Introduction to

User Interface and User Experience

Session 4
Recap of the last session

• What is User Research

• Importance of User Research
• Researching with Empathy
• User Research Stakeholders
• Relevance of User Research
• Types of User Research Methods
Overview of this session

• What does User Experience Research go with?

• Approaches to shape user Experience study
• Selecting Suitable UX Research Method
• Core UX Research Method
How to conduct User Research
Answer these 3 main questions?
How to Conduct UX Research for Your Product
What do your users want?
What do they need?
Can they use your product?
How to conduct User Research
Approaches to study user experience studies
1. Observation. In most cases, your clients have no idea what they want or what they
need. When conducting research, asking them questions is not as effective as you
would want it to be. That’s why it’s important to observe and note the user’s behaviour
and reactions if you want to get useful data.
2. Understanding. Gathering the information isn’t even half the battle. It’s also essential to
interpret it properly to get the maximum benefit from the users’ insights. This approach
includes understanding people’s mental models and identifying the gaps that need to be
filled.
3. Analysis. To come up with a relevant solution, the research findings must be analysed.
Analysts should organize them into a certain pattern and present them to team
members in a form of a scenario, chart, statistic, graph, etc.
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How to conduct User Research
What does the User Research go with?
This analysis makes it possible to place customers at the centre of
your development process and account for their needs during the actual designing.
As a result, you may improve your product in the early stages and avoid costly
changes in the future, after the product is released.
This process is not limited to the digital world.
How to conduct User Research
How to select suitable UX Research Method
Ask the following questions:
• What kind of information do you want to learn?

• Why do you want to gather that data?

• What gaps do you intend to fill with that knowledge?
• What solutions do you wish to present based on the research findings?
• What current assumptions do you have about your users?
How to conduct User Research
How to select suitable UX Research Method
To answer these questions, you need to do internal research. Use the information
you already have – for example, data from Google Analytics, info about your target
audience, current issues you need to deal with, and so on.
Right after you determine the goal of your future UX research, consider how Tomer
Sharon categorizes all research techniques by using 3 simple questions:

What do people need?

What do people want?
Can people use it?
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Contextual Enquiry
This technique involves observing people, as they say, “in the wild”.
You visit the place where they work or live and keep your eyes on how they go
about doing everyday things.
You notice how individuals solve different tasks in their natural environments, and
ask questions about the reasons for people’s actions.

During this type of exploration, it’s best to minimize your interventions into
processes and engage several observants so you can receive more weighed data.
This is a perfect method for understanding the natural behaviour of your target
audience and what they need.
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Interviews
Asking questions, you require answers to is a tried and proven way to get
information.
Of course, the risk of bias interference is high (the Hawthorne effect is not going
anywhere), but it’s possible to deal with it.
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Types of Interviews
User interviews
They are usually held at user’s home or in a location relevant to your project (e.g.,
interviewing people in a café to ask about the types of coffee they prefer).
The main point of such one-to-one sessions is to walk in your user’s shoes –
understand their needs, world outlook and their ways of solving problems.
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Types of Interviews
Expert interviews
This implies that you interview people with high competency and qualifications in a
sphere relevant to your product’s concept.
This way you obtain information from an authority/influencer – it is also very
valuable for helping you develop the right idea in the right way.
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Types of Interviews
Extreme interviews
Here your participant must show the “extreme” qualities of your users.
For instance, if you create a running app, think about interviewing marathon or
Ironman runners.
They will help you to avoid creating idealized concepts that usually appear as a
result of regular interviews.
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Types of Interviews

A/B Testing
In this type of UX research technique, you create two versions of something you
want to change/create.
You present them to your target audience and let the users choose whatever they
like best. For example, design two different templates for a newsletter.
Then, divide your subscribers into a group A and group B.
After that, send each version to the corresponding group and analyse the click
rate/user behaviour to choose the best variant.
There are many elements you can test this way – style, images, content, buttons,
etc., and for more than 2 versions.
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Types of Interviews

