Week 1: Planning UX Research Studies
Planning UX Research Studies INTRODUCTION
You will gain a detailed understanding of each element and create a customized research plan to evaluate any designs developed earlier in the program.
Additionally, the course emphasizes the importance of respecting user privacy and handling data responsibly during UX research. Proper planning is crucial for obtaining valuable insights and advancing the design process.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the importance of incorporating data privacy in user research
- Create a script for a UX research study
- Select participants for a UX research study
- Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for a UX research study
- Understand how research questions shape research methods
- Plan a UX research study effectively
- Outline the steps in the UX research process
- Recognize examples of common UX research studies
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF PRIOR CONCEPTS
1. What are some key benefits of considering accessibility in UX design? Select all that apply.
- Addresses a11y ideas
- Addresses societal structures and products rather than a person’s ability (CORRECT)
- Creates solutions that often help everyone (CORRECT)
- Ensures underrepresented and excluded groups are taken into account (CORRECT)
In the disability community and for UX designers, the social model of disability defines disability as being caused by how society is organized or how products are designed, rather than by a person’s ability or difference. Similar to how many products are created for right-handed people and less often for left-handed people, designers focus on how a product should evolve to meet the needs of underrepresented groups.
Whether or not a person has a disability, considering accessibility in design often benefits everyone, including those with temporary, situational, or permanent disabilities. Products created to enhance the user experience, such as closed captioning, enlarged fonts, and magnifying tools, ultimately help all users.
Accessibility in design, particularly equity-focused design, considers all aspects of a product to ensure it is accessible and fair to various genders, races, and abilities, with special attention to those from historically underrepresented groups.
2. Which phase of the design sprint helps the team find solutions to build on?
- Ideate (CORRECT)
- Prototype
- Decide
- Understand
- Test
Correct: After starting the design sprint on the right track with the Understand phase, the Ideate phase helps the team generate solutions to build upon. To spark creativity, this phase begins with brainstorming ideas and refining them into potential solutions.
3. What can a researcher learn when they properly empathize with users during user research?
- The needs, behaviors, and motivations of their users (CORRECT)
- The hopes, dreams, and assumptions of their users
- The wants, desires, and fears of their users
- The opinions, feelings, and biases of their users
Correct: Empathizing with users helps researchers understand their needs, the reasons behind those needs, and how they approach solving problems. This understanding is essential for creating positive user experiences.
4. Which of the following are examples of pain points?
- Completing the checkout process for a food delivery app
- Receiving the same response to three different questions from an automated chatbot (CORRECT)
- Being asked to submit credit card information when no payment is required (CORRECT)
- Struggling to interact with a button on a mobile app’s homepage because it’s extremely small (CORRECT)
Correct: This is an example of a support pain point, since the user can’t get the answers they need.
Correct: This is an example of a financial pain point, since the user has to provide sensitive personal information without a clear reason.
Correct: This is an example of a product pain point, since it is a usability issue that frustrates the user.
5. You are designing a life-coaching app for people between the ages of 21 and 30. After conducting research with a diverse set of users, you discover that established professionals are three times more likely to use life-coaching services than those at the beginning of their careers. Which of the following is an example of a complete user persona for your user group?
- Liz Fontaine, a 27-year-old veterinarian who enjoys video games
- Rita Dieguez, a 24-year-old who identifies as non-binary from Manaus, Brazil.
- Michael Embery, a 22-year-old from Indianapolis, Indiana who has a busy work schedule.
- Nistha Dube, a 29-year-old engineer and foodie from Chennai, India, who makes viral cooking videos on the weekends. Nistha has been thinking about how to balance their career and their passion for food, but they also want to make more time for their mental health in their schedule. (CORRECT)
Correct: This is an example of a user persona that describes many different aspects of a user. Understanding who you’re designing for and recognizing that they lead a complex life allows you to refine your solutions to solve problems specific to them. By creating a detailed persona that has all the qualities of a real person in your user group, you can design meaningful solutions for people like Nistha.
6. Which of the following user stories is complete?
- As a chef, I want access to the freshest ingredients and the highest-quality cooking utensils.
- I want a bookshelf so I have somewhere to store my book collection.
- As a yoga instructor, I want to create a consistent class schedule so that my clients know how to confidently plan their weekly exercise. (CORRECT)
- As a scientist, I want access to my colleagues’ published research.
Correct: Empathizing with users helps researchers understand their needs, the reasons behind those needs, and how they approach solving problems. This understanding is essential for creating positive user experiences.
7. Fill in the blank: Designing products with accessibility and inclusivity in mind ensures that you _____.
- create an identical experience for all users
- create a different solution for every single user.
