The process by which you test which of two versions of online content users like best.
Accessibility, or "accessibility"
Shows how easy it is for people to work with the interfaces of sites and applications. This includes people with disabilities. An example of a good web interface accessibility for colorblind people is the adaptation of colors to their capabilities.
Clickstream analysis
Clickstream is information about which sites the user visited before coming to your site and after he left. Clickstream analysis gives an idea of what your user is interested in, what sites other than yours he visits and which sites he goes to.
Error Analysis
A type of field study that establishes the frequency and type of errors that users experience when they use the product. An error in using an interface is a state when the user does not get the result that he expected from his action. There are two reasons for this: poor UX and lack of user knowledge. There will certainly be bugs in an unfinished interface, and they cannot be prevented by information gathering alone. In order for end users to feel comfortable using the product, designers need to involve them in checking the interface.
Task Analysis
The process during which designers analyze the actions that the user needs to take in order to solve their problem on the site or in the application.
Analytics
Gives an understanding of what works and doesn't work in a digital product. Shows information about traffic on your website or app. Talks about where users come from and what pages they visit.
Involvement
A measure of how well a product captures and holds user attention. To increase engagement, it is important to consider everything, whether it is a button or a menu on a page or screen.
Gestalt principle
Or the “law of complete perception” says that people perceive objects as part of something whole, and not as a set of objects that are not related to each other.
Ishikawa diagram
Helps visually present a list of causes of a problem. The diagram consists of the "head" - the problem, and the "bones" - the causes, which are located along the ridge. Such a scheme can be tree-like and have four or five levels of nesting.
An example of such a diagram
Diary Research
A method for collecting qualitative data about user behavior. It looks like this: at regular intervals, users leave records about their daily use of the product in a special journal. Research can last from several days to a month. They show how user habits are changing, as well as why they use the product.
Task flow diagram
A diagram that can be used to display a user scenario: a sequence of tasks that a user needs to do in an application or website. An example of an online tool for creating such a diagram: smartdraw.com/workflow-diagram/
"Think Out Loud"
The method used to collect information in a usability check. During testing, designers ask the user to say out loud what he thinks about what he saw.
Pareto Law
If applied to a website or app, this law would state that 20% of the product's features will bring 80% of the value. From this one cannot conclude that 80% of the product is created in vain. We are talking about the fact that, most likely, only 20% of the features will ensure the success of the product.
Fitts' Law
A rule that determines how quickly you hit a button or field on a website or app. The further and smaller the target, the longer it takes to hit it. This rule needs to be taken into account when you create controls on a site or in an application. Buttons, input fields, sliders and other elements should be large enough and located where the user expects it.
Hick's law
Describes the speed of decision making. The decision is the result of choice. The more options, the more time a person needs to make a decision.
"The game of sapper"
A practice that users don't need to be exposed to. It consists in the fact that the user quickly moves the cursor around the page, observing exactly where the cursor will show that there is a link here. If the user had to search for links on the page in this way, the product has very poor usability.
Product Business Environment Research
Collection and analysis of information about what will affect the user experience: about future users, their goals and tools to help achieve these goals; about the physical environment in which the product will be used; about technical limitations.
Information for analysis is collected through interviews, workshops, surveys, viewing similar products, focus groups, field research, and related search queries.
Examining True Intention
Helps to describe the user's experience of interacting with the site. During this research, designers survey users to find out answers to the following questions:
- who visits the site?
- why do these people come to the site?
- what do they like and dislike?
- how well does the site help them cope with the tasks?
Answering these questions helps designers better understand users and how to meet their needs.
User research
The purpose of the research is to understand the needs of users, their habits and motivations. For this, observation, task analysis and other methods are used.
"Your most unhappy client is your greatest resource to learn."
Bill Gates
Qualitative Research
The study of human behavior, answering the questions "how?" and “why?” rather than “how much?”. In qualitative research, what matters is what defines user goals and behavior, not the numerical data that describes them.
Quantitative research
User behavior research focused on numerical data and statistics. Conducted through surveys, questionnaires and surveys.
End Users
People who use the site or app. Designers bring them in for UX research.
Competitive Analysis
Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential competitors.
Error rate
The frequency with which interface usage errors occur in a given period of time.
Ease of development
How easy it is to learn how to use the new interface.
mental model
The sum of the designer's ideas about the user, which allows you to orient the functions of a site or application for specific user goals. The closer the product features are to the user's mental model, the more convenient the product is.
Free listing method
A technique for collecting information that helps to find out how the user understands a certain issue. For this, the person is asked in a list format to list everything that he thinks about a certain concept.
Active listening method
This is an interview technique in which the interviewer keeps up the conversation by commenting on what they hear.
Interview
Communication with the target audience, the result of which will be answers to questions from the list. The survey is conducted by phone, via the Internet, in person and in many other ways.
Intercept research
This is a study that is conducted in person in a public place or on the premises of an organization. For example, interviewers might approach people leaving a store and ask them about their experiences.
A person
The image of a typical user that designers form from available information and interviews. The personal data of a person may be fictitious, but the information that forms the mental model of the user must be realistic.
Entry field
A field where users enter text or data.
