Research Methods

Question 1

What is attitudinal research?

Answer 1

Looks at what people say or think (their attitude)

Question 2

What is behavioral research?

Answer 2

Looks at what people actually do

Question 3

What is generative research?

Answer 3

Shapes the design early on. Generative (or exploratory) research is done at the beginning of a project and helps inform the shape and direction of a design.

Question 4

What is evaluative research?

Answer 4

Evaluates the design later. Evaluative research is done later in the process and evaluates the design, helping you look for issues in the product or service that you developed based on your initial generative research.

Question 5

What is qualitative research?

Answer 5

Direct observation of a subject and information that isn’t directly quanitifiable.

Question 6

What is quantitative research?

Answer 6

Data-driven, indirect observations such close-ended survey responses or customer usage data

Question 7

What kinds of methods consist in Attitudinal research?

Answer 7

Surveys and interviews

Question 8

What kinds of methods consist in Behavior research?

Answer 8

Eye-tracking

Question 9

User interviews are an example of which types of research? Explain your answer

Answer 9

Attitudinal and qualitative research.

They’re designed to gauge users’ attitudes toward something and generate data based on direct observation.

Question 10

What are the pros of User Interviews?

Answer 10

• They’re an inexpensive method of gathering information directly from those who’ll be using your product. UX designers (like yourself) know how to use apps and websites too well to accurately portray the experience of an everyday user. After all, it’s their job to know how to use things!
• Well-worded interview questions can elicit a great amount of information—potentially confusing or problematic functions, certain designs users enjoy, techniques that can be used to overcome obstacles, and more.
• They can be a great way to learn about other apps or websites your users enjoy and use on a daily basis.
  Cons of User Interviews

Question 11

What are the cons of user interviews?

Answer 11

• Poorly-worded questions can lead to interviewer bias and skewed data. Leading questions, questions about design details, and questions stemming from designer opinions should all be avoided.
• Users can’t always remember specific details about past use of apps or websites—human memory is fallible, after all. It’s better to ask questions aimed at users’ general attitudes and feelings about an issue than any one certain detail.
• It’s hard for users to envision unbuilt features and designs. Avoid asking questions about possible functionality and stick with high-level thoughts and opinions.

Question 12

What are user surveys?

Answer 12

Generally employed to gather initial, or follow-up, insights from your users and are a great way to obtain findings from a large sample population.

Question 13

What are the pros of user surveys?

Answer 13

• Surveys are an inexpensive and reliable way to reach a broad audience, and they provide an online, automated method of keeping, storing, and analyzing data.
• Survey results can quickly determine whether a product team is moving in the right direction. Positive survey results provide confidence, while negative or unexpected survey results give the team time to refocus and change course early on in the design process.
• Users may be more willing to answer questions honestly if they feel they’re not being judged or watched, and there’s no risk of an interviewer unintentionally biasing responses.

Question 14

What are the cons of user surveys?

Answer 14

• Care must be taken when designing survey questions to avoid skewed or biased results.
• As surveys are remote and don’t involve an interviewer, this eliminates the possibility of asking follow-up questions for further clarification.
• While online survey services may expedite the process, an effective means of acquiring participants is still essential.

Question 15

What is analytics?

Answer 15

Refers to the measurement and collection of web traffic data from a currently existing site or app.

For obvious reasons, this method is only useful if the site or app already exists. It’s normally employed before redesigning a website or application in order to make it more successful.

Question 16

What is a clickstream?

Answer 16

Represents a user’s activities online through a series of clicks, provides an automated way to gather and track analytics.

It’s a great method for answering additional questions about the site, such as what section of a webpage a user tends to click on before all else.

Question 17

What are the pros of Analytics Reviews?

Answer 17

Analytics reviews are a great way to gain powerful insights about an app or website at the start of a redesign project. Designers can remove content that hasn’t been successfully engaging users to make room for new, more compelling content.

They’re cheap and relatively quick to perform. Most reviews take less than a week to complete.

Reviews can be used to create informative reports for the product team and client, giving early momentum to a project.

Question 18

What are the cons of Analytics Review?

Answer 18

Analytics data isn’t always available or can be hard to obtain due to confidentiality issues, the age of your site, or a lack of an installed analytics package.

