The document discusses the relationship between user experience research and practice. It notes that while research and practice have similar methods, their goals are different - research aims to generate and validate knowledge while practice aims to improve products and services. Some challenges to connecting research and practice are different cultures between academia and industry, lack of shared language and knowledge base, and structural issues in higher education. Suggested solutions include improved communication of research findings, multi-disciplinary collaboration in education, and bridging the gap between research abstractions and practical business needs. The discussion focuses on how to better connect the domains of UX research and practice.

1. User Experience
Research-Practice
Interaction
Keith Instone
#UXRPI
instone.org/uxrpi-connectingdots
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BGSU Computer science →
HCI (research)
Web usability → LIS → IA (practice)
IBM (practice) → UX
Strategic UX consulting

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The Disciplined Designer
educators.aiga.org/the-disciplined-designer
[INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE][USER EXPERIENCE] [INTERACTION DESIGN]

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From Don’t Make Me Think, Steve Krug

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Research:
the higher authority for a
practitioner

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Research Design Development
Research Practice

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Research
“User”
Research
Design Development
Research Practice

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Research
“User”
Research
Design Development
“Scientific”
Research
Research Practice

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Research
“User”
Research
Design Development
“Scientific”
Research
Research Practice
Similar methods
Different goals

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Breadcrumb Navigation: Further Investigation of Usage
By Bonnie Lida Rogers and Barbara Chaparro (2003)
usabilitynews.org/breadcrumb-navigation-further-investigation-of-usage/
The purpose of this study is to investigate breadcrumb usage by evaluating the following
research questions:
1. Do users choose to use breadcrumbs as a navigational tool?
2. Does breadcrumb usage improve navigational efficiency?
3. Does the location of the breadcrumb trail on a page effect usage?
4. Does a breadcrumb trail aid the user’s mental model of the site structure?
Forty-five participants (20 male, 25 female) with an average age of 27 (range of 18 to 64)
volunteered for the usability study....

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Breadcrumb Navigation: Further Investigation of Usage
By Bonnie Lida Rogers and Barbara Chaparro (2003)
usabilitynews.org/breadcrumb-navigation-further-investigation-of-usage/
The purpose of this study is to investigate breadcrumb usage by evaluating the following
research questions:
1. Do users choose to use breadcrumbs as a navigational tool?
2. Does breadcrumb usage improve navigational efficiency?
3. Does the location of the breadcrumb trail on a page effect usage?
4. Does a breadcrumb trail aid the user’s mental model of the site structure?
Forty-five participants (20 male, 25 female) with an average age of 27 (range of 18 to 64)
volunteered for the usability study....

17. Keith Instone @keithinstone #UXRPI
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Breadcrumb Navigation: Further Investigation of Usage
By Bonnie Lida Rogers and Barbara Chaparro (2003)
usabilitynews.org/breadcrumb-navigation-further-investigation-of-usage/
The purpose of this study is to investigate breadcrumb usage by evaluating the following
research questions:
1. Do users choose to use breadcrumbs as a navigational tool?
2. Does breadcrumb usage improve navigational efficiency?
3. Does the location of the breadcrumb trail on a page effect usage?
4. Does a breadcrumb trail aid the user’s mental model of the site structure?
Forty-five participants (20 male, 25 female) with an average age of 27 (range of 18 to 64)
volunteered for the usability study....

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How Do Users Really Hold Mobile Devices?
Steven Hoober
uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2013/02/how-do-users-really-hold-mobile-devices.php
I’ve carried out a fresh study of the way people naturally hold and interact with
their mobile devices.
For two months, ending on January 8, 2013, I—and a few other researchers—made
1,333 observations of people using mobile devices on the street, in airports, at bus
stops, in cafes, on trains and busses—wherever we might see them.

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How Do Users Really Hold Mobile Devices?
Steven Hoober
uxmatters.com/mt/archives/2013/02/how-do-users-really-hold-mobile-devices.php
I’ve carried out a fresh study of the way people naturally hold and interact with
their mobile devices.
For two months, ending on January 8, 2013, I—and a few other researchers—made
1,333 observations of people using mobile devices on the street, in airports, at bus
stops, in cafes, on trains and busses—wherever we might see them.

