User Research Canon
A set of fundamental principles and guidelines that inform and shape user research practices. Crucial for maintaining consistency and ensuring high-quality user insights.
491 topics found for:
“UX research”
Grounded Theory
A research method that involves forming a theory based on data systematically gathered and analyzed. Useful for developing design theories and solutions that are directly grounded in user research and data.
Deductive Research
A research approach that starts with a theory or hypothesis and uses data to test it, often moving from general to specific. Essential for validating theories and making informed decisions based on data.
Ethnographic Research
A qualitative research method that studies people in their natural environments to understand their behaviors, cultures, and experiences. Crucial for gaining deep insights into user behaviors and contexts.
Generative Research
Research aimed at exploring and identifying new opportunities, needs, and ideas to inform the design process. Essential for discovering user insights and guiding innovative design solutions.
Observer Bias
A type of bias that occurs when the observer's expectations or beliefs influence their interpretation of what they are observing, including experimental outcomes. Essential for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of research and data collection.
Experimenter Bias
A bias that occurs when researchers' expectations influence the outcome of a study. Crucial for designing research methods that ensure objectivity and reliability.
Between Subjects Design
An experimental design where different groups of participants are exposed to different conditions, allowing for comparison between groups. Important for understanding and applying different experimental designs in user research.
Longitudinal Study
A research method that involves repeated observations of the same variables over a period of time. Crucial for understanding changes and developments over time.
Speed Dating
A research method in which participants interact with a series of potential product concepts in quick succession, providing rapid feedback on multiple ideas. Useful for quickly gathering user feedback on various concepts and iterating based on their preferences.
CIT
Critical Incident Technique (CIT) is a method used to gather and analyze specific incidents that significantly contribute to an activity or outcome. This method is important for identifying key factors that influence performance and user satisfaction.
Desirability Study
A research method used to determine how desirable a product or feature is to potential users. Crucial for understanding user preferences and guiding product development.
Photo Study
A research method where participants take photographs of their activities, environments, or interactions to provide insights into their behaviors and experiences. Important for gaining in-depth, visual insights into user contexts and behaviors.
Naturalistic Observation
A research method that involves observing subjects in their natural environment. Crucial for gathering authentic data and insights into real-world behaviors and interactions.
Needfinding
A research process used to identify and understand the underlying needs of users to inform the design of products and services. Essential for creating user-centered designs that address real user needs.
Inductive Research
A research approach that starts with observations and develops broader generalizations or theories from them. Useful for discovering patterns and generating new theories from data.
IA Research Study
Research focused on understanding and improving information architecture (IA), ensuring that information is logically and intuitively organized for users. Crucial for optimizing the organization and accessibility of information.
Evaluative Research
Research conducted to assess the effectiveness, usability, and impact of a design or product. Essential for validating design decisions and improving user experiences.
Competitive Research
The systematic investigation of competitor activities, products, and strategies to gain insights and inform decision-making. Crucial for staying competitive and improving product and service offerings.
Social Desirability Bias
The tendency for individuals to present themselves in a favorable light by overreporting good behavior and underreporting bad behavior in surveys or research. Crucial for designing research methods that mitigate biases and obtain accurate data.
Selection Bias
A bias that occurs when the sample chosen for a study or survey is not representative of the population being studied, affecting the validity of the results. Important for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of research findings and avoiding skewed data.
Matched Pairs Design
An experimental design where subjects are paired based on certain characteristics, and then one is assigned to the treatment and the other to the control group. Important for reducing variability and improving the accuracy of experimental results.
Response Bias
A tendency for respondents to answer questions in a manner that is not truthful or accurate, often influenced by social desirability or survey design. Important for understanding and mitigating biases in survey and research data.
Repeated Measures Design
A research design where the same participants are used in all conditions of an experiment, allowing for the comparison of different conditions within the same group. Essential for reducing variability and improving the reliability of experimental results.
Look Elsewhere Effect
A statistical phenomenon where a large number of hypotheses are tested, increasing the chance of a rare event being observed. Crucial for understanding and avoiding false positives in data analysis.
Courtesy Bias
The tendency for individuals to give positive responses or feedback out of politeness, regardless of their true feelings. Crucial for obtaining honest and accurate user feedback.
Focus Groups
A qualitative research method where a small group of people discuss a product, service, or concept to gather diverse insights and opinions. Important for gaining in-depth understanding of user perceptions and needs.
Diary Study
A research method where participants record their activities, experiences, and thoughts over a period of time, providing insights into their behaviors and needs. Important for gaining in-depth, longitudinal insights into user experiences.
Continuous Discovery
An ongoing process of learning about user needs and validating assumptions through continuous research and experimentation. Crucial for staying responsive to user needs and improving products iteratively.
Contextual Inquiry
A field research method where researchers observe and interview users in their natural environment to understand their tasks and challenges. Crucial for gaining authentic insights into user behavior and needs.