Group Sessions / Focus Groups

The process for focus groups sessions involves interviewing 3-6 individuals
simultaneously.
There are a lot of pitfalls in such a research method.
For instance, collective thinking can arise when stronger personalities suppress the
voices of the weaker ones.
Among other issues, there is also the inability of people to predict what they desire
when interviewed outside the real context.
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Types of Interviews

Card Sorting
This is a UX research method that centres around grouping, categorizing and
systematizing.
Using this technique, you may find out how to structure your website, name the
menu sections or organize your blog content.
This way you’ll create a familiar and conventional environment for your particular
users.
It is usually done with simple paper cards distributed to the research participants.
They, in turn, must arrange the cards into categories. However, you can also
use online tools to help with the matter.
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Types of Interviews

Usability Testing
Usability tests require users to complete a certain set of tasks prepared by the UX research
team.
This is one of the most powerful UX research techniques. If you plan to use just one method
to test your product, Nielson Norman Group advises you to choose usability testing.

There are 3 ways how to do user experience research of this kind:

• Moderated testing
• Unmoderated testing
• Guerrilla testing
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Ethnography
It is the process in which a researcher immerses themselves in the culture and behaviour of
the environment they are researching. In this case, the researcher observes the behaviours
and interactions of that particular community, and the observations are written in a
document called which is also called “Ethnography”.
Ethnography is an important aspect of user research that gives a deep understanding of a
group’s behaviour, culture, and conventions.
By becoming immersed in that group, you gain access to more authentic information that
you could not have found out about simply by asking.
The activities and behaviours of users are monitored in their natural habitat.
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Ethnography
It is the process in which a researcher immerses themselves in the culture and behaviour of
the environment they are researching. In this case, the researcher observes the behaviours
and interactions of that particular community, and the observations are written in a
document called which is also called “Ethnography”.
Ethnography is an important aspect of user research that gives a deep understanding of a
group’s behaviour, culture, and conventions.
By becoming immersed in that group, you gain access to more authentic information that
you could not have found out about simply by asking.
The activities and behaviours of users are monitored in their natural habitat.
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Aspects of Ethnography
Ethnography is a time-consuming method: To really immerse yourself in the setting and gather
enough observations to help with your research, you may expect to spend at least a few weeks, but
most likely several months.
Ethnography involves long-term immersion: This can be challenging and requires careful planning.
There is a belief that because the researcher has been in a place for a long period of time, their
results may be affected by bias. This compromises or disrupts data collection rather than providing
insight into significant processes.
Research Bias: A researcher may be forced to exhibit biases either in support or against a group
because of how they were treated or how they found their stay.
It can be difficult to maintain the necessary distance needed to analyse a group that you are
embedded in.
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Roles and Setting in Ethnography

• In an active setting, the UX researcher is involved in carrying out tasks and participating in activities
like any other member of the community.
• Active participation can encourage the group to feel more comfortable with the researcher’s
presence.
• A passive role is one in which the ethnographer stands back from the activities of others. Here they
behave as a more distant observer and not involving themselves in the community’s activities.
• This type of observation allows more space for careful observation and note-taking by the
researcher.
• Since they would not be participating in the activities of the community, they have more time to
take notes and observe the users.
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Roles and Setting in Ethnography

In an overt approach, the ethnographer clearly states their intentions and confirms their role as
a researcher to the members of the group being studied.

Sometimes it can be covert. This means that the researcher does not tell participants about the
research, and comes up with some other pretence for being there.
How to conduct User Research
Core UX Research Methods

Conclusion
The value of focused ethnographic studies in UX research is essential to developing an in-depth
understanding of users, cultures, and activities. It helps to explore and simplify complex
phenomena in real-world contexts. Since ethnography gives first-hand reports on users it would
be an essential approach to user-centered design.
Next steps for your project
Select 2-3 methods and conduct in depth research of the topic selected over next 2 weeks