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.
46 topics found for:
“information gathering”
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.
Infomediary
An intermediary that gathers and provides information to users, typically in an online context. Important for helping users make informed decisions based on aggregated data.
Guerrilla Testing
A quick and cost-effective usability testing method where feedback is gathered from users in informal settings, often in public places. Useful for gaining rapid insights into user behavior and improving designs iteratively.
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.
Stakeholder Interviews
Conversations with key stakeholders to gather insights, expectations, and feedback, ensuring their needs are understood and considered in the project. Essential for aligning project goals with stakeholder needs and obtaining valuable input for decision-making.
Hallway Testing
An informal usability testing method where random passersby are asked to try out a product or feature and provide feedback. Essential for quickly identifying usability issues with minimal resources.
IVR
Interactive Voice Response (IVR) is an automated telephony system that interacts with callers, gathers information, and routes calls to the appropriate recipient. It improves customer service and automates information retrieval.
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.
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.
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.
User Testing
The process of evaluating a product by testing it with real users to gather feedback and identify usability issues. Essential for validating design decisions and ensuring the product meets user 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.
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.
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.
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.
Wall Walk
An activity during a design audit where printed screens representing customer journeys are reviewed collaboratively with stakeholders to assess design quality and identify areas for improvement. Essential for ensuring design consistency, gathering feedback, and making informed decisions on design enhancements.
Thick Data
Qualitative data that provides insights into the context and human aspects behind quantitative data. Crucial for gaining deep insights into user behaviors and motivations.
Product Council
A group of stakeholders that regularly meet to discuss and guide the development and strategy of a product or product line. Crucial for ensuring diverse input and alignment on product strategy and decisions.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Usability Testing
A technique used to evaluate a product or system by testing it with real users to identify any usability issues and gather qualitative and quantitative data on their interactions. Crucial for identifying and resolving usability issues to improve user satisfaction and performance.
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.
PoC
Proof of Concept (PoC) is a demonstration, usually in the form of a prototype or pilot project, to verify that a concept or theory has practical potential. Crucial for validating ideas, demonstrating feasibility, and securing support for further development in product design and innovation processes.
Pilot
A preliminary version of a project or system used to test and validate its feasibility before full-scale implementation. Crucial for identifying potential issues and making necessary adjustments to improve the final product.
MQL
Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL) is a prospective customer who has shown interest in a company's product or service and meets specific criteria indicating a higher likelihood of becoming a customer. Essential for prioritizing leads and optimizing the efficiency of sales and marketing efforts by focusing resources on prospects most likely to convert.
Customer Validation
The process of testing product ideas and assumptions with real customers to ensure they meet market needs. Essential for reducing risk and ensuring product-market fit.
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.
Wizard of Oz Testing
A usability testing method where users interact with a system they believe to be autonomous, but which is actually operated by a human. Essential for testing concepts and interactions before full development.
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.
Test Marketing
A marketing strategy that involves releasing a product to a limited audience to evaluate its market performance before a full-scale launch. Important for assessing market response, identifying potential issues, and refining digital products before a wider release.
Qualitative Research
A research method that focuses on understanding phenomena through in-depth exploration of human behavior, opinions, and experiences, often using interviews or observations. Essential for gaining deep insights into user needs and behaviors to inform design and development.
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.
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.
Market Validation
The process of determining whether there is a need or demand for a product in the target market, often through testing and feedback. Crucial for ensuring that a product will meet market needs and be successful.
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.
CSAT
CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) measures how products or services provided by a company meet or exceed customer expectations. Essential for understanding customer needs and improving product offerings.
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.
Summative Testing
A type of usability testing conducted at the end of the design process to evaluate the effectiveness and overall user experience. Important for assessing the final design's usability and identifying any remaining issues.
Product Requirements
Product Requirements is a document that outlines the essential features, functionalities, and constraints of a product. Crucial for guiding the development process and ensuring all stakeholders have a shared understanding of the product's goals.
MVP
Minimum Viable Product (MVP) is a version of a product with just enough features to be usable by early customers who can then provide feedback for future product development. Essential for validating product ideas quickly and cost-effectively, allowing teams to learn about customer needs without fully developing the product.
Instrumentation
The process of designing, developing, and managing tools and techniques for measuring performance and collecting data. Essential for monitoring and improving system performance and user experience.