Factor Analysis
A statistical method used to identify underlying relationships between variables by grouping them into factors. Crucial for simplifying data and identifying key variables in research.
Contextual Design
A user-centered design process that involves understanding users' needs and workflows through field research and applying these insights to design. Essential for creating designs that are deeply informed by user contexts and behaviors.
Card Sorting
A user research technique where participants organize information into categories to inform information architecture and design. Essential for creating intuitive information architectures and improving user experience.
ZMOT
Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT) is a concept in marketing that refers to the point in the buying cycle when the consumer researches a product before the seller even knows they exist. Crucial for understanding consumer behavior and optimizing marketing strategies to influence decision-making at this early stage.
Eye Tracking
A technology and research method that measures where and how long a person looks at various areas on a screen or interface. Crucial for understanding user attention and improving interface design.
User Interviews
A qualitative research method involving direct conversations with users to gather insights into their needs, behaviors, and experiences. Essential for gaining deep insights into user perspectives and informing design decisions.
Field Study
Research conducted in natural settings to collect data on how people interact with products or environments in real-world conditions. Crucial for gaining authentic insights into user behaviors and contexts.
Extension Neglect
A cognitive bias where people ignore the relevance of sample size in making judgments, often leading to erroneous conclusions. Crucial for designers to account for appropriate sample sizes in research and analysis.
Context Mapping
A research technique that explores the context in which users interact with a product, service, or environment to understand their needs and behaviors. Crucial for gaining deep insights into user contexts and designing more relevant solutions.
Demographic
Statistical data relating to a particular population and groups within it. Crucial for market research and understanding target audiences.
Spike
A short, time-boxed period used in Agile development to research a concept or explore a new technology. Important for reducing uncertainty and risk in development.
Product Discovery
The process of identifying user needs and market opportunities to inform the development of new products or features. Crucial for ensuring that products are user-centered and meet real market demands.
Assumed Similarity Bias
A cognitive bias where people assume others share the same beliefs, values, or preferences as themselves. Important for helping designers avoid projecting their own biases and assumptions onto users during research and design.
User Persona
A fictional representation of a user segment, created based on user research to guide design decisions and ensure the product meets the needs of its target audience. Crucial for keeping design efforts focused on user needs and preferences.
Product Marketing Manager
A professional responsible for promoting a product and driving its adoption in the market, through strategies like market research, positioning, and communication. Crucial for ensuring that products reach their target audience and achieve commercial success.
Market Gaps
Areas of unmet demand in a market where opportunities for growth and development exist. Essential for identifying new business opportunities.
Normal Distribution
A statistical distribution where most occurrences take place near the mean, and fewer occurrences happen as you move further from the mean, forming a bell curve. Crucial for data analysis and understanding variability in user behavior and responses.
Association Fallacy
A logical fallacy in which it is assumed that qualities of one thing are inherently qualities of another, due to an irrelevant association. Important for avoiding incorrect associations in user research and data interpretation.
Delphi Method
A structured communication technique originally developed as a systematic, interactive forecasting method which relies on a panel of experts. Important for gathering expert opinions and making informed decisions.
Buyer Persona
A semi-fictional representation of an ideal customer based on market research and real data about existing customers. Essential for targeting design and marketing efforts to meet the needs and preferences of specific user groups.
Empathy Mapping
A collaborative tool used to visualize what a user thinks, feels, says, and does to better understand their experiences and needs. Essential for gaining deep insights into user behavior and guiding design decisions.
Implicit Requirements
Needs and expectations that are not explicitly stated by users but are inferred from their behavior and context. Crucial for identifying and addressing unarticulated user needs.
Competitive Analysis
A strategic research process that involves evaluating competitors' products, services, and market positions to identify opportunities and threats. Essential for informing product strategy, differentiating offerings, and gaining a competitive advantage in the market.
Social Foraging
The behavior of seeking information or resources based on social interactions and cues. Important for understanding how users gather information in social contexts and designing systems that support collaborative information seeking.
Cognitive Walkthrough
A usability evaluation method where evaluators walk through tasks to identify potential user difficulties. Essential for improving user interfaces and ensuring usability.
Affinity Bias
The tendency to favor people who are similar to oneself in terms of background, beliefs, or interests. Important for recognizing and mitigating bias in user research and team dynamics.
Competitive Intelligence
The process of gathering and analyzing information about competitors to inform business strategy and decision-making. Essential for understanding market positioning and developing effective competitive strategies.
VOC
Voice of the Customer (VOC) is a process for capturing customers' expectations, preferences, and aversions. Crucial for guiding product development and improving customer satisfaction.
Needs Assessment
A systematic process for determining and addressing needs or gaps between current conditions and desired outcomes. Important for identifying user requirements and guiding the development of digital products that meet those needs.
User Research
The process of understanding user behaviors, needs, and motivations through various qualitative and quantitative methods. Essential for designing user-centered products and ensuring they meet actual user needs.