Ideas for User Research

Alice Toth, Thursday, March 22, 2007 @ 11:31 pm

User Research isn't limited to sitting behind a glass window, nervously chomping on M&Ms while glaring at the hapless user who’s attempting to navigate through your next killer app. There are different types of user research that can be incorporated throughout the lifecycle of a project, often at minimal costs to the company but with maximum results towards a more usable product.

User research methodologies generally fall into the two broad categories of Qualitative (why is something happening) and Quantitative (what is happening). With Qualitative research, you use a small sample size to discover new insights which can then be tested or proven. Quantitative research uses a large sample size to test or prove something, perhaps one of the insights you uncovered during your qualitative research or to determine the primary browsers you want to support.

Starting with Quantitative Research, here are some methods you should consider incorporating into your next project:

User Surveys uncover what the users say. You’ll get a large sample of responses on your users’ goals, behaviors and attitudes (assuming you have a well-designed survey of course). Surveys allow you to easily gather data on almost any topic and the results can then be ranked and assigned a priority for future design, scoping, etc..

Site Traffic Analysis tells you what your users do. An analytics tool's output tell you how your site is navigated, which pages are abandoned, which content performs well, which browsers you users are actually using, and so on. Your logs files will tell you some of this information as well, but slog through those files just once and you’ll soon realize the value of an analytics tool.

Information from these Quantitative research methods will tell you what is happening but not necessarily why it’s happening. For that, you’ll need to conduct some sort of Qualitative research, such as:

User Interviews let you learn about your users. Either from talking to a person face-to-face or over the phone, interviews yield detailed information about your users’ goals, behaviors and attitudes. They are usually better when conducted one on one rather than in a group because you can remain focused on that one individual and what they're saying. Keep in mind that loosely constructed conversations, rather than a formal script, allow for unexpected tangents that can lead to surprises and insights.

From Field Studies, you’ll gain context about where and how and when people actually use your software (or the competition) as you observe them in their daily routines. From this direct observation, you’ll also gain an understanding of your user’s attitudes and perceptions  which will help in designing the user experience.

Usability Testing is done to observe user behavior. It is different from a field study in that you’re not merely observing the users' actions, but you’re also directing their actions. It lets you watch how people  use your application to perform specific tasks and where they encounter obstacles, which features slowed them down, which elements were confusing, etc. Usability Testing yields a richer quality and quantity of information than a survey.

Related posts:

1. The new market research is the old user research
2. Why User Research Matters
3. Unanswered Questions of User Research
4. User Research: Been There, Done That? Maybe Not. . .
5. Research and the Physical Environment

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User Experience Design

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1. 

   Hi! I recently used role plays too!

   It was great to do something really quick and objectively with a client to get them to think outside the square.

   On my blog I have linked to role play resources http://twurl.nl/eoc5mi and my friends have listed more in the comments!

   Comment by James Breeze, Saturday, April 19, 2008 @ 4:18 am

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