user research

1.  A usabilitystudyisaresearchmethodthatassesseshow easyitisfor userstocomplete core
tasksin a design.The goal of usabilitystudyistoidentifypainpointsthatthe user
experienceswithyourdesignssothe issuescanbe fixedbefore the finalproductlaunches.
 In a UX context,a researchstudyisa step-by-stepexaminationof agroupof usersand their
needs,whichaddsrealisticcontexttothe designprocess.
 To get started,step1 is planningthe study,step2conduct the research,step 3 analyze and
synthesize the results,andstep4,share and promote the insights.
 Next,setgoalsforyour research,andwrite downthe questionsyouwanttoanswer.
 A usabilitystudyisaresearchmethodthatassesseshow easyitisfor userstocomplete core
tasksin a design.
 A usabilitystudyisaresearchmethodthatassesseshow easyitisfor userstocomplete core
tasksin a design.
 Projectstakeholdersneedthe resultsof yourresearchandneedtoagree withthe direction
of the project.
 Your presentationshouldinclude the methodyouuse toconductyourresearch,the data
youcollected,the conclusionsyoureachedbasedonthatdata,and your recommendations
for actingon those conclusions.
 The projectbackgroundanswersthe question:Whatledyou toconduct thisresearch?You
don't have to provide a long-drawn-outhistory,justafew linesisgood.
 Askyourself questionslike, whatdesignproblemsare youtryingtosolve?Andhow will the
resultsof the researchimpactour designdecisions?Use youranswerstocreate goalsfor
your researchproject.
 Askyourself questionslike, whatdesignproblemsare youtryingtosolve?Andhow will the
resultsof the researchimpactour designdecisions?Use youranswerstocreate goalsfor
your researchproject.
RESEARCH PLANNING
 firststep:planningthe study.Like anygoodexplorer,youneedtohave a planforwhere
you're headed.There are sevenelementsthatyourplanshouldinclude:the project
background,the researchgoals,the detailedresearchquestions,the keyperformance
indicatorsorKPIs,the methodology,the participants,andthe scriptorquestionsyou'll ask
participants.
 The projectbackgroundanswersthe question:Whatledyoutoconduct thisresearch?You
don't have to provide alongdrawnout history,justa few linesisgood.
 researchgoals.Askyourself questionslike,Whatdesignproblemsare youtryingtosolve?
Andhowwill the resultsof the researchimpactour designdecisions?
 What are the questionsyourresearchistryingtoanswer? Forexample,ourresearch
questionsmightbe,howlongdoesittake auser to findandbooka dog walkerinthe app?
 KPI - For our app,one thingwe shouldtrack ishow manyusersinthe researchstudy
complete theirsearchfora dogwalker.Sothe KPI wouldbe the percentage of userswho
booka dogwalker.
 methodology.Thisiswhere youdocumentthe stepsyou'll take toconductyourresearch.
How will youcollectdataandhow will youanalyze the dataonce you getit? To findoutif
usersare able tofind and schedule adogwalkerinour new app,we mightwantto conduct a
surveyof prospective users.Toanalyze the surveyresults,we will use aspreadsheetand
identifytrends.

2. Research Plan Template
Introduction
● Title:A fewwordsaboutthe focus of the study
● Author: Your full name,jobtitle orrole,andemail addressonone line
● Stakeholders:Listthe namesof projectstakeholdersandtheirroles
● Date: Update the date listedeverytime youeditthisplan
● Project background: What ledyouto conductthis research?
● Research goals:What designproblemsare youtryingtosolve forthe user and/orthe
business?Howwill the resultsof the researchaffectyourdesigndecisions?
Research
questions
● What are the questionsyourresearchistryingtoanswer?
● Pro tip:5 researchquestionsisasolidplace tostart.Do notinclude more than7-10 research
questions.
Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs)
● How can youmeasure progresstowardthe researchgoals?
● KPIsmightinclude:Time ontask,use of navigationvs.search,usererrorrates,drop-off
rates,conversionrates,systemusabilityscale (SUS),etc.
Methodology
● How will youcollectdata?How will youanalyze the dataonce youget it?
● The methodologyshouldbe detailedsothatotherresearcherscanunderstandwhatyou
did,the choicesyoumade,and the limitationsof the methodsemployedtodecide if or
whenfurtherresearchisneeded.
Participants
● Who will youinclude inthisstudy?Whatcharacteristicsdothe participantshave?Whydid
youchoose them?
● Note:If you’re intentionallyincludingspecificpopulations(e.g.,userswithdiverseabilities
and perspectives),be clearaboutthe needsof the study.
Script
● What questionswill youaskstudyparticipants?
● Whenyour full scriptisready,insertithere,alongwithsome designmockupstoprovide
context.Inthe meantime,add“TBD” (tobe determined).
 If you run research before you start the design process, your
research goal should help you understand why or if you should build the
product. research at this time is called foundationalresearch.
 If you run research during the design phase, your goalshould help
you understand how to build the product. Research at this time is called
design research, and it will give you the answers you need to move
forward through the design process with confidence.
 if you run research on a productafter it has been launched, your
research goals help you understand if the productworked as expected.
This type of research is called post-launch research, and the goals reflect
whether you have successfully completed whatyou set out to do.
 quantitative and qualitative research –

