Introduction to UX Research Methods
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Transcript of Introduction to UX Research Methods
09 September 2011 @dgcooley #FCSTL 1
Introduction toUser Experience Methods
Introduction to User Experience MethodsDanielle Gobert Cooley
@dgcooley
09 September 2011 @dgcooley #FCSTL 2
About me
• 12 years as user researcher/usability specialist• BE, Biomedical & Electrical Engineering• MS, Human Factors in Information Design• Selected Employers & Clients
@dgcooley
09 September 2011 @dgcooley #FCSTL 3
Important Things to Know About UX Methods
09 September 2011 @dgcooley #FCSTL 4
Please RememberTh
ings to
Know
The purpose of these methods is to
inform your design.
They are not validation methods.
09 September 2011 @dgcooley #FCSTL 5
Let Me Repeat ThatTh
ings to
Know
The purpose of these methods is to
inform your design.
They are not validation methods.
09 September 2011 @dgcooley #FCSTL 6
You Are Not Your UserTh
ings to
Know
YOU
NOT YOU
09 September 2011 @dgcooley #FCSTL 7
Why Do It? To Avoid Ending Up HereTh
ings to
Know
09 September 2011 @dgcooley #FCSTL 8
One More Thing…Th
ings to
Know
The purpose of these methods is to
inform your design.
They are not validation methods.
09 September 2011 @dgcooley #FCSTL 9
Usability Study
09 September 2011 @dgcooley #FCSTL 10
Questions It Answers*
• How easy or difficult is it to use the product?
• How efficiently do people use the product?
• Do the users understand the product’s terminology?
• Do the controls make sense?
• Can people find the information they are seeking?
Usabilit
y Stu
dy
* Depends in part on prototype fidelity … more on that in a few moments.
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How It’s Done
1. Recruit representative end users.
2. Observe impartially as they attempt to perform tasks with a prototype.
3. Typically, participants are asked to think aloud as they use the prototype to perform the tasks. This provides insight into WHY certain interface elements are confusing and what might work better.
Usabilit
y Stu
dyTips…– Recruiting the right users is key!– Avoid bias everywhere – in task
phrasing, your and your observers’ body language, and in verbal questions asked. – Recordings are great, but huge time
sucks.– Quantitative studies often aren’t worth it.
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A Note About Prototype FidelityUsa
bility S
tudy
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Advantages
• Controlled setting means easier logistics.• Recording and observing is easier, too.
• For the rare quantitative study, lab-based testing makes it easier to use such tools as Morae or Ovo.
• Lab-based testing has fewer variables to control, which can be a factor for more rigid studies.
Usabilit
y Stu
dy
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Disadvantages
• Lab setting provides no context of use.• Labs can be expensive to rent or build
– (but they don’t have to be)• Participants are sometimes timid in a lab setting
Usabilit
y Stu
dy
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Field Study
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Questions It Answers
• How do environmental circumstances affect the usability of the product?
• How have people worked around issues with the product?
Field St
udy
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How It’s Done
1. Recruit representative end users.
2. Observe impartially in the environment in which the product will be used as they attempt to perform tasks with a prototype.
3. Collect artifacts.
Field St
udy
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Advantages
• Gathers contextual data– Ambient light, noise– Distractions
• Participants usually less intimidated
• Much more convenient for participants, so recruiting can be easier
Field St
udyContextual Inquiry?
Though the terms are often used interchangeably, Contextual Inquiry is
actually a type of field study that follows a very specific format.
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Disadvantages
• Logistics are more difficult for researchers.• Observation is more challenging.• Recording is more challenging.• Security issues sometimes prohibit photographs or other
recording.
Field St
udy
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Card Sort
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Questions It Answers
• How would the users organize the product’s content and features?
• Do the users largely agree on how the content should be organized?
• Do the users agree with the categorizations proposed by the project team?
Card So
rt
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How It’s Done
1. Recruit representative end users.
2. Identify content items to be categorized
3. Participants sort the content items into groupings that make sense to them.
Card So
rtTwo types …
–In an OPEN card sort, participants create the categories.
–In a CLOSED card sort, the researcher establishes the categories.
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Advantages
• Incredibly inexpensive• Done very quickly with remote
evaluation tools.• Asynchronous, so scheduling is not an
issue. Participants take part at their convenience.
Card So
rt
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Disadvantages
• More complicated with large sets of cards.
• Really, there’s almost no reason NOT to do a card sort, unless you don’t plan to use the results.
Card So
rt
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Tree Test
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Questions It Answers
• Can users find content in the proposed navigation?
• Do the proposed group labels correctly reflect the content within them?
Tree T
est
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How It’s Done
1. Recruit representative end users.
2. Set up study with IA to be evaluated.
3. Give participants specific content elements to find in that architecture.
Tree T
est
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Advantages
• Incredibly inexpensive• Done very quickly with remote
evaluation tools.• Asynchronous, so scheduling is not an
issue. Participants take part at their convenience.
Tree T
est
Yep. Just like card sorting!
09 September 2011 @dgcooley #FCSTL 29
Disadvantages
• The full IA and nav structure must be created in order to execute a tree test, so there is significant investment in the “prototype,” if you will.
Tree T
est
Tree Test vs. Card Sort–An OPEN Card Sort generates an information architecture.–A CLOSED Card sort
usually evaluates high-level labeling.–A Tree Test evaluates findability in an existing information
architecture.
OK. This one IS a validation method.
09 September 2011 @dgcooley #FCSTL 30
Survey
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Questions It Answers
• What is the users’ opinion about various facets of the product?
• How do users believe they use the product?
Surve
y
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How It’s Done
1. Recruit participants2. Write survey3. Relax while the data rolls
right in.
Surve
y
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Advantages
• Cheap• Fast• Remote• Easy data collection• Large number of participants
Surve
y
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Disadvantages
• Data are self-reported.– What people do is not the same as what people SAY they do.
• Good question curation is surprisingly challenging.
Surve
y
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Expert Review
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Questions It Answers
• Does the product comply with conventions and best practices?
• Has the expert seen issues in the past with any of the design elements or interaction techniques used in the product?
Exper
t Rev
iew
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How It’s Done
• An experienced UX Specialist analyzes the product, looking for common mistakes or interface elements or interactions that are not consistent with best practices.
Exper
t Rev
iewHeuristic Evaluation?
Though this term is thrown around a lot, a Heuristic Evaluation is really a specialized type of Expert Review.
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Advantages
• Considerably less expensive than lab or field studies
• Often relatively fast – again, as compared to lab or field studies.
Exper
t Rev
iew
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Disadvantages
• No actual end-user perspective.• Experts vary.
Exper
t Rev
iew
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Other Techniques
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In No Particular Order…
• Journaling Studies – Users keep a journal of their interactions (good and bad) with the product.
• A/B Testing – Two different versions of a product are placed online and success rates analyzed.
• Analytics – Web site or product metrics are analyzed to determine user success or failure.
• Personas – Descriptive profiles of representative end users. This is actually an output of field research.
Other
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Recap & Additional Resources
• User Experience is important. Really.• These are NOT validation techniques!• There are a lot of methods to choose from.
Nov 2011