- include solutions that benefit specific individuals, which improves the user experience for all users. (CORRECT)
- focus on creating one solution for as many people as possible
Correct: This approach addresses a problem for a specific user, but the solution benefits many other users of the product. It offers multiple design solutions that consider diverse users, including those with disabilities or from traditionally marginalized backgrounds. By incorporating these considerations, the experience is enhanced not only for the intended user but also for others who use the product.
8. Which of the following is a complete problem statement?
- Angelo needs a toolbox and shingles to fix the leak in their roof.
- Bella is a dance choreographer who needs to create a practice video because some of their students have school during the day and can’t attend lessons in person. (CORRECT)
- Hakim is an accountant who needs to collect expense reports from their coworkers.
- Akiko is a construction consultant who is building a skyscraper.
Correct: In this statement, the user’s name, characteristics, need, and the reason for the need have been clearly defined.
9. Identify the steps of the ideation process in the correct order.
- Brainstorming, documenting ideas, focusing on quantity, gathering a diverse team, questioning obvious solutions, and evaluating the ideas. (CORRECT)
- Gathering a diverse team, brainstorming, documenting ideas, questioning obvious solutions, focusing on quantity, and evaluating the ideas.
- Documenting ideas, brainstorming, focusing on quantity, questioning obvious solutions, gathering a diverse team, and evaluating the ideas.
Correct: It’s important to start by brainstorming a wide range of possible solutions and recording them to create a large pool of ideas. Assembling a diverse team brings unique perspectives, which helps when eliminating less viable solutions. Once you’ve refined your options, you can evaluate which solutions best meet your users’ needs. Following this process in order ensures that you generate and refine a variety of potential solutions.
10. You’re a UX designer working on a gaming app in a competitive market space. You want to figure out what your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses are, and how to create a better product. What should you do?
- Conduct a competitive audit (CORRECT)
- Conduct informal research online
- Create a marketing plan
- Contact each company directly
Correct: A competitive audit is a report that evaluates what competing companies are doing well with their products and where they are falling short. This analysis provides valuable insights that can help improve your product by addressing gaps or issues your competitors have overlooked.
11. Which of the following scenarios would be most appropriate to use a close-up storyboard?
- You begin creating a new finance management app. You need to demonstrate when and how a user might interact with it during a normal work day.
- You create an app that connects people who are interested in gardening via a social forum. You want to implement an inbox feature and test whether or not users find it easy to use. (CORRECT)
- You are in the middle of the design process for a grocery delivery app. You want to pitch some ideas to the team about how the user could use it and benefit from it.
Correct: This scenario aims to test a specific aspect of the product to see how it works, so a close-up storyboard would be most effective. Designers use close-up storyboards to focus on specific interactions, such as how a user navigates from one screen to the next.
12. Which of the following UX tools and processes demonstrate the basic structure and layout of a design without including specific visual details?
- Low-fidelity designs
- Wireframes (CORRECT)
- Ideation exercises
- High-fidelity designs
Correct: Wireframes establish the structure of your page before you move into the next stage of designs. This helps you and your stakeholders evaluate how the pages of your design will work before committing to any details.
13. You are working on an app that connects users to tree removal services in their local area. You have already created paper wireframes and now it’s time to build the design on the computer. What is the next step?
- Create a low-fidelity prototype
- Create high-fidelity mockups
- Create a high-fidelity prototype
- Create digital wireframes (CORRECT)
Correct: You create digital wireframes immediately after paper wireframes. Digital wireframes allow for greater attention to detail compared to the hand-drawn sketches of the paper version. They are also easily shareable, facilitating collaboration with others.
14. How is a prototype different from a wireframe?
- A prototype is an interactive representation of a complete design solution that shows stakeholders how it will work. A wireframe is a single screen with basic elements that establishes the structure of a page. (CORRECT)
- A wireframe is an interactive representation of a complete design solution that shows stakeholders how it will work. A prototype is a single screen with basic elements that establishes the structure of a page.
- A prototype is a single screen that shows all the details that will go into a final design. A wireframe is a set of interactive design solutions made up of many prototypes and demonstrates how the entire design works.
- Wireframes and prototypes are both interactive representations of how a design works.
Correct: Prototypes represent an entire design and demonstrate how it works. Wireframes provide an outline of each screen that goes into a prototype.
15. Identify the benefit of using paper prototypes in the design process
- Paper prototypes allow rapid iterations and require low commitment (CORRECT)
- Paper prototypes are polished and represent a final design solution
- Paper prototypes require large amounts of time and resources to produce
- Paper prototypes are inexpensive and convey complex visual details
Correct: Since a pen and paper are the only necessary tools to create paper prototypes, they allow for low-cost, rapid iteration. Designers can create multiple prototypes in less time.