3. Fromyour problem statement were you able to formulate
corresponding primary research questions thatare:
 Actionable and can clearly be answered by your research?
 Specific to make sureyour study produces meaningfuldata?
 Neutrally phrased and not leading, so users aren’tguided towards
providing certain answers?
 Clear on whether quantitative or qualitative data is being
collected?
KPI
Six KPIs thatcan be useful in UX research studies: time on task, use of
navigation versus search, user error rates, drop-off rates, conversion rates, and
systemusability scale, or SUS.
Time on task measures how long it takes for a user to complete a task. A task
can involve any function within the productyou’redesigning, such as filling out
a formor making a purchase. To measure time on task, all you need is a timer!
Start timing the user when they begin the task you’veassigned, and stop timing
as soon as they completed the task. For example, you might time how long it
takes for a user to start from the home screen of your app and complete the
checkoutflow to purchasea shirt. It’s generally safeto assumethattheless time
it takes for users to perform a task, the more effective your design is. Use of
navigation vs. search indicates the number of people who use a website or an
app’s navigation, compared to the number of people who use the search
functionality. In other words, someusers willprefer to usethe navigation bar to
get around your product, while others will go straight to the search bar, type in
a query, and bedirected to part of the product.To measureuseof navigation vs.
search, count the mouse clicks or taps on navigation-related parts of your
design, and compare that to the number of times a query is entered into the
searchbar.This KPI,unlikemostof the others,measuresthepreferenceof users,
instead of whether something is “good” or “bad,” so you don’t need to worry if
the numbers are high or low. Instead, the goal is to help you understand how
users interact with the navigation and search functions of your product. User
error rates indicate the parts of a design that cause users to make errors. For
example, a user might click on the wrong icon when trying to make a purchase,
forget to check a box, or submit incorrect information when filling out a form.
keep track of the parts of your design where users make mistakes when
completing the tasks you’ve assigned. Drop-off rates show how many users
abandon the experience. Conversion rates measure the percentage of users
who complete a desired action. SystemUsability Scale (SUS) is a questionnaire

4. that asks participants their opinions about your product; the results are used to
measure the usability of your designs. In an SUS, users are asked the extent to
which they agreeor disagreewith 10 statements about the usability of a design.
For example, users might be asked to respond to the statement: “I thought the
app was easyto use” on a scalefrom “stronglydisagree”to “stronglyagree.” It’s
a quick and reliable way to know if a design is working. Net Promoter Score
(NPS)is a measureof how loyal userswill beto your productor service. The NPS
measures the likelihood that a user would recommend your productto a friend
or colleague. Participants rate the question, “Would you recommend this
product to a friend or colleague?” on a scale of 0 to 10. Promoters are
participants who give a rating of 9 or 10, which means they would recommend
your product to others. Passives are participants who give a rating of 7 or 8,
which means they are satisfied with your product, butthey probably won’tpass
it along to friends or colleagues. Detractors are participants who rate from 0 to
6, which means they could warn people away from your productor service. To
calculate the NPS, subtractthepercentage of detractors from the percentageof
promoters. When your NPS is positive, it’s a sign that users are satisfied with
your designs.
Methodology
The methodology is the steps you take to conduct your research. Your
methodology will list the procedures you'll usewhile collecting the information
you need to answer your research questions. This should include the time and
place of the producttests and interviews, as well as who will conduct them and
how. the methodology informs your stakeholders of what will happen during
the study, how long the study is, and where it will take place. Second, detailing
your methodology will give stakeholders more confidence in your study's
results,becausethey can see all of the steps. This makesit morelikely they'll act
on your suggestions. Finally, the methodology provides the details that other
researchersneed to repeat the exact samestudyin the future. Example:For our
dog walking app, we will conduct a usability study on March 12 and March 13.
During normal business hours on March 12, and another after hours on March
13. We will interview five participants individually.
Participants
The types of participants you select should be based on your research goals. For
example, for a usability study for a dog walking app, you might want to recruit
participants who are dog owners, with full-time jobs and who go out for
activities more than once a week. While you wantparticipants to havethings in