Custom routes
A custom route is a sequence of steps that a user takes to complete their task. The route that users move most often within the site is the top path.
Three click rule
It says that users must find the desired page in three clicks, otherwise they will leave the site.
KISS Principle
"Be simpler, fool" (Keep it Simple Stupid). KISS is a design principle proclaimed by the US Navy in 1960. He says that most systems work well if their design is obvious. Evidence is a key design goal.
Path
The route that the user takes while moving around the site. It may look like "breadcrumb" - one of the types of navigation display.
Five Second Test
Users are shown the interface of the application or site for five seconds. Then they are asked to list everything they remember. This way you can find out if key visuals and calls to action are working.
Representative Sample
The group of people that most closely matches your target audience.
Joint design
It is an approach to design work that involves all stakeholders: customers, partners, customers, and end users. The goal is to make sure that the result will satisfy all those involved.
Card sorting
The method is designed to check whether the information architecture of the site or application is clear to the end user. With the help of stickers or online tools, people not involved in the project sort the functions or page names of the site into categories. The names for the categories are either invented by the participants (open sorting) or they are already defined (closed sorting).
Eye tracking technology
This is a fixation of the activity of the eyes of a person observing an object on a screen or in space. This is helped by programs that monitor the movements of the eyes of users on the screen and show in what order and what users look at most often.
Remote usability research
The process of examining how users interact with an interface. The peculiarity is that the respondents are in their own territory, and the organizers of the study use programs to sharing screen. These programs record the face and voice of the respondent.
The advantage of such a study is that designers do not need to call all the respondents to their place. As a result, a large number of users can participate in the study, and the organizers save time.
Conversion rate
The percentage of visitors who completed a targeted action on a website or app. The conversion rate increases in the course of its optimization.
Conversion marketing in eCommerce projects is the process by which site visitors become customers of the company.
Focus group
This type of research is used to gather people's opinions about users, products, concepts, prototypes, tasks, strategies, and environments. Under the guidance of a moderator, a group of people discusses questions on a topic related to the product.
The target audience
One or more user groups for which the product is being created.
Human factors and ergonomics
Creating products, systems, or processes that people will interact with.
Likert scale
A research method in which a person is asked to rank their answer on a scale with positive, neutral, and negative ratings.
Usability Benchmarking
Fixing the current state of usability as a reference or as a "reference point". All subsequent changes will be compared with it.
Ethnographic research
Study of future users of your product in their familiar environment through observation and personal interviews.
Usability, or "ease of use"
How pleasant and effective the user interacts with the interface.
Usability Lab
A usability test space where observations and records are made of how the user interacts with the system. Observers monitor the test through two-way mirrors or via video feed from another room.
HEART methodology
Allows you to measure the quality of user experience on a large scale by parameters that show the attitude of users to the product: happiness (H - happiness), involvement (E - engagement), acceptance (A - adoption), retention (R - retention) and success in achieving the goal ( T - task).
We find out the role of UX design in the startup promotion process: why user research is needed and how it helps to increase the efficiency of a business project. The topic is covered by Evgeny Polev, who devoted 4 years to UX design - first at UsabilityLab, and then at Ciklum, where he works to this day.
UX design (from English user experience - interaction experience) is the process of designing user interaction with a product. Designed to increase user satisfaction by improving the level of usability. UX design includes interface design, and also covers all aspects of user interaction with a product, service, and company as a whole.
UX design has 2 main tasks:
- make it easier for users to achieve the goal (so that people jump into the sales funnel and leave satisfied);
- increase loyalty (renew subscription, make users return to the site).
Interface change could bring $300 million
In the early 2000s, the team of Jared M. Spool, a well-known usability expert, began researching the conversion path on Best Buy, one of the most large online stores electronics in America.
The situation was as follows: when users added goods to the cart, a form appeared - “register”. After talking with people, Jared Spool realized that they want to shop and do not want to register. He changed the name of the button to "proceed to payment" and added a caption at the bottom - "You will be automatically registered on the site." In a year sales of the company increased by $300 million.
it good example of how UX design works, user research provided a clear understanding of the problem.
Why else do you need marketplace audience research
Design is an iterative process. If something does not fit, we return to the initial or desired stage and design again. The schema looks like this:
- Determine the context of use and needs (create a user flow, determine user empathy).
- Develop a design solution.
- Create a prototype or implement.
- Assess for compliance with requirements and KPIs.
Audience research will help you make quicker decisions about the adjustments that need to be made. You can:
- make sure that the target audience of the product is chosen correctly;
- understand the goals, motives, expectations and context of use;
- identify usability problems in the current solution;
- test ideas and new concepts for product development;
- find out how the product is perceived in comparison with competitors.
Preliminary analysis of the market and target audience
The initial stage of work, during which the collection of information necessary for the development of an optimal design solution.
Includes:
- interviews with business and subject matter experts;
- statistics analysis;
- analysis of competitors and their audience;
- study of the product and own experience of use;
- analysis social networks and specialized resources.
The collected data is processed in order to develop the primary design of the trading platform based on them.
UX research: 2 main types with explanations
All UX studies can be conditionally divided into 2 types. Let's dwell on each of them.
