This week was all about proof of concept. User research is really important so that I know my audience. Knowing your audience can be vital to the success of a project
It is important to always gather information about users , this can be done through qualitative or quantitative
Qualitative research “relies on data obtained by the researcher from first-hand observation”
- Is unstructured, questions are open ended
- Is usually objective and based on the interviewees opinion
- Information obtained is immeasurable
- Can provide insights and theories
Quantitative research “is the process of collecting as well as analysing numerical data”
- Is structured
- Is objective based on fact
- Information obtained is measurable
- Can be used to test theories
User research can be done at any point during the creation of the project in order to help finetune it
User research can be done by anybody, it does not need to be done by an experienced professional.
Its important to define users, as there different groups that may benefit or use the project. Once the different groups are determined the designer can then try to see what each group will need and the best way to provide it for them
During a project biases can be made and there are different types of biases
- Cognitive Bias
- Confirmation Bias
- Groupthink
- Selection Bias
- Cluster Illusions
Other types of biases that may form are:
- Knowing ‘The Answer’
- Self-Referential Design
- Being Precious
- Asking Leading Questions
User research is important in order to stop this from happening, user research can be gathered in a variety of ways
- Interviews
- Observation
- Online survey
- Documents & records
- Focus groups
User research can be done in a number of ways but at the end of the day some user research is better than none