16. Fill in the blank: _____ is the collection of attitudes and stereotypes we associate to people without our conscious knowledge.
- Primacy bias
- Recency bias
- Implicit bias (CORRECT)
- Sunk cost fallacy
Correct: Implicit bias, or also known as unconscious bias, is the collection of attitudes and stereotypes we associate to people without our conscious knowledge.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE ON UX RESEARCH PLANS
1. Fill in the blank: Best practices for writing research questions include questions that are _____. Select all that apply.
- broad
- neutral (CORRECT)
- Specific (CORRECT)
- Actionable (CORRECT)
Correct: Best practices for writing research questions include questions that are specific, actionable, and neutral. Good research questions avoid leading to a particular answer.
Correct: Best practices for writing research questions include questions that are specific, actionable, and neutral. Specific research questions create meaningful data.
Correct: Best practices for writing research questions include questions that are specific, actionable, and neutral. Good research questions identify a clear way to attempt to answer the question.
2. Imagine you are preparing research questions for a fitness tracker design. Which of the following questions applies in a qualitative research method?
- How easy was it for users to access the app while walking? (CORRECT)
- How many miles did a user typically walk in a week?
- How many times did the user access the app per day?
- How often did the user access the app while walking?
Correct: This is an example of a qualitative research question because it focuses on an observation about how things happen.
3. A research team measured the results of their fitness app prototype and found 40% of users completed all of the sign-up tasks. Which key performance indicator (KPI) demonstrates this measurement?
- Drop off rate
- User error rate
- Conversion rate (CORRECT)
- Time on task
Correct: The conversion rate measures the percentage of users who completed a desired action.
4. You want to quantifiably measure how well users completed tasks for your design prototype by asking users to complete a questionnaire that measures usability. Which KPI should you use?
- Use of navigation vs. search
- Conversion rate
- System Usability Scale (CORRECT)
- User error rate
Correct: The System Usability Scale KPI is a questionnaire to measure the usability of your designs with quantifiable answers.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE ON UX RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS AND SCRIPTS
1. Why is it important to engage participants with diverse perspectives and abilities in a usability study? Select all that apply.
- To identify a key user group to engage in future usability research studies
- To include participants with characteristics outside of the desired characteristics
- To investigate how people with disabilities interact with the product (CORRECT)
- To avoid sample bias for selected groups (CORRECT)
Including people with disabilities in the study helps uncover workarounds or technologies needed to assist them when using the product, and prevents sample bias for selected groups.
Including participants with diverse perspectives and abilities in a study ensures all user experiences are represented and helps designers understand how people with disabilities interact with the product.
2. Imagine you are developing a script for an upcoming usability study. Which of the following should you do in the introduction?
- Remind participants to save their questions until the end
- Remind participants there are no right or wrong answers (CORRECT)
- Assign participants usability tasks
- Ask participants clarifying questions
Correct: Remind participants before the study begins that they are not being tested, the product is in development. That way, they can provide honest feedback about the prototype or product they are testing.
3. Which of the following example script questions explicitly encourages elaboration?
- Was the activity easy to complete?
- Can you share why that activity was difficult for you? (CORRECT)
- How many attempts did you take to complete the activity?
Correct: This question encourages elaboration; it asks the participant to share more information about their experience.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE ON USER DATA AND PRIVACY
1. As a designer, respecting user privacy and securing user data is the right thing to do. Why is it important to protect user privacy? Select all that apply.
- Ensures the project’s success
- Reduces the risk of hacking (CORRECT)
- Protects a company’s brand (CORRECT)
- Complies with confidentiality laws and ethics (CORRECT)
Securing sensitive data reduces the risk of hackers sharing users’ data without their consent, aligns with confidentiality laws and ethics, and protects the company’s brand.
Emphasizing user data protection helps gain the user’s trust, maintains a positive company image, reduces the risk of hacking, and complies with confidentiality laws and ethics.
It’s important to maintain user privacy to avoid violating laws, reduce the risk of hacking, and protect the company’s brand.
2. You are conducting research for a design project and need to collect user data for your study. What can you do to make sure privacy and security are part of your UX design and research practices?
- Provide details about how you plan to use participants’ information and protect their privacy (CORRECT)
- Collect as much data from participants as possible to use in your future usability studies
- Store participants’ data on local servers rather than cloud storage sites
- Get consent from participants after you collect their data
Correct: You should remain completely transparent about how user data is collected, used, stored, and deleted.