Qualitative UX Research
Focus on information related to product reputation, user experience, relevance, etc. These data cannot be measured in numbers. They provide an opportunity to assess how consumers behave, explain why, and help tailor the product to their needs.
Quantitative UX Research
Designed to analyze data in numbers: how many users visit the site, how often they perform certain actions, what functions they use regularly. This helps, with the help of statistics, to formulate how effective previous solutions were, which of them were popular and which were not.
UX research methods to use in your work
For convenience, I have formed a scale by which you can navigate when choosing UX research methods. The first graph shows the guides:
- behavior - evaluates what the user is doing;
- attitude - what emotions does it experience;
- quantitative - how often he visits the resource, how long he stays on the page;
- quality - what can be improved.
The second graph shows which research methods can be used to measure certain indicators. They are located in the respective blocks.
I will list the priority methods and explain:
Field study
It implies observation of users in their usual conditions.
For example, we conducted such a study in the electronics stores of the Allo network, we observed how customers behave when choosing Cell phones. Many were interested in the power of processors and camera pixels. It was obvious that the behavior pattern would be repeated, so we highlighted this information on the product cards on the website.
Focus group research
For the survey, a group of people is gathered that belongs to some segment of your target audience.
In-Depth Interview
In an individual format, communication is as close as possible to live communication.
It is necessary to conduct about 15-20 such interviews to find out about the previous experience of consumers, their expectations from the product, action scenarios, fears and motivations.
Card sort
It helps to organize the navigation of the marketplace, divide it into segments and prioritize.
The designer must create an approximate "route" through the site (customer journey map): such a distribution of information that will lead the user to his ultimate goal - the purchase. Route planning simplifies the task of the consumer, and therefore increases the efficiency of the project.
Concept testing
Show respondents screens at the concept level (sketches, wireframes); helps to understand how users relate to the design solution and the proposed functionality.
Feedback from users will allow you to get new insights based on their experience. The earlier testing is done, the cheaper it is to fix bugs. The method is not objective enough - low detail, no real prototype.
Usability testing
Observation of the user during the execution of the tasks set by the moderator in the product or prototype.
Helps to identify about 80% of problems in 5-8 sessions per segment. Gives an understanding of the expectations, motivation, fears of users when performing a task. Testing can be done in an interactive format.
A/B testing
Implementation of solutions and comparison with the original.
One of the main quantitative testing tools. Gives an answer to the question of what users do, but does not explain why. It's better to test small changes at a time. If done cardinal changes, it will not be clear what led to the result. To conduct testing, you need a fairly large audience (from 500-1000 visitors per day).
Research will be greatly facilitated by such auxiliary tools as audience surveys, click analysis and eye-tracking.
What to do if there is no product, budget or competence
No product or product under development:
- test a prototype;
- test competitors' solutions;
- conduct interviews, surveys, field research;
- create an MVP and collect statistics;
- study the statistics of competitors.
No budget or time:
- corridor testing (guerrilla testing - 5 seconds test);
- reduce iterations (lean, MVP);
- conduct a full-fledged study at your own expense (experience and knowledge);
- use statistics and A / B tests.
Lack of competence:
- outsource to an agency (insufficient immersion and high price);
- conduct research at your own expense (learn on the go);
- temporarily hire a UX researcher.
For inspiration, a video on how you can do a usability test with regular pencils.
There are a lot of misunderstandings among designers and developers. There are also a lot of stupid questions related to UX and UI from newbies. Often simply because people do not know the essence of the concept of UX / UI and, not knowing what they are talking about, call things by different names.
I want to put an end to it once and for all and explain in simple, understandable language what “UX / UI design” means.
Different types of interfaces for sharpening blades.
Whether you press the buttons on an adding machine, twist the handle of a grindstone, or swipe across a smartphone screen, these are all interfaces through which you interact with mechanisms. In this case, the interface does not have to be digital at all. It’s just that the very word “interface” was borrowed from English quite recently and has come down to us in only the digital age.
The goal of a UI/UX designer is to bring the user to some logical point in the interface. Make sure the user achieves their goal.
What is UX / UI, in plain text
(this section will contain banal phrases)UX- this is User experience(literally: "user experience"). That is, this is what experience / impression the user receives from working with your interface. Does he succeed in achieving the goal and how easy or difficult is it to do.
BUT UI- this is user interface(literally "user interface") - how the interface looks and what physical characteristics it acquires. It determines what color your “product” will be, whether it will be convenient for a person to hit the buttons with his finger, whether the text will be readable, and the like ...
UX/UI design is the design of any user interface in which usability is as important as appearance.
What is UX and UI design, in other words
The direct responsibility of a UX/UI designer is, for example, to “sell” a product or service through the interface. It is on the basis of the work of the UX / UI designer that the user makes a decision: “To be or not to be?” Like or dislike. To buy or not to buy.In fact, the goals of the designer may be different. You don't have to "sell" anything. But I specifically do not want to use too abstract phrases so that this text is understandable to beginners; so that the style of presentation does not turn into an anthology on the programming language of the 90s.
UX/UI design is not just about smartphones and websites. Moreover, the profession of UX/UI designer has existed since time immemorial. It just wasn't called that before. More precisely, before it was not called at all, but was part of other professions.