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What the $%&#*! is RESEARCH anyway?
Is there value in separating types of research?
Wikipedia types
scientific (hypothesis testing)
humanities (historical/context)
artistic
Karel’s types
practical: improve a product, service
practice-based: find patterns in small groups
academic: generate & validate knowledge

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If you are a user experience practitioner:
What do you wish you had a “scientific” answer to?
Have you tried to find these answers in the research
literature?
Roadblocks?
Successes in applying to your practice?

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If you are a researcher:
What is the value of engaging with practitioners for you?
Any examples where your research got better because
of interactions you had with practitioners?

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What should students be taught about research to
better prepare themselves for the practitioner world?

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Research culture
“Publish or perish”
Answers narrow questions
Open sharing
Experimentation
Corporate culture
“Produce or perish”
Wants broad answers
Strategic advantage
Fear of failure

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Research culture
“Publish or perish”
Answers narrow questions
Open sharing
Experimentation
Corporate culture
“Produce or perish”
Wants broad answers
Strategic advantage
Fear of failure
HCI research culture
Publish for researchers
Expanding field
Status within academia
UX practice culture
No time for research
Rapidly evolving practice
Status within corporations

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Research culture
“Publish or perish”
Answers narrow questions
Open sharing
Experimentation
Corporate culture
“Produce or perish”
Wants broad answers
Strategic advantage
Fear of failure
HCI research culture
Publish for researchers
Expanding field
Status within academia
UX practice culture
No time for research
Rapidly evolving practice
Status within corporations
Communication
Little shared language
Speed-of-operation differences
Finding (time for) each other
Fragmented professional organizations
Mapping “answers” to “questions”

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Research culture
“Publish or perish”
Answers narrow questions
Open sharing
Experimentation
Corporate culture
“Produce or perish”
Wants broad answers
Strategic advantage
Fear of failure
HCI research culture
Publish for researchers
Expanding field
Status within academia
UX practice culture
No time for research
Rapidly evolving practice
Status within corporations
Knowledge
No shared knowledge base
Hard to organize research for practical use
Multi-/inter-disciplinary
Communication
Little shared language
Speed-of-operation differences
Finding (time for) each other
Fragmented professional organizations
Mapping “answers” to “questions”

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Research culture
“Publish or perish”
Answers narrow questions
Open sharing
Experimentation
Corporate culture
“Produce or perish”
Wants broad answers
Strategic advantage
Fear of failure
HCI research culture
Publish for researchers
Expanding field
Status within academia
UX practice culture
No time for research
Rapidly evolving practice
Status within corporations
Education
Position of UX within academia
Amateur professionals
Competing with business for training
Knowledge
No shared knowledge base
Hard to organize research for practical use
Multi-/inter-disciplinary
Communication
Little shared language
Speed-of-operation differences
Finding (time for) each other
Fragmented professional organizations
Mapping “answers” to “questions”

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Karel van der Waarde

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Which problem statements
resonate with you?
Do you have more to add?
(Draw me a picture!)

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Sharon Poggenpohl

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New discipline:Translational Developers/Engineers
Don Norman
“Stop pretending that researchers and practitioners speak the same language”
Abstractions
of Research
Practicalities
of Practice
Research
Findings
Language of
Development
& Business
Issues to
Address with
Research
Needs of
Business

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Hubs of activities: People, places (physical, virtual)
and events
Publishing: Better communication of research to
practitioners (bite-sized, comics, co-authoring)
Higher education: Team teaching, multi-disciplinary
projects in school
Influence decision makers: Grant funders &
executives (to get at root causes of gap)

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From uxdesignpractice.com

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From uxdesignpractice.com

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From uxdesignpractice.com

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Which solutions/ideas resonate
with you?
What is your community doing
well that others can learn from?

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How does collaboration happen
across disciplines & professions?
My view: Treat it as a design project
Let’s Connect the Dots to improve
the interaction between
research & practice!

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Thanks!
Keith Instone
keith2014@instone.org
@keithinstone
instone.org
#UXRPI