5. common with your end users, you still need to make sure that participants are
representativeof allusersto makesureyourresultsaren'tskewed. Forexample,
you could compensate them with cash, or a gift card or enter them into a raffle
for a prize. you shouldalso engage participantswith diverseabilities duringyour
usability studies. Understanding how people with disabilities use your product
is a crucial part of the UX research and design process. here are also websites
created specifically to connect companies with research participants, like
UserTesting and User Interviews. a less formalway to recruitfor your study is to
askpeople in person.You can usea recruiting method knownashallway testing,
which means asking people that pass by in the “hallway” to try the product
you’vedesigned. A screener survey is a detailed list of questions that help you
determine whether potential participants meet the requirements of the
research study.
Script
Two of the main reasons we use scripts is so we don't forget any instructions
and so we keep language consistent for each participant. u forgot to ask the
most importantone? Me too. It's frustrating in our personallives. use the same
set of questions for each interview. Usually, usability studies focus on one
personat a time, and you wantyour conversationswitheach person to beabout
the same productfeatures. For your user interviews to be consistent, you need
to use the same base set of questions every time. ask open-ended questions.
Avoid yes or no questions, becausethey can shutdown detailed answers. Third,
encourage elaboration. With that in mind, consider asking the same general
question from multiple angles over the course of the interview. Next, don't
ention other users and their answers. All usability studies should be recorded,
so that your team can rewatch them later. You need to let the participant know
that you will record the study and you need to ask theparticipant for consentto
record. give participants the opportunity to ask questions. One way to make
them sound less intimidating to participants is to call them activities during the
usability study. Let's try to write a task together for the study we're conducting
on the dog walking app. Our research goal was to determine if the app we
designed is easy or difficult to use. Based on this goal, one task we could ask
participants to do is book a dog walker on Friday at 2:00 p.m. Lastly, after the
participant completes the usability tasks, you're ready to wrap things up. Ask
any clarifying questions.
Basic questions:

6. What kind of city or town do you live in?
Do you have parks near your house?
How many dogs do you own?
What kind of dogs are they?
How many times a week do you walk your dogs?
Do you have enough time in the week to walk your dogs?
Can you talk me through a normal day in your life?
Great! If you’reready, let’s move onto the tasks you’llbe working on.
Prompt1: Pick a date and time to schedule a dog walker.
Prompt1 follow-up: How easy or difficult was this task to complete? Is there
anything you would change about the process of scheduling a dog walker?
Prompt2: Select a dog walker.
Prompt3: Confirmbooking of dog walker and complete the checkout process.
Prompt3 follow-up: How easy or difficult was this task to complete? Is there
anything you would change?
Prompt4: Fromthe homepage, figure out where you would go to edit your
address.
Prompt5: How did you feel about this dog walking app overall? What did you
like and dislike about it?
Data Privacy
Only collect user data that's absolutely essential for your study. And finally,
clearly explain how you plan to storeand delete users'data once it's been
used. You might let them know you'll keep their videos on a secure cloud
storagesite until you'vecompleted this study and then it will be deleted.
Tools - De-identification is removing any identifying information from a user's
data that you collect during a study. For example, when sharing insights with
the team, rather than attributing a quote to a participant by name, you might
say participant 1 and change all pronouns to they. Another option is to allow
participants to choosetheir own fictitious name. The second tool helps protect
your own data and your company's data. This is called a non-disclosure
agreement or an NDA. Non-disclosureagreement is a contractthat gives one
party legal protection against another party stealing their ideas.
CONDUCTING RESEARCH
A usability study is a research method that assesses how easy it is for
participants to complete core tasks in a design. Usability studies can take place
at various points in the design process. You can conducta usability study when
you have an early idea, like a lo-fi prototypethat is only somewhatinteractive.