Here's the first example: when Wilhelm Schickard invented the adding machine in 1623, he was already a UX/UI designer.
Because it was he who came up with which toggle switches and in what sequence a person should turn in order to get the result of calculations. And he figured out how logical order they will be located. And in general, I figured out how all these pens would look like. He created an interface for interacting with the machine.
Another more ancient and primitive example is a grindstone (wheel). Even in the early Middle Ages, there were many varieties and mechanisms of such a wheel:
- it could be turned by hand
- the wheel could be turned by another person
- or it could be spun even without hands by pressing the pedal with the foot
- and others...
So, when the inventor of the next grindstone thought:
- will he sit and press the pedal himself
- or he will simplify the mechanism, but put a slave who will spin the wheel with his hand,
And the person who thought how big the stone would be, what color to choose a tree for the stand and how to fasten the wooden poles (with nails or leather cords?) and how long the handle would be, was UI designer.
And the way you sharpen your sword would be called interface.
The difference between UX and UI is that the UX designer plans how you will interact with the interface and what steps you need to take to get things done. And the UI designer comes up with how each of these steps will look like. As you can see from the examples above, UX and UI are so closely related that sometimes the line between concepts is blurred. Therefore, both UX and UI are usually handled by one designer and his profession is written with /.
Recently, the popularization of the profession of UX / UI designer is more associated with the development of digital technologies. But that “boom” (when we started seeing the term “UX / UI” in every second job ad) is associated with the name itself, which someone came up with just recently.
UI/UX design is one of the most in-demand jobs in the digital industry right now. How long it will be in demand depends on the development of this industry. And, apparently, it is only gaining momentum.
UX and UI are not trends. Technologies are developing. The demand for websites is growing. Digital Applications appear like mushrooms. And the design and development tools are simplified so much that almost anyone without programming knowledge can make a business card site “on the knee”. That's just what this site should look like. And not just as an abstract frame of text and buttons. This is where programmers need the help of a UX/UI designer.
The division into web designers and UX / UI designers appeared with the development of the Internet. Over time, narrower specialists were needed who would make interfaces specifically for websites.
Yes, UI / UX design is a broader and more capacious concept than web design.
P.S. Some people write UI/UX, but I prefer to write UX/UI. And this is only because in the workflow, UX is done first, and then UI. But it doesn't matter - write whatever you want. The main thing is not to confuse this order during the workflow itself. Because many novice designers first start to come up with what cool buttons and features will be in their interface. But they do not think about how the user will generally move from one step to another.
In an industry dedicated to the people who use our products, services and applications, research is paramount. We ask questions. We take note. We learn everything we can about the target audience and then iteratively check our work throughout the design process.
UX research, or design research as it is sometimes called, serves many purposes in the design process. It helps us identify and confirm or disprove our assumptions, find commonalities in members of our target audience, recognize their needs, goals, and mental models. Overall, research animates our work, improves our understanding, and validates our decisions.
In this guide, we'll cover many elements of design research, from interviews and observations, to usability testing and A/B testing. Readers will gain a basic knowledge of how to use these design research techniques in their work, as well as improve the experience for all users.
- What is UX research
- General methodologies
- craft tools
- Associations and conferences
- Books on UX Research
WhatUXstudy
UX research encompasses many research methods used to add context and understanding to the design process. Unlike other areas of UX, research has not evolved from any other areas. It was simply brought in from other forms of research. In other words, people who use UX have borrowed many techniques from academics, scientists, marketers, and others. However, there are still types of research that are fairly unique to the UX world.
The main purpose of design research is to animate the design process from the perspective of the end user. It is research that keeps us from creating anything for ourselves. Almost everyone agrees that the goal of UX is end-user-centric design, its exploration that tells us who that person is, in what context they will use this product or service, and what they need from us.
The study consists of two parts: collecting data, and summarizing it, which will improve usability and ease of use. At the start of a project, design research is focused on learning what and who needs from the project, as well as learning about the needs and goals of the end users. Researchers will conduct surveys, collect research, look at potential or current users, and review literature, data, or analytics. Then, iteratively, during the design process, the focus of research will shift towards practicality and sensibility. Researchers can conduct usability or A/B tests, interview users about the process, and most importantly, test assumptions that will improve the design.
We can also divide UX research methods into two camps: quantitative and qualitative.
- quantitative research is any study that can be measured numerically. It answers questions like “how many people clicked here?” or “what percentage of users are able to find a call to action?” It is important for understanding statistical probabilities and what is happening on the site or application.
- Qualitative Research sometimes referred to as "soft" research. It helps us understand why people do what they do and often takes the form of an interview or conversation. Commonly asked questions are, "why don't people see the call to action" and "what else do people notice on the page?"
Although researchers may specialize in specific types interviews or tests, most of them are well versed in many techniques. All researchers collect valuable information that allows us to design in an animated, contextual, user-centric manner.
General methodologies
The different types of UX research range from face-to-face interviews to unmoderated A/B tests, although they are all similar in that they stem from the same key techniques: observation, understanding, and analysis.
