Research (Users)

UX Design: we research anything required to understand all our stakeholders as well as topics and information that affect them and staying up to date with current user behaviour trends.

Purpose

The purpose of research in User Experience Design is to:

• Research the partner and their industry and gain further understanding of the proverbial playing field they operate within

• To build some knowledge to be able to ask users and partners contextual questions in the early needs assessment and brief development phases of the project

• If no real world users are available yet this research informs our user personas

• To collect precedent about what comparative resources exist out there to analyse their successes and pitfalls as learnings

• Continually keep up with ever changing user behaviour trends

Methodology

This will generally be secondary research that uses information someone else has put together. Secondary research can be information from data resources, books, articles, or journals and is usually done in the early stages before primary research (engagements and interviews).

What We Need To Do This

• Access and links to review initial communications from the potential partner (assuming that they have reached out to us)

• Time to research the potential partner, users, topic and the task they are requesting of us

Outputs

Research Analysis Documents

ADH Vaccine Tracker doc with resources, methodology, precedent & notes

(3 Days: Prep & Execute)

User Centric Research & Context Building

Metro Monitor context matrix with user assumptions & precedent

(2 Days: Prep & Execute)

Contextual Service Offering

Dexter White Label user-specific options pamphlet

(2 Days: Prep & Execute)

Product Proposal

TIPS Product proposal

(3 Days: Prep & Execute)

Research Question Set for Needs Assessment

Community Issues Reporting research results

(2 Days: Prep)

Toolkits

Considerations for Partner Research

• How connected is the partner to the user? - Do they have any other products, tools, assets out there that suggest any knowledge of their user base?

• Who are their competitors and what do they do well/not so well? - Gap identification

• Try build a knowledge base about your partner that prepares you for the needs assessment session

Considerations for User Centred Research

• Do my users have impairments or disabilities to consider–whether temporary, situational, or permanent?

• How familiar are my users with technology?

• How are my users accessing the product or service?

• Where and when are my users accessing the product or service?

• Have I considered all my potential users?

• Try build a knowledge base about your user that prepares you for your engagement session

Identifying Bias in Research

Bias is favoring or having prejudice against something based on limited information. It's important to identify your own biases and those that may be within the research you are doing, here are some forms of bias to look out for:

Confirmation bias

• This bias occurs when you start looking for evidence to prove a hypothesis you have.

• Because you think you already have the answer, you're drawn to information that confirms your beliefs and preconceptions

• Effective methods for overcoming confirmation bias during research is to ask open-ended questions when conducting interviews. An open-ended question lets the person being interviewed answer freely, instead of with a yes or no. Actively listen without adding your own opinions.

False consensus bias

• Is the assumption that others will think the same way as you do.

• In UX research, the false consensus bias happens when we overestimate the number of people who will agree with our idea or design, which creates a false consensus.

• It's possible for the false consensus to go so far as to assume anyone who doesn't agree with you is abnormal.

• You can avoid false consensus bias by identifying and articulating your assumptions.

Recency bias

• That's when it's easiest to remember the last thing you heard in an interview, conversation, or similar setting, because it's the most recent.

• When talking to someone, you're more likely to remember things they shared at the end of the conversation.

• To overcome the recency bias, you can take detailed notes or recordings for each interview or conversation you have.

Primacy bias

• Where you remember the first participant most strongly.

• Sometimes the first person you meet makes the strongest impression, because you're in a new situation or having a new experience.

• The primacy bias, like the recency bias, is another reason to take detailed notes or recordings,

• Interview each participant in the same way. Consistency makes it easier to compare and contrast over time.

Implicit bias (also known as unconscious bias)

• A collection of attitudes and stereotypes we associate to people without our conscious knowledge.

• One of the most common forms of implicit bias in UX is when we only interview people within a limited set of identity profiles, such as race, age, gender, socioeconomic status, and ability.

• These profiles are generally based on assumptions we have about certain types of people.

Sunk cost fallacy

• This is the idea that the deeper we get into a project we've invested in, the harder it is to change course without feeling like we've failed or wasted time.