A thorough analysis of this type of information requires at least six months of data (and an even larger window would be preferred).

Analytics aren’t useful when designing a new project (but could still be employed on competitor sites or apps to learn about user behavior).

Question 19

What is a diary study?

Answer 19

A diary study is a type of research method used to collect data about user behaviors, activities, and trends over the course of a few days, weeks, or longer

During a diary study, participants are asked to keep records of their thoughts (much like they would in a diary) while performing activities or tasks the UX designer wishes to analyze.

This provides the designer with a host of valuable qualitative data at the end of the study.

Question 20

What are the pros of diary studies?

Answer 20

Diary studies are the best way to learn about behaviors and activity over a significant period of time.

A variety of behaviors can be studied ranging from daily habits, emotional states, motivations, changes in engagement, learning over time, and more.

UX designers are able to analyze and respond to incoming data while the study is ongoing. This allows for follow-up questions and feedback from participants.

Question 21

What are the cons of diary studies?

Answer 21

Diary studies are qualitative by nature, so they’re better suited for studying general behavior and activity rather than for collecting concrete data and numbers.

Participants can become less engaged over time and will oftentimes need encouragement and motivation. For this reason, data from a diary study can sometimes be manufactured or incomplete.

Because of the long-term nature of these studies, they tend to be more expensive per user than other research methods.

Question 22

What are contextual inquiries?

Answer 22

(also known as ethnographic field studies) involved interviewing users in the same location or context in which they’ll engage with your app or website.

Question 23

What are the pros of contextual inquiries?

Answer 23

A number of unique observations can be made during these visits, from environmental issues, to how users handle interruptions, to user workarounds, to task handling, and more.

This is the only type of research that takes place in the participant’s place of work or residence, which can often shed light on user requirements and needs that other methods may not reveal.

This type of research is effective in capturing personal information about your users and will often lead to additional insights you can use in your persona creation.

Question 24

What are the cons of contextual inquiries?

Answer 24

Participants might become nervous during the observation, which means a UX designer should be capable of putting them at ease during their visit.

Locations may come with logistical challenges (management approval, consent forms, nondisclosure agreements, etc.).

Due to the involved nature of this research method, studies are usually limited to a small group of participants.

Question 25

How does process of contextual inquiries usually start?

Answer 25

The process typically starts with an identification of the appropriate users based on the project. Traits like age, computer and internet experience, education, and language are all taken into consideration.

Once a representative group of participants is found, in-person visits are scheduled.

During the visit, a UX designer should take on the role of an apprentice, observing and learning about behavior and activity from the participant.

Question 26

You’re trying to convince your colleague, Milli Vanderwalt, to conduct user interviews. Which of the following terms is a positive aspect of user interviews you can tell her about?

a. social
b. quantitative
c. time-efficient
d. inexpensive

Answer 26

d. inexpensive

Question 27

What can user analytics measure?

Answer 27

Web traffic data

Question 28

Marina Mulumba is analyzing data that represents how often her users engage with a specific feature in her web application; this analysis will help her better understand the needs of her users. What type of research is she conducting?

Answer 28

Quantitative

Question 29

Rick Jones would like to build an app to help people eat healthier. He goes to his local grocery store to discuss the concept with potential users and receive feedback. Which research method is he employing?

Answer 29

Ethnographic field studies

Question 30

What is another name for ethnographic field studies?

Answer 30

Contextual Inquiries

Question 31

Margaret Lawson needs to monitor user activities and thoughts over a new product feature for at least two weeks. Which research method should she use?

Answer 31

Diary Studies

Question 32

Manni Dakar is setting up analytics for his website and is searching for a method to track user activity through their navigation of his site. Which of the following terms describes that?

Answer 32

Clickstream

Question 33

Lena Einhorn would like to conduct behavioral research to better understand what her users actually do while visiting her website. Which of the following methods should she consider?

a. questionnaires
b. surveys
c. interviews
d. eye-tracking

Answer 33

d. Eye-tracking

Question 34

After meeting a few of your prospective users over coffee, you’ve identified that they are hesitant to answer your questions openly. Why should you consider sending them user surveys instead?

Answer 34

They promote honesty away from watchful eyes