Observation
To take the first step in conducting research, we must learn to see the world around us. Like aspiring photographers, aspiring explorers must first learn to see. They should notice nervous tics, which may indicate that their interlocutors are stressed or insecure, and pick up seemingly insignificant references that may reflect ingrained beliefs or thoughts that need to be tested further.
You may think that observation is a simple skill, but it can be clouded by the unconscious biases that everyone has. Design researchers train themselves to observe and take notes so that they can later find patterns in seemingly different groups of people.
Understanding
Like observation, understanding is something we do all the time in our Everyday life. We strive to understand our colleagues, family members and our friends, often trying to understand the essence of an argument or an unfamiliar concept. But for UX researchers, understanding has more to do with mental models than disagreements.
A mental model is an image that appears in your head when you think about a particular phrase or situation. For example, the mental model of a “car,” a person who owns an SUV, is likely to be different from the mental model of a smart car owner. The mental model shapes the decisions we make; in the case of car owners, if asked "how long does it take to get to Winnipeg", the answers will vary depending on the amount of fuel the car consumes, among other things.
Analysis
The research itself can be valuable, but in order to use the ideas to bring the design to life, it must be analyzed and ultimately presented to the big team. Analysis is the process by which the researcher identifies patterns in research, suggests possible rationales or solutions, and makes recommendations.
Some analysis methods include creating personalities or scenarios that describe mental models, or provide graphs and charts that represent statistics and user behavior. Although the methods described here are primarily focused on conducting research, it is important to remember that research is only valuable if it is shared. It makes no sense to lock it in a closet, or forget about it during the design process.
Daily tasks and results
UX projects are different, and the tasks that a researcher takes on will be different from those that are appropriate in a different setting. Some of the most popular forms of research are interviews, surveys and questionnaires, card sorting, usability tests, tree tests, and A/B tests.
Interview
Face-to-face interviews are a proven and reliable way of communication between the researcher and the user or one of the interested parties. There are three main types of interviews, each used in a different context and for different purposes.
Directed Interviews the most common type. This is a typical question-and-answer interview in which the researcher asks specific questions. It can be useful when conducting interviews with a large number of users, or when comparing and contrasting responses from different users.
Unfocused interview The best way learn about sensitive subjects where users or stakeholders may be put off by direct questions. In conducting an undirected interview, the interviewer sets some rough boundaries and starts a conversation with the interviewee. The interviewer will mainly listen during this "talk", and only speak to ask the user or stakeholder to provide Additional information or explain his point of view.
Ethnographic interviews is to observe what people do, how they spend their everyday life in the "natural habitat". In this kind of interview, the user shows the researcher how he performs certain tasks, immersing the interviewer in the culture of his home or work. This can help the researcher understand the difference between what people actually do and what they say they do. It can also shed light on what users do when they feel most comfortable.
Polls and questionnaires
Questionnaires and surveys are an easy way to collect a large amount of information about a group, spending a minimum amount of time. This is a great choice for researching projects that have a large and diverse group of users, or a group that cares about anonymity. A researcher can create a survey using tools like Wufoo or Google Docs, send it via email, and get hundreds of responses in minutes.
Although there are negative aspects of polls and questionnaires. The researcher cannot directly interact with the respondent, and therefore cannot help interpret questions if the wording is not entirely perfect and they generally have limited scope for follow-up. It is much more common to respond to studies if they do not require registration information or contact details, and this anonymity makes it impossible to ask for clarification or additional information.
Card sorting
Card sorting is sometimes done as part of either an interview or usability testing. In it, the user is presented with a set of terms and asked to classify them. In a closed sort, the user is also given the category names; in open sorting, the user creates his own categories.
The purpose of card sorting is to explore the relationships between content and understand the hierarchies perceived by the user. Many content strategists and information architects rely on this test to test hierarchical theories, or to get started with a sitemap.
Usability - Testing
Usability testing consists of asking a potential or current user of a product or service to perform a set of tasks and observing their behavior to determine the usability of the product or service. This can be done with a live site or app, a prototype, or even interactive mockups or paper and pencil.
Moderated Usability Testing are the most traditional type of such test. They can be held in person, or through ScreenShare and video. All usability labs are hung with one-way mirrors so that interested parties can observe the tests being carried out. In a moderated test, an unbiased facilitator engages in a conversation with the user, reading tasks aloud and asking the user to recount aloud their thinking as they complete the task. The role of the interviewer is to act as an intermediary between stakeholders and the user, formulating questions to evaluate the effectiveness of the design and test assumptions, helping the user feel comfortable.
Unmoderated usability testing, also known as asynchronous exploration, is done online for the convenience of the user. Tasks and instructions are delivered via video or recorded audio, and the user must press a button to start the test and record their own video and audio. Just like in a moderated test, users are asked to express their thoughts aloud, but in this case there is no intermediary who can ask additional questions. Unmoderated testing is available through numerous Internet sites, and can be significantly cheaper than moderated testing.
Guerrilla testing is a modern, lightweight take on traditional tests. Instead of renting a laboratory, guerrilla research tends to be done in the community; users are found in a coffee shop or subway station and asked to complete simple tasks, with a website or service, in exchange for a few dollars, a coffee, or just out of the goodness of their hearts. And while guerrilla testing is a great option, especially on a budget, it's best used only for products or services with a large user base.