3. What is considered personally identifiable information (PII) ? Select all that apply.
- Personal preferences
- Email address (CORRECT)
- Name (CORRECT)
- Phone number (CORRECT)
Correct: An email address, name, or phone number is considered personally identifiable information.
4. What three main concerns should you consider for the safety of research data?
- Data de-identification
- Data storage (CORRECT)
- Data retention (CORRECT)
- Data recording (CORRECT)
Correct: Data storage refers to how a company holds onto data. Data should be kept in a way that is safe from hacking and safe from physical damage. The other considerations for the safety of research data include data recording and data retention.
Correct: Data retention refers to how long a company holds onto research data. To address concerns regarding data retention, some companies limit the amount of time records are kept in storage. The other considerations for the safety of research data include data storage and data recording.
Correct: Data recording refers to the documentation of a company’s research. Consistent documentation makes it easier for the team to compare results to future studies, and to protect the team in the event of an audit. The other considerations for the safety of research data include data storage and data retention.
5. When choosing participants for a research study, what should a designer keep in mind? Select all that apply.
- Participants are representative of select characteristics.
- Participants should be selected without sample bias. (CORRECT)
- Participants should be selected based on research goals. (CORRECT)
- Participants are representative of all users (CORRECT)
Correct: Participants should be representative of all users, not just a select group. Otherwise, the study won’t reflect the perspectives or ideas of the key group or marginalized groups.
Correct: Selected participants should reflect research goals. For example, if a designer is building an app for hiring cat sitters, it wouldn’t make sense to choose participants who are exclusively dog owners. However, it would be a good idea to include cat owners who seldom do or have never had to hire a cat sitter.
Correct: Participants should be representative of all users, not just a select group. Otherwise, the study won’t reflect the perspectives or ideas of the key group or marginalized groups. They should also be selected based on research goals and without sample bias.
6. What should a designer consider when writing a project background? Select all that apply.
- Include information on key performance indicators
- List insights the research will generate (CORRECT)
- Identify signals that indicate why research is necessary (CORRECT)
- Describe previous research (CORRECT)
Correct: Insights are observations about people that help designers understand users and their needs from a new perspective. When writing a project background, designers should list how the insights will be used and what decisions will be made based on them.
Correct: It’s important to identify signals that indicate why the research is necessary. Why is the research being conducted? What problems is the design trying to solve? If there is no user problem, people may not understand the project’s necessity.
Correct: It’s important to describe the previous research conducted and the solutions that have been attempted. The project background should address how previous attempts have brought designers closer to solving the problem.
7. Identify qualities of good research questions. Select all that apply.
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- Broad
- Neutrally phrased (CORRECT)
- Actionable (CORRECT)
- Specific (CORRECT)
Correct: Research questions should be neutrally phrased so they don’t lead the participants to a particular answer. Leading questions will result in inaccurate data, since the question directs participants to the answer that the team wants instead of identifying user needs.
Correct: Research questions should be actionable, so it’s easy for both the team and the participants to identify a clear way to answer the questions. The team should know when they’ve received the answer they need to move forward with the research plan. Questions should also be specific and neutrally phrased.
Correct: Research questions should be specific and not too broad. Questions should produce meaningful qualitative or quantitative data. They should also be actionable and neutrally phrased to give participants a clear way to answer the question, and to avoid leading them to a particular response.
8. How can a usability study benefit from recruiting participants with diverse abilities?
- To discover new key performance indicators
- To compare users and end users
- To identify signals that indicate research is necessary
- To learn how someone with specific needs might use a product (CORRECT)
Correct: By recruiting participants with diverse abilities, a usability study can identify how someone with specific needs and abilities might use a product. This is a crucial part of the UX research and design process because it also supports making products accessible to a wide range of users.
9. What can the research team do to come up with effective tasks for a usability study?
- Build them based on the research goals (CORRECT)
- Build them to be a test
- Build on participant characteristics
- Build them based on designer expectations
Correct: Usability tasks should be based on research goals written in the research plan. The tasks should be specific, make participants take action, and avoid providing clues on how to complete the tasks.
10. Why is protecting user privacy critical during usability studies? Select all that apply.
- To get active consent from users
- To protect the company brand (CORRECT)
- To align with privacy laws and ethics (CORRECT)
- To minimize risk of hacking (CORRECT)
Protecting user privacy is not only the right thing to do but also essential for safeguarding a company’s brand and reputation. Prioritizing data protection helps build trust with users and participants, reduces the risk of cyberattacks, and ensures compliance with privacy laws.
Safeguarding user privacy aligns with ethical standards and privacy regulations. In the United States, companies must adhere to established privacy laws. It’s crucial to mitigate the risk of data breaches and protect the company’s brand in the process.
