Categories of User Research

Question 1

What is Preliminary User Research?

Answer 1

This research happens before the actual hands-on design. Goals of this research are:
- Better deciding which user groups to target
- Understanding the preferences of the targeted user group (persona creation)
- gauging the viability of your product in the market
- Revealing ways to increase the value of your product in the market (product definition)

Question 2

What are some Preliminary Research Methods?

Answer 2

User interviews, surveys and diary studies

Question 3

What is General Usability Testing?

Answer 3

Once the design process starts, you can initiate this type of testing to explore the structure and functionality of the design.

Question 4

What are some General Usability Testing Methods?

Answer 4

Card sorting and **tree testing **help you create the most intuitive information architecture and navigation pathways, while low-fidelity prototyping helps you test early versions of the design.

Question 5

What does Fine Tuning Usability mean?

Answer 5

As the design process nears completion you can begin fine-tuning with additional usability testing.

This stage tests the validity of decisions you already made.

For example, you might A/B test two variations of the same prototype

Question 6

What is Unmoderated Testing?

Answer 6

Unmoderated tests produce more natural results since participants use the product in their natural setting away from a lab setting.

Unmoderated tests cost less and are easier to schedule.

Question 7

When do you use Moderated Testing?

Answer 7

If your product is either naturally complex or you’re still in a lo-fi prototyping stage (therefore more usability issues), a moderator helps to answer questions and keep users on track.

Question 8

When is Remote Testing used?

Answer 8

This is often beneficial for the same reasons as unmoderated tests: more natural user behavior. Remote tests are far easier to schedule, and allow multiple tests running at the same time.

Question 9

When do you use On-site Testing?

Answer 9

On-site tests are more suitable for highly confidential products.

Question 10

What is the best Research Combo?

Answer 10

Remote moderated usability tests are the best choice early in the design process.

Question 11

When should you conduct User Research?

Answer 11

It should be used at every major iteration of a design.

Question 12

What does a loose outline of fitting user research into the design process look like?

Answer 12

1.) Preliminary User Research
2.Persona Creation
3.Product Definition
4.Information Architecture
5.IA Testing
6.Wireframing
7.Lo-fi Prototype Testing
8.Mockups
9.Hi-fi Prototype Testing
10.Coding

Question 13

Within Preliminary User Research

User Interviews

Answer 13

they are a direct approach to getting inside your user’s head. There is a lot of flexibility in how you conduct them, for example, which questions you ask and where it’s held.

Additionally, user interviews can be conducted any time throughout the process, on any topics.

Question 14

Within Preliminary User Research

Surveys

Answer 14

These are written questionnaires that can be distributed widely online. Answers can be quickly tallied for a mix of qualitative and quantitative data.

User surveys require less involvement, at the cost of depth.

Must account for response bias

Question 15

Within Preliminary Research

Field Studies

Answer 15

Field studies examine user behavior in their own environment and rely less on the user’s capability of explaining their actions.

Question 16

Within Preliminary Research

Diary Studies

Answer 16

Diary studies draw on text written by the user for data.

Best method for removing bias, although its success relies a great deal on the ability of the user.

Question 17

Within General Usability Testing

Card Sorting

Answer 17

This test provides users with cards representing each relevant topic and/or page, and asks them to sort them in a way they find most logical.

This is a direct approach to how the user intuitively views your content and you can even leave some room for them to come up with their own labels.

This is a top down approach

Question 18

Within General Usability Testing

Tree Testing

Answer 18

Tree testing works from the bottom up - users are given an outline of the IA and a task. You monitor if they were successful, which route they took, and any problems or backtracking they had, etc.

This is a bottom - up approach

Question 19

Within General Usability Testing

Protype Usability Testing

Answer 19

Test your design ideas in action as early as possible.

Before tackling issues like visuals, testing a lo-fi prototype will reveal any faults in the user flow.

You can test prototypes remotely

Question 20

Within Fine-Tuning Usability Testing

A/B Usability Testing

Answer 20

This type of testing presents different users with two different variations of the same screen, and since it’s a controlled experiment, only one variable differs.

This generates data on which one of two options (“A” or “B”) is more successful, whether at conversations, discoverability, navigation, etc.

Question 21

Within Fine-Tuning Usability Testing

Click Testing
(Screenshot Testing)

Answer 21

By tracking where users click most, click tests allow designers to test both the navigation and visual hierarchy at the same time.

You learn which site elements make the strongest first impression, and where the discrepancy lies between desired and actual user behavior.

Click test results are oftentimes aggregated into a heatmap for quick visual understanding.

Question 22

Collaborative Usability Testing

Answer 22

If UX is a team activity, then your usability testing also needs to invlove other developers and product managers.

Have a concise test plan.