Tree Tests
Just as card sorting is a great way to gather information before a website's architecture has been created, tree tests are useful in validating that architecture. In a tree test, users are given a task and shown the top level of the sitemap. Then, just like in a usability test, they are asked to describe what they would do in order to complete the task. However, unlike usability testing, the user does not see a screen when they select a section of the site. Instead, they will see the next level of architecture. The goal is to determine if the information is correctly categorized and if the nomenclature correctly reflects the sections of the site.
A/V Testing
A/B testing is another way to find out what actions the user is taking. The A/B test is usually chosen as the appropriate form of research when designers are trying to decide between two competing elements. Whether it's two styles of content, a button vs a link, or two approaches to the home screen, an A/B test involves randomly showing each option to an equal number of users, and then analyzing which option works best to achieve your goal. A/B testing is particularly suitable when comparing a revised screen with more new version, or when collecting data, to prove an assumption.
People to follow
Jennifer Romano Bergstorm
As a Facebook UX researcher, Jennifer spends her time improving Facebook's privacy and UX options in emerging markets. She specializes in eye tracking, usability testing, design research and UX for seniors. Jennifer is President of UXPA International, and is co-author and editor of Eye Tracking In UX Design. You can find it at http://www.romanocog.com/
Greg Bernstein
Greg works as a user and product researcher. He built a research practice at MailChimp, and is currently a Senior Fellow at Vox Media. Greg talks about his work at conferences and for companies such as Etsy, EA Games, and Fullstory. He previously taught design, branding, and typography at Georgia State University and the Savannah College of Art and Design, and currently lectures there periodically.
Nate Bolt
Nate Bolt has held numerous positions, often with a focus on remote research. He ran the research and development firm Bolt | Peters, which focused on remote work and was acquired by Facebook. Nate went on to become Design Research Manager at Facebook and Instagram and now works for Ethnio, a project started at Bolt | Peters, who became the first moderated remote software for user research. Nate maintains an online blog, Boltron, and in 2010 was the author of Remote Exploration: Real Users real time, real research.
Dana Chisnall
As the owner of Usability Works, Dana Chisnall has helped hundreds of people make better design decisions by giving them the skills to learn about users. Dana also manages Civic Design, where she researches and publishes ways to improve the usability and design of voting ballots. She also co-authored The Handbook of Usability Testing, Second Edition with Jeff Rubin, and blogs on her website usabilityworks.net
Erica Hall
In 2001, Erica co-founded Mule Design Studio with Mike Monteiro, where she leads research, interaction design, and strategy application. She speaks at conferences and writes on Medium about interdisciplinary collaboration and the importance of natural language in user interfaces. Erica is the author of Just Enough Research, and creator of Unsuck-It, a site dedicated to eradicating and replacing useless jargon.
Steve Krag
When it comes to usability testing, the only name that comes to mind is Steve Krug. Steve has worked as a usability consultant for over 20 years, starting before most people considered user experience or usability to be anything useful. What makes Steve's work stand out is how he conquered the practice of UX and low-tech usability testing in his books Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability and Rocket Surgery Made Easy: The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Finding and Fixing Usability Problems.
Steve Portigal
Steve Portigal is a speaker, author, and consultant in UX design and development. His book Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights is one of the most understandable books for anyone learning to truly listen to users. He also produces a monthly podcast called "Dollars to Donuts" where he interacts with user researchers at various organizations, as well as a regular blog.
Kylie Saucey
Kylie has spent the last 15 years researching and developing user-friendly interfaces for various projects. She is the founder of Usable Interface, writes for trade magazines, and has spoken at Big Design, CHI, IA Summit, SxSW, UXPA, WritersUA, and Web 2.0 Expo, among other conferences. Kylie is the founder and past president of the New Hampshire Chapter of the User Experience Professionals' Association (NH UXPA) and has served as Chair of PhillyCHI, the Philadelphia Chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery's Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction (ACM SIGCHI) since she also served as an ambassador for the User Experience Network (UXnet) in New Hampshire.
Jared Spool
Jared Spool is the founder of User Interface Engineering, which he started in 1988. He has over 20 years of experience conducting usability evaluations of various products and is an expert in low fidelity prototyping techniques. Jared is the author of Web Usability: A Designer's Guide and co-author of Web Anatomy: Interaction Design Frameworks that Work with Robert Hawkman Jr. He is a recognized authority on design user interface and human factors, and sets the tone for the annual UIE's UI Conference and UX Immersion Conference.
Indie Young
In 2001, Indy Young co-founded Adaptive Path, a UX agency that plays a leading role in UX and strategic design. She currently teaches Rosenfeld Media, with a focus on problem space exploration. Indies are constantly finding new ways to understand customers and employees in order to better support them. She is the author of Practical Empathy and blogs at www.indiyoung.com
craft tools
User research can potentially become a significant undertaking, sometimes to the point where budgeting and planning start to scare people away. Fortunately, today we often see a more casual, familiar approach. Basically, the tools at our disposal are responsible for such a positive shift.
