From the course: Interaction Design: Projects and Platforms

User research overview - Sketch Tutorial

From the course: Interaction Design: Projects and Platforms

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User research overview

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- [Instructor] User research or design research is core to the user-centered design process, the process of designing around user needs. User research encompasses a variety of methods to understand user needs, motivations, and behaviors in the context of the user's environment. Research can be conducted throughout the design process and methods will vary depending on which stage you're at. For example, if you're embarking on a new product or service, you'll want to do some interviews to get a sense of what users need to determine how to approach the design. If you've already created a design, you might want to do some usability testing to see if the design is easy to use. These are different methods of user research for different parts of the design process. There are two approaches to gathering information on our users: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative research focuses on understanding why users are performing the activity or what they want the product or service to do. This approach relies on observational data and other behavioral dimensions like experiences, beliefs, and attitudes. Typical qualitative methods used for design research are open-ended interviews, contextual inquiry, and a diary study. The other approach is quantitative. Quantitative methods are also useful for design research. Quantitative research focuses on measuring user behavior and relies on numerical data to help quantify problems. Typical quantitative approaches for design research are surveys, web analytics, and eye tracking. Both approaches are useful for informing your designs, and most times, you'll need both to fully understand the design problem. The main benefits of user research is that you'll hear directly from the user, including their frustrations, opportunities for new products and services, or gaps in the current offerings. Good design research will help you understand the product from the user's perspective and will give you the information you need to design the right experience or address needs in the current experience. Design research also tells the user's story rather than making assumptions about what the user needs and wants. Depending on your project, your approach to research will be tailored based on the availability of customers and data. In some cases, you may not have access to customers, but you may have access to web analytics and NPS scores and you'll have to rely on metrics like time spent on page and dropoffs during page flow. Design research in the user-centered design process is applicable to any design project or platform. You may use slightly different methodologies based on the platform or context, but it will always benefit your design.

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