Ensuring user privacy is critical for securing data, reducing the risk and impact of cyberattacks, and complying with privacy regulations. Additionally, protecting user privacy helps maintain the integrity and reputation of the company.
11. You have created a plan for the UX research study. Now, you need to figure out how to gather data. For UX design, what is a common research method used to gather data?
- A usability study
- A cross-sectional study
- A case-control study (CORRECT)
- An observational study
12. You have decided to conduct a usability study to gather data on the app you are creating. Why would you want to do this?
- To identify pain points that the user experiences with your designs so the issues can be fixed before the final product launches (CORRECT)
- To calculate the number of users who visit the app and visit each screen
- To determine the type of users who visit the app and understand why they are attracted to it
- To compare the app you have designed to similar apps that are already live
13. You are working on the research plan for your usability study for the app you are creating. You have documented the steps you’ll take to conduct your research, and you have determined how you will collect and analyze the data. What is this called in the context of your research planning?
- Methodology (CORRECT)
- Procedure
- Strategy
- Approach
14. Your UX design mentor asks you to include research insights into the project background of your research plan. Why is this important?
- The research insights in the research plan give future users an opportunity to provide their feedback.
- The research insights in the research plan are your best guess as to what the results from the usability study will show.
- The research insights in the research plan should address how those insights will be used and the decisions that will be made based on the insights. (CORRECT)
- The research insights in the research plan should tell the client the findings from the usability study.
15. A junior UX designer asks you how to write good research questions for a research plan. What are the best tips to offer them? Select all that apply.
- The research questions should be phrased to help guide users toward answers aligned with KPIs.
- The research questions should be specific. (CORRECT)
- The research questions should be actionable. (CORRECT)
- The research questions should be phrased neutrally. (CORRECT)
16. You are using various key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure certain elements of your app. You have created a 10-question survey to ask users if they agree or disagree about various elements of the app’s design. Which KPI have you used in this example?
- Drop-off rate
- Conversion rate
- System Usability Scale (CORRECT)
- Error rate
17. A junior UX designer asks you why you are including the methodology in the research plan. What reasons should you give them as to why you have included this information? Select all that apply.
- The methodology offers proof that you are refining the design and ensuring that users will have a good experience with the final product.
- The methodology provides the details that other researchers need to repeat the exact same study in the future. (CORRECT)
- The methodology details will show all of the steps you have taken and will give stakeholders more confidence in your study’s results. (CORRECT)
- The methodology informs the stakeholders of what will happen during the study, how long the study is, and where it will take place. (CORRECT)
18. In the research plan for your app, you list the characteristics of the participants you would like to have to take part in the usability study. Why are the participant characteristics important to note?
- Listing participant characteristics will help you avoid sample bias. (CORRECT)
- Listing participant characteristics proves to the team that you have thought about the end user for your app.
- Listing participant characteristics will help you turn down potential participants who do not meet the requirements.
- Listing participant characteristics will help you talk to potential participants to see if they are a good fit.
19. You are crafting your script for interview questions for the research plan. What types of questions are best to use?
- Leading questions
- Root questions
- Close-ended questions
- Open-ended questions (CORRECT)
10. You are conducting user interviews for the usability study for your app. What are the best things to tell users when it comes to their data and privacy concerns? Select all that apply.
- Tell them their data is safe with you and your team.
- Tell them that their private information is likely already compromised and they should not worry about it.
- Inform them of who will have access to their data. (CORRECT)
- Tell them how you plan to securely store their data and how you will delete it. (CORRECT)
20. You are ready to plan a UX research study. What do you need to do in the initial planning stage? Select all that apply.
- Send the app out to users to review.
- List the questions to be answered. (CORRECT)
- Define the goals for the research. (CORRECT)
- Outline the background of the project. (CORRECT)
21. You are writing the project background for your research plan. What elements should you keep in mind as you write the project background? Select all that apply.
- The time it took to design and iterate the wireframes, mockups, and prototypes
- The insights the research will generate (CORRECT)
- The signals that indicated the research was necessary (CORRECT)
- Any previous research that has been conducted or solutions that have been tried (CORRECT)
22. You are ready to conduct the research for your research plan. Your UX design mentor tells you there are different types of research you can conduct throughout different stages of your project. What are the different types of research you can conduct? Select all that apply.
- You can conduct concurrent research during all phases of the design process.
- You can conduct post-launch research after the product has been launched to see if it’s working as intended. (CORRECT)
- You can conduct design research during the design phase to help you determine how the product should be built. (CORRECT)
- You can conduct foundational research before the design process starts. (CORRECT)
23. You notice that users are not completing the