Ethnio
Ethnio was the first moderated remote research software, and it still holds its own. Ethnio finds users who are currently using the site or app and (with their permission) allows interviewers to ask them questions about their user experience. It automates many elements of a typical face-to-face test, including real-time notifications, and pays participants using an Amazon gift card. Ethnio has a fourteen-day free trial, as well as four pricing options.
Optimal Workshop
Optimal Workshop has it all! Full version is a set of four research instruments, each of which is also sold separately (and at a very affordable price). Treejack is great for remote testing of information architecture, or for checking the nomenclature or the hierarchies themselves. Optimal Sort provides an online card sort test to see how users prefer to organize content. Chalkmark offers click-pattern maps for websites, and Reframer is a tool for taking notes and easily identifying topics. All of these are highly recommended.
Survey Monkey
Surveys and questionnaires are great ways to collect information, but they are most useful when you can see hundreds of responses at once. Meet SurveyMonkey, a tool for creating online polls and reporting that allows people to customize label their own research and then send it via social media, embed it in websites, or integrate with mass mailings. SurveyMonkey also makes it easy to analyze and report when results come in. It is available as a free basic version, or with monthly payment with additional features.
User Testing
When it's not possible to schedule a real-time test with users, UserTesting is a great way to see how people are using the site. Researchers can create a series of tasks and then receive videos from participants who were either preselected or randomly selected. Researchers can watch a participant's video on the site, and speak aloud to explain what they are doing. UserTesting is offered in Basic and Pro editions with different prices.
UserZoom
UserZoom has everything you need. Usability testing, moderated and unmoderated, remote testing for mobile devices and desktop, benchmarking, card sorting, tree testing, reviews and ratings. The only bad thing is that, like any product that occupies all the niches in the market, it is very difficult to master and expensive. However, for organizations with a good budget, UserZoom is a solid, effective choice.
Associations and conferences
In a sense, all usability conferences are also design research conferences. While other areas of UX tend to hold conferences on their own specific topics, researchers are by nature generalists looking for ways to learn more about people and usability. Therefore, we recommend visiting everywhere as much as possible to stay up to date.
UI conference
World Usability Conference
At the World Usability Conference, communication spans all areas of usability, user experience, and customer experience management. People come from all over the world, from all sectors of employment, to understand where we have more similarities than differences. Also, at the conference, one project will be awarded the World Award Experience!
Design + Research + Society
The DRS conference, held in Brighton, England, answers questions about how design research can highlight and address the social problems we face; how design research can be a creative and proactive force for rethinking ideas about design; and how design research can change our lives in a more responsible, constructive and open way. Focusing on how design research impacts people in today's society, it illuminates the human side of our designs.
UXPA
The UX Professionals Association is open to anyone working in UX. They provide networking and professional development opportunities for UX practitioners around the world, through local chapters. If you live in a city, there's a good chance it has a UXPA chapter! Local chapters often host conferences, sponsor events, and build a network for local UX professionals.
Books byUX research
There are many books that talk about interviews, usability testing, A/B testing, and other areas of design research. Here is a small number of books that cover the big picture.
Observing user experience
Our users are not always who we think they are. In this book, the authors explain not only the differences, but why it matters and how to find real users. And as soon as we understand who our users really are, we will be able to design just for them.
Design Research Practice: From the Lab, the Field, and the Showroom
Lipo Koskinen, John Zimmerman, Thomas Binder, Johan Radstrom, and Stefan Wenswin
Constructive design research is a modern style of research that derives from industrial design and interaction design. The book collects information from a variety of scientific experts: experts in the traditional science lab, social sciences, art, industrial design, UX, and HCI, and provides methods for design researchers.
The best thing about Rocket Surgery Made Easy is not that you can read it in a short trip. It's not comics, or easy to understand advice (though it's great). These are resources! The book has a six-page example usability test script that walks the tester through a hypothetical user test and a usability test checklist that explains what to do in the weeks, days, and hours leading up to the guerrilla usability tests.
Katie Baxter, Catherine Carage, Kelly Kane
We first recommended this book back in 2010, but now there's a new, revised second edition and we're happy to recommend it again! "Understanding Your Users" shows real examples as well as correct methods of collecting information from users. It is great for those new to UX and for professionals who are looking for a fresh look.
Tomer Sharon
We all want to quickly and efficiently find out what the user is thinking, but it seems an impossible task. Tomer Sharon proves otherwise in his book, which is essentially a combination of theory, explanation and practical advice for product managers and developers who want to test their products with real users.
In the list below, you can see the most common methods and techniques used by UX designers to create a wide variety of projects. Each item has an appendix, where additional links will be provided for a more detailed study.
So let's get started!
value proposition
It displays the key aspects of the product: what it is, who it is made for, and how it will be used. The value proposition allows developers to create an idea for users about the product.
A well-thought-out value proposition helps UX designers focus on the most important points. Material provided by: UXMag
Product strategy
The product strategy is the foundation of your product life cycle and the basis on which the plan for all future work rests. It allows UX designers to decide which audience to target, as well as focus on the characteristics of the consumer and the product itself.
