In today’s lecture we uncovered the importance of research. Despite knowing how crucial user research is when it comes to UX/UI it was very insightful to learn about the techniques available. What I’ve learned is that user research enables designers to learn what users are trying to do and exactly what they need in order to accomplish their goals; it allows designers to empathise with their frustrations. Besides this it also shows us how they navigate.
It is the core foundation because with user research we can work out what it is that needs to be done, what approach to take, who we’re designing for, and if the idea is even worth developing.
This lesson also covered different types of user testing and I must say this is something that has been covered in class before hence I am familiar with the topic; and I have come to learn that qualitative tests are more reliable due to it being more raw because the designer(researcher) can observe the issues that users come across and they can even ask them questions during the testing process. Behavioural and attitudinal on the other hand are new to me
Another interesting thing that was uncovered in class is how user research can show us that certain ideas should not be looked into or even developed. We watched a video on the invention of the Segway and how futile it was and still is, it was overpriced and did not improve the quality of life in any way. If they had done user research they would’ve known whether to make it or not.
The Nielsen Norman Group's article, "A Guide to Using User-Experience Research Methods," provides a good approach when choosing the right UX research methods depending on the project's needs.
Attitudinal vs. Behavioural Research
Attitudinal research focuses on what users say they believe, prefer, or feel.
Behavioural research looks into what users actually do when interacting with a product.
Example: Surveys (attitudinal)
Usability testing (behavioural)
Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research
Qualitative research looks into why users behave a certain way through in-depth insights.
Quantitative research collects numerical data to measure how many users Interact in certain ways with a product.
Example: Interviews (qualitative)
A/B testing, questionnaire (quantitative).
Context of Use
Natural use: Observing users in real-world environments.
Example: Field studies, customer feedback, eye tracking.
Scripted use: Testing under controlled conditions
Example: Usability tests.
No use: Research that doesn’t involve direct interaction with a product
Example: Focus groups, users given the opportunity to create their ideal UX, this showcases what matters to them the most; this is almost like customising.
Objective-bias is another interesting topic that was covered in class, and it is when the designer (researcher) makes assumptions on what the user thinks or wants; this is something that I sort of learned in the first semester in terms of the wants and needs of users; sometimes as designers we can get carried away in our designs and it is crucial to always refer back to the research so we don't take biased decisions when creating a product
“A systematic error of thinking or rationality in judgment that influence our perception of the world and our decision-making ability”
What I have taken away from this is that we take actions and decisions based on past experiences and even though this can make it effortless to navigate due to it making our thinking and decision making fast more efficient; it can also cause us to make mistakes because of assumptions based on past experiences, This lets us know that it is vital to stop and consider all information that is presented to us