session and how they should prepare.

In healthcare research, it is also important to consider the technical environments participants may be using. Some healthcare professionals access digital tools through secure hospital networks that restrict certain platforms or screen sharing capabilities.

Running pilot sessions can help identify technical issues before formal research begins.

One of the common concerns about remote research is that it may be harder to build rapport with participants.

In practice, researchers can still establish strong connections during remote sessions by creating a comfortable conversational environment. Starting sessions with informal introductions and allowing participants time to settle into the discussion helps establish trust.

Active listening is particularly important in remote interviews. Researchers should allow participants time to think and respond rather than rushing through questions.

Although non-verbal cues may be harder to observe through video, careful attention to tone and pauses can still reveal valuable insights.

Technical issues are one of the most common challenges in remote research.

Participants may experience connectivity issues, unfamiliarity with research tools or difficulties sharing their screen. Preparing simple contingency plans helps minimise disruption.

For example, researchers may:

• provide alternative meeting links
• switch to audio-only calls if video fails
• use backup recording tools

Flexibility during sessions ensures that valuable insight can still be gathered even when technical issues occur.

While remote research offers many advantages, it does not replace every form of in-person research.

Certain methods, such as contextual observation in clinical environments, may still require researchers to spend time on-site to understand how people interact with systems in real settings.

The most effective research programmes often combine both approaches. Remote methods can provide efficient access to participants, while occasional in-person sessions offer deeper contextual understanding.

Healthcare systems are complex, and the people who work within them often operate under significant time pressure.

Remote research allows organisations to learn from healthcare professionals and patients without adding unnecessary disruption to their schedules. It makes research more inclusive by enabling participation from individuals who might otherwise be unable to travel.

For organisations designing digital healthcare tools, this flexibility can dramatically expand access to insight.