How customer focus strategy is applied in UX design. Material provided by: UIE
Jared Spool talks about creating a win-win UX strategy using the Kano model
Competitive audit
Competitive audit is a comprehensive analysis of competitors' products, with the help of which you can compare all the characteristic features and advantages that they have. It allows you to identify what generates income for companies in your field. Thanks to this, you will also be able to understand what will work specifically for you and can give you certain advantages over your competitors.
Results of the audit carried out for the website
Cultural trials
Cultural sampling is a definite way to find inspiration in the design process. With it, you can learn about people's lives, their values and views. With little intrusion into personal space, researchers can discover what users need, set specific goals for themselves, and discover new opportunities to inspire designers to come up with new ideas and solutions.
Cultural trials use a range of tools, artifacts, and tasks that encourage users to look at the world around them in a new way and think
Interviews with intermediaries
Facilitator interviews are conversations that UX designers have with key stakeholders: clients, bosses, employees, or friends, both inside and outside the organization. Interviews allow UX designers to put themselves in the shoes of the interviewers and see themselves through their eyes. In addition, they make it possible to highlight certain characteristics and determine key performance indicators (KPIs).
User Interviews
User interviews are a popular research method commonly used to find useful information for a designer among users. This technique allows UX designers to better understand their target audience (user emotions and perspectives). The interview is especially useful if the target audience is new or little known to the developers.
Researchers usually meet with participants face-to-face in order to learn more about the opinions and views of users regarding a particular issue.
Introductory meeting
During the introductory meeting, a well-thought-out product plan is discussed, including the goal of the product; people involved in product design and development; their interaction with each other while working on the product; deadlines to be met; and expected results or indicators of success. The kick-off meeting sets the stage for the successful implementation of your project.
The introductory meeting is the first meeting with the project team and the client. Material provided by: 1stwebdesigner
Heuristic evaluation
Heuristic evaluation is a detailed analysis of the product, during which the positive and negative aspects of the product are revealed. It helps UX designers see the current state of the product in terms of usability, accessibility, and performance.
Radar plan showing a website that scores positively in all heuristic categories
Contributed by: Smashing Magazine
Brainstorm
This method is widely used by development teams to generate ideas and solve various problems. It allows you to visualize all possible design solutions before settling on just one.
Brainstorming is the process of generating creative ideas and solutions through intense discussions where everyone can express their own point of view.
Job Analysis
To complete the task, you must study each step. Job analysis can be very helpful when designers and developers are trying to understand the system they are working with and the subsequent flows of information. This allows you to correctly distribute tasks in the new system.
Job analysis is a simple and effective process of distributing jobs as the user sees it. Content provided by: Comcast
Product card
A product map is a product roadmap that includes priority features. It can be presented in the form of a table, diagram, or even with ordinary stickers. UX designers share their product strategy with the development team and tell them which direction to go in order to achieve the desired result.
Diagram as an example of a product map
Focus group
A focus group is a small discussion that usually involves 5-10 participants. Your task: to gather people to discuss pressing issues and problems regarding the user interface. The discussion usually lasts about two hours. Also, the group must have a moderator who maintains its focus.
Groups of 5-10 people lead a discussion on a range of issues, expressing their opinion both orally and in writing during the general discussion and various exercises. Material provided by: telecomitalia
Card sorting
This method is used in the process of designing or improving the information architecture of a product. UX designers ask users to group content and functionality into open or closed categories. As a result, designers gain insight into content hierarchy, organization, and flow.
Card sorting is a well-established research technique used to find out how people understand and categorize information.
Usability Testing
It involves observing users who try the product in action. Testing can focus on a particular process, or it can have a wider range of tasks.
Concept check
UX researchers share product rough data with users, which includes the key gist (Value Proposition) of the new idea. This helps to determine if the product meets the desires of the target audience. A concept check can be done one-on-one with a user or a group of people, in person or online.
A/B test
A/B testing offers alternative versions of a product to different users and compares the results to see which version is better. This technique is very convenient for optimization. landing pages and transitions.
"Guerrilla" testing
Guerrilla testing is one of the simplest (and cheapest) forms of user testing. It usually involves going to a coffee shop or some other public place where people can be asked about your product or prototype. It can be held anywhere: in a cafe, in a library, at a train station, etc. The main thing is that you find the right audience for you.
"Field studies
“Field” research involves going outside and observing users “in the wild”. In other words, researchers evaluate the behavior of people in the environment where the product will be used. This technique includes ethnographic research, interviews and observations, and inquiries.
eye tracking
This is a technology that analyzes where the user's eyes are when they look at UI markup (for example, on a web page). Gaze tracking can provide information about what the user is interested in when they look at the screen, as well as give developers insight into how design can increase the audience.
Tracking zones of the most activity
SWOT Analysis
This technique involves assessing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and potential threats that may affect the user experience with your product.
Publicity check
During this study, an assessment is made of whether it is convenient for all users to work with the site, including users with disabilities. The site must comply with W3C - then all users will be satisfied.
Contributed By: Sarah Horton
The main goal of both general availability and usability is to understand how easy it is for people to use the product. Thus, based on user feedback, it will be easier for developers to figure out what adjustments and additions will need to be applied to the design in the future.
