UX Research Methods: Foundations Flashcards
Usability Testing
Most used approach. Evaluates how easy it is to use an interface or product.
Used on any live site, piece of software or a prototype of any fidelity.
(Multiple versions of product to help choose between design alternatives)
Interviewing
Gather qualitative information from participants - ask open ended questions about their needs, goals and motivations.
Perform in natural environment (ethnographic review) to see how impacts their experience.
Card Sorting
Used to determine categorization and hierarchy when determining information architecture (open and closed)
Open card sorting
Ask participants to categorize elements that need to organize into whatever groupings they think make sense and label them.
Closed card sorting
Give people existing category and ask them to place elements within buckets
Tree test
Once navigation structure is set, ask people to find elements using your navigational structure.
All of these methods help define and refine organizational structure.
Eye tracking
Helps you learn about how people are first engaging, what draws their attention, and how they process information on a page or screen: method used equipment that creates reflection on participants eyes.
Understand actions of users without relying on memory, or ability to self report.
Learn: where users looked, how long they were looking, gaze pattern
(Can’t tell you why users were interacting the way they were)
Multivariate testing
Testing method where you create several different versions of something and compare which one does the best job at hitting your goal.
(Ex; different button colors + different positions of buttons on page)
A/B Testing
When you only change one thing in a test.
Example: testing button color
Measured by number of clicks, average order size, number of sign-ups, etc
Desirability Studies
Allows you to ensure visuals match brand goals and evoke desired emotional response.
Show participants variations of visual designs and ask them to select which words best describe each
-> list of words that best describe brand goals and their opposites
-> analyze which design best evokes most positive associations
Expert Reviews
Detailed assessments of an interface, service or product conducted by someone trained in current user experience best practices (matching expectations)
Comparing to heuristics, or predefined guiding principles
Heuristics evaluation include assessments/recommendation, comparison of notes
Surveys
Craft a list of questions designed to gather certain facts or opinions from a targeted list of people
Demographics, first-click, desirability tests
(Quickly obtain qualitative or quantitative data)
Diary studies
Longitudinal study, looking at the same variable overtime. Diary studies involve participants recording behavior, activities, thoughts in given topic overtime
Ex) giving feedback on an app and their experience with it each day
Participatory Design
Collaboration sessions between users, designers, developers and other business decision makers: exercises for specific goal or actively involved brainstorming
Personas
UX research tool to help describe different types of users an organization serves.
Research tactics help gather key user bases and main differences between their behaviors, goals, and identifying usage. Typically you’d create a summary of the persona’s key attributes, and differentiation points.
In Creating personas you need to pull data from various sources: users skills, goal, motivations, environments, key behaviors, context of product in their life
Allows to make design decisions
Quantitative Data
-represents numeric information
-ex: percentage/ratings
-objective
-statistically relevant (except for small data sets)
Types of tests: % of complaints from users, A/B tests, card sorts, surveys, click tests & eye tracking
Qualitative Data
-produces non-numeric data
> ex: emotional responses/first
impressions
-smaller efforts; directly interacting with people (through text/verbally)
Example of tests)
> usability tests
> focus groups
> interviews
> diary studies
> participatory design workshop
Behavioral Research
Research method that involves directly observing a person and their actions
(Researcher observes user interaction with software)
- UX professionals rely on behavioral research over attitudinal bc people report in attitudinal doesn’t match with what they did in behavioral research
Attitudinal Research
Research method that involves asking people to self-report their opinions (surveys, focus groups, preference tests)
(Researcher asks follow-up questions about expectations or why they made certain choices)
Ex: only valuable when users need to uninstall + reinstall software when they need new features only available in updated software
