Instructor: Amy Bucher
In the world of UX design, there's a mound of resources and methodologies that provides the basic backbone of developing a great product. From research, to testing, to interviewing techniques, and surveys, there certainly isn't a shortage of tools to get the job done.
But how do you sort through each tool and best apply it to fit your needs at hand? In this course we will review some of the methods you can use to better understand your users, what they want from your product, and what their experience is using your product. The focus is on the type of data you can gain through each approach and how it might impact your product, as well as some tips on getting the research done on a budget.
You'll Learn the Fundamentals
Heuristic testing
Research techniques, including In-depth interview (IDIs) and focus groups
Paper prototyping
Ethnographic observation
Surveys
2. Amy Bucher
Amy Bucher is a behavioral
scientist and strategist with
expertise in qualitative and
quantitative methods, program
design, behavioral research, and
market research. With a PhD in
Psychology, she designs and
writes tailored web-based health
coaching programs that
effectively motivate and support
behavior change for users. Her
areas of focus include problem
definition and solution
development, systematic and
creative research to support
strategic actions, and
communication across multiple
formats and audience types.
3. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
User
Research
Tools,
Tricks,
&
Tips
Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
amy.bucher@gmail.com
4. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
Questions
you
can
answer
with
research
• Do
people
want
to
use
my
product?
• Do
people
know
HOW
to
use
it?
• Who
is
the
target
audience
for
this
product?
• Does
my
product
work?
• How
will
people
use
it?
• What
enhancements
should
I
make,
and
in
what
order?
6. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
But
be
careful!
• People
are
nice
!
• People
are
liars
!
• Not
all
people
are
your
target
customer
!
• The
big
question:
So
what?
7. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
Types
of
Data
Qualitative
• Words
• Thematic
analyses
• Good
way
to
gather
general
or
broad
information
• Rule
of
thumb:
Fewer
participants
Quantitative
• Numbers
• Statistical
analyses
• Good
way
to
gather
specific
or
targeted
information
• Rule
of
thumb:
More
participants
8. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
Getting
participants
Personal
network
Online Locally
Profession
al
research
partner
Less
$
More
$
9. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
DO
PEOPLE
WANT
TO
USE
THIS
PRODUCT?
10. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
A/B
Tests
Version
A Version
B
Metrics
13. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
DO
PEOPLE
KNOW
HOW
TO
USE
THIS
PRODUCT?
14. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
Choose
evaluators
Define
tasks
to
be
performed
with
product
Observe
users
complete
tasks
Heuristic
Evaluation
15. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
How
many
users
do
you
need?
0
25
50
75
100
0 4 8 11 15
Number
of
evaluators
Percent
of
errors
detected
4-‐6
Nielsen,
J.,
and
Landauer,
T.
K.
(1993).
A
mathematical
model
of
the
finding
of
usability
problems.
Proceedings
of
ACM
INTERCHI'93
Conference
(Amsterdam,
The
Netherlands)
pp.
206-‐213.
16. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
• Enroll
in
the
weight
management
program
!
• Start
the
program
activities
17. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
Finding:
Multiple
programs
fit
people’s
schema
for
“weight
management”
20. We
Understand
What
Motivates
Users
Activating
individuals
based
on
attitudes
and
approach
to
health
I’m
already
stretched
taking
care
of
work
and
family.
For
me
to
focus
on
my
own
well-‐being,
it
has
to
be
a
company
goal
that
I
have
team
accountability
for.
Motivated
Team
Player
Help!
It’s
scary
to
think
about
how
much
I
need
to
do
and
whether
I
can
even
do
it.
Frankly,
I
don’t
even
know
what
the
first
step
should
be.
Skeptical
Starter
I’m
already
on
the
fitness
bandwagon.
It’d
be
great
if
my
company
provided
me
some
resources,
but
my
challenge
is
simply
consistency.
Energized
Champion
What
and
when
I
do
is
up
to
me
and
it
will
be
on
my
own
terms.
It’s
not
something
I
want
my
employer
/
coworkers
concerning
themselves
with.
Free
Agent
There
are
much
bigger
issues
to
be
dealt
with
before
I
can
even
think
about
health
&
wellness.
Committed
Multi-‐Tasker
Sharing
the
journey
really
keeps
everyone’s
momentum
up.
We
learn
from,
help
and
encourage
each
other,
and
we
have
fun
along
the
way.
Booster
Clubber
Source:
Wellness
&
Prevention,
Inc.
Landmark
Study
of
National
Employers,
2009
SAM
PLE
21. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
Survey
Questions
• Setting
user
expectations
• Validity
and
reliability
– Types
and
considerations
– Using
existing
instrumentation
– Knowing
when
it
matters
• Design
consistency
• Avoiding
confounds
• Reverse
scoring
24. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
Type of va lidity W ha t does it m ea n W ha t inform a tion is
needed
I nterna l What you did in a study
caused the results of the
study ! manipulations
affected outcomes
Ruling out alternative
causes; replication with
different populations and
settings
Face Do the questions appear or
look like they relate to the
construct of interest?
Intuition; does it look right
to you?
Criterion Does your measure predict
real-world outcomes
related to the behavior of
interest?
Data on actual behavior;
does it correspond to
scores on your measure?
Externa l The degree to which a
measure’s conclusions hold
for other people at other
places and times;
generalizability
Random sampling;
generalizing carefully (not
making broad claims);
replications of study in
multiple settings
25. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
Design
Consistency
How
much
do
you
like
our
product?
!
!
I
am
likely
to
recommend
your
product
to
my
friends.
How
much
do
you
like
our
product?
!
!
How
likely
are
you
to
recommend
our
product
to
your
friends?
Not
at
all
Very
much
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Not
at
all
Very
much
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Not
at
all
Very
much
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Yes
No
1
2
3
4
5
26. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
Avoiding
Confounds
How
much
do
you
like
our
product
and
think
you
would
recommend
it
to
your
friends?
Not
at
all
Very
much
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
How
much
do
you
like
our
product?
!
!
How
likely
are
you
to
recommend
our
product
to
your
friends?
Not
at
all
Very
much
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Not
at
all
Very
much
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
27. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
Reverse
Scoring
• I
would
recommend
Product
X.
!
• I
like
Product
X.
!
• Product
X
helped
me
lose
weight.
!
• Product
X
is
different
from
anything
else
ever.
• I
would
not
recommend
Product
X.
!
• I
do
not
like
Product
X.
!
• Product
X
did
not
help
me
lose
weight.
!
• There
are
many
products
like
Product
X.
28. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
WHAT
ENHANCEMENTS
SHOULD
COME
NEXT?
48. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
In-‐Depth
Interviews
(IDIs)
• Usually
a
single
respondent
• Use
open-‐ended
questions
• Have
a
semi-‐structured
format
• Seek
understanding
• Audio-‐
or
video-‐recorded
49. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
Advantages
of
IDIs
vs.
Focus
Groups
Build
rapport
Probe
more
deeply
Discuss
sensitive
topics
Less
expensive
Less
directive
50. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
I
NEED
TO
FIX
SOMETHING!
PRIORITIZING
IMPROVEMENTS
51. Amy
Bucher,
Ph.D.
(amy.bucher@gmail.com)
What
is
the
smallest
action
that
matters?
!