User Experience

Science and art have in common intense seeing, the wide-eyed observing that generates empirical information. Beautiful Evidence is about how seeing turns into showing, how empirical observations turn into explanations and evidence presentations. The book identifies excellent and effective methods for presenting information, suggests new designs, and provides tools for assessing the credibility of evidence presentations.Here we will see many close readings of serious evidence presentations-ranging through evolutionary trees and rocket science to economics, art history, and sculpture. Insistent application of the principles of analytical thinking helps both insiders and outsiders assess the credibility of evidence.

Much of the work of user-centered design practitioners involves some type of interviewing. While interviewing is an important skill, many colleagues have little or no formal training in interviewing methods and often learn on the job with limited feedback on the quality of their interviews. This book teaches readers about the three basic interview methods: structured interviews, semi-structured interviews, and unstructured interviews. The author discusses the various strengths, weaknesses, issues with each type of interview, and includes best practices and procedures for conducing effective and efficient interviews. The book dives into the detailed information about interviews that haven't been discussed before - readers learn how and when to ask the "how" and "why" questions to get a deeper understanding of problems, concepts, and processes, as well as discussions on laddering and critical incident techniques. Because so much of what UX practitioners do involves good interviewing skills, this is your one-stop resource with the definitions, processes, procedures and best practices on the basic approaches.

It s Our Research: Getting Stakeholder Buy-in for User Experience Research Projects discusses frameworks, strategies, and techniques for working with stakeholders of user experience (UX) research in a way that ensures their buy-in. This book consists of six chapters arranged according to the different stages of research projects. Topics discussed include the different roles of business, engineering, and user-experience stakeholders; identification of research opportunities by developing empathy with stakeholders; and planning UX research with stakeholders. The book also offers ways of teaming up with stakeholders; strategies to improve the communication of research results to stakeholders; and the nine signs that indicate that research is making an impact on stakeholders, teams, and organizations. This book is meant for UX people engaged in usability and UX research. Written from the perspective of an in-house UX researcher, it is also relevant for self-employed practitioners and consultants who work in agencies. It is especially directed at UX teams that face no-time-no-money-for-research situations. Named a 2012 Notable Computer Book for Information Systems by "Computing Reviews"Features a series of video interviews with UX practitioners and researchersProvides dozens of case studies and visuals from international research practitionersProvides a toolset that will help you justify your work to stakeholders, deal with office politics, and hone your client skillsPresents tried and tested techniques for working to reach positive, useful, and fruitful outcomes"

Design research is a hard slog that takes years to learn and time away from the real work of design, right? Wrong. Good research is about asking more and better questions, and thinking critically about the answers. It's something every member of your team can and should do, and which everyone can learn, quickly. And done well, it will save you time and money by reducing unknowns and creating a solid foundation to build the right thing, in the most effective way. In Just Enough Research, co-founder of Mule Design Erika Hall distills her experience into a brief cookbook of research methods. Learn how to discover your competitive advantages, spot your own blind spots and biases, understand and harness your findings, and why you should never, ever hold a focus group. You'll start doing good research faster than you can plan your next pitch.

Learning From Strangers is the definitive work on qualitative research interviewing. It draws on Robert Weiss's thirty years of experience in interviewing and teaching others how to do it. The most effective interviews, says Weiss, rely on creating cooperation -- an open and trusting alliance between interviewer and respondent, dedicated to specific and honest accounts of both internal and external events. Against the eclectic background of his work in national sample surveys, studies based on semi-structured interviewing, and participant observation, Weiss walks the reader through the method of qualitative interview studies: sample selection, development of an interview guide, the conduct of the interview, analysis, and preparation of the data. Weiss gives examples of successful and less successful interviews and offers specific techniques and guidelines for the practitioner.

Observing the User Experience: A Practitioner's Guide to User Research aims to bridge the gap between what digital companies think they know about their users and the actual user experience. Individuals engaged in digital product and service development often fail to conduct user research. The book presents concepts and techniques to provide an understanding of how people experience products and services. The techniques are drawn from the worlds of human-computer interaction, marketing, and social sciences. The book is organized into three parts. Part I discusses the benefits of end-user research and the ways it fits into the development of useful, desirable, and successful products. Part II presents techniques for understanding people's needs, desires, and abilities. Part III explains the communication and application of research results. It suggests ways to sell companies and explains how user-centered design can make companies more efficient and profitable. This book is meant for people involved with their products' user experience, including program managers, designers, marketing managers, information architects, programmers, consultants, and investors.

This invaluable book presents an innovative approach to qualitative design that emphasizes the components of a design and how these interact with each other and the environment in which the study is situated. A clear strategy for creating coherent and workable relationships among these design components is provided and key design issues are highlighted. These design issues include: clarifying the purposes of the study; creating a theoretical context for the research; formulating research questions; developing a relationship with the people being studied; making decisions about sampling, data collection and analysis; and assessing validity threats and alternative explanations to the study′s conclusions. In addition, the book explains how to make the transition from research design to research proposal, providing a model for the structure of a qualitative proposal that is based in the design of the study.

How well do you really know your users? With properly conducted user research, you can discover what really makes your audience tick. This practical guide will show you, step-by-step, how to gain proper insight about your users so that you can base design decisions on solid evidence. You'll not only learn the different methodologies that you can employ in user research, but also gain insight into important set-up activities, such as recruiting users and equipping your lab, and acquire analysis skills so that you can make the most of the data you've gathered. And finally, you'll learn how to communicate findings and deploy evidence, to boost your design rationale and persuade skeptical colleagues. Design your research Cost justify user research Recruit and incentivise users Discover how to run your research sessions Analyze your results Reporting on results and acting in your findings

The User Experience Team of One prescribes approaches that have big impact and take less time and fewer resources than the standard lineup of UX deliverables. Whether you want to cross over into user experience or you're a seasoned practitioner trying to drag your organization forward, this book gives you tools and insight for doing more with less.

One key responsibility of product designers and UX practitioners is to conduct formal and informal research to clarify design decisions and business needs. But there's often mystery around product research, with the feeling that you need to be a research Zen master to gather anything useful. Fact is, anyone can conduct product research. With this quick reference guide, you'll learn a common language and set of tools to help you carry out research in an informed and productive manner. This book contains four sections, including a brief introduction to UX research, planning and preparation, facilitating research, and analysis and reporting. Each chapter includes a short exercise so you can quickly apply what you've learned. Learn what it takes to ask good research questions Know when to use quantitative and qualitative research methods Explore the logistics and details of coordinating a research session Use softer skills to make research seem natural to participants Learn tools and approaches to uncover meaning in your raw data Communicate your findings with a framework and structure