7. Often this is called concept testing. You can also conducta usability study
when you have an interactive prototype. This is the most common time to
conduct the study because it gives the design team insight on what needs to be
revised or added beforethe productlaunches. You can even conduct the
usability study with a productthat is complete.
In moderated usability studies, a person guides participants through the study
in real time. The person who guides participants through this study is known as
the moderator. The moderator's goal is to help participants interact with the
productand collect their feedback along the way. On the other hand,
unmoderated usability studies do not havea designated moderator. In
unmoderated usability studies, participants test out the prototypes without
human guidance. Usually, the study is recorded on video and the UX team
reviews the video footage after the study.

8. Bias
implicit bias is the collection of attitudes and stereotypes we associateto
people withoutour conscious knowledge. Theseattitudes and stereotypes are
often negative, exclusionary, or disempowering. Serial positioneffect is a
psychologicalbias that states that when given a list of items, people are more
likely to remember the firstfew and the last few while the items in the middle
tend to blur. Friendliness bias describes thetendency of people to agree with
those they like in order to maintain a nonconfrontational conversation. social
desirability bias, which describes thetendency for people to answer questions
in a way that will be viewed favorably by others.
SYNTHESIZEAND ANALYSE
Affinity diagramis a method of synthesizing thatorganizes data into groups
with common themes or relationships. affinity diagrams, help you organizethe
data fromthe note taking spreadsheets into broad groupings or patterns

9. The secondpatternbe observedforfouroutof five participantswasbeingsurprisedthere isno
confirmationpage before completingcheckout.
So our maintheme mightbe.Mostparticipantswantto confirmthe detailsforthe dogwalking
sessionbefore booking.
As UXers, oneof the key things I tell people who are entering the field is, "Fall in
love with the problem, and don't fall in love with the solution itself." When you
fall in love with the problem, then you can start identifying new and different
and novel ways on solving that problem, which you might not necessarily think
of if you home in on the solution which that particular participant gave you.
Now, that solution might work for that participant, but we're not designing for

10. one person, we'redesigning for millions and billions of people. We got to find a
solution which works for a wide variety of people and not necessarily for a
subsetof people. In the process of solution design, which comes after a study is
complete, it is very important to really understand not only what the problem
was, but also why the problem occurred in the first place. Once you fall in love
with the understanding of the problem, then you are much more equipped to
come up with solutions and find solutions which might not have been thought
of in the first place. Now, you have defined a solution for the problem that
existed in the small space, but how does that solution work, and how does that
solution scale to the rest of your experience, is also an important part. Keeping
the entire holistic experience end-to-end in mind is very essential to coming up
with any solution for problems which are being identified for the product.
SHARE
Presentation (template)
There are a few insights that should be considered for priority 0 or P0, which
means they must be fixed for your product to work. For example, were there
any parts of the design that prevented the user from completing the main user
flow? Imagineif users weren'tableto book a dog walker in our dog walking app.
That's definitely something we'd wantto fixand would be considereda P0issue.
Or, were there parts of your design where users felt tricked, this might indicate
a deceptive pattern. Think about the participants in our dog walking app
usability study who were frustrated or surprised that there wasn't a
confirmation pagebeforethey werecharged, notincluding a confirmationpage.
Might seem like a sneaky way to take money from users, which is notour intent
and is something we want to avoid. Finally, were there any parts of your design
that were inequitable or inaccessible. Users of all abilities, identities and

11. experiences need to be able to successfullymovethrough yourproductsdesign.
These are P0s to address too. After you identify your P0 insights, you'll likely
have a lot of insights left to take action on. These insights can be categorized
into buckets based on their priority. In addition to priority 0, you might have
bucketscalled priority 1 and priority2. Let's think aboutan example of an insight
that might be categorized as priority 1. During the usability study on the dog
walking app, many participants said they wanted to be able to make a
reoccurring appointment with a dog walker. Since participants shared this pain
point, you could consider this as priority 1 or P1. One reason you might not
consider it a priority 0 is that even without the recurring appointment feature,
the user can still complete the main flow in the app. You could reason that the
extra ability to make a reoccurring appointment with the dog walker would
improvethe user experience and therefore could be considered a P1 to include
in a future prototype to be tested. If your team ends up with lots of priority 1
insights, you may chooseto further categorize these insights by adding another
bucket called priority 2. For example, you and your team might review a list of
ten insightsthat you initially categorized as priority1 and identify which of these
insights to address this month, which would stay as priority 1 versusnextmonth
which would become priority 2. This additional ranking enables small teams to
divide up the work and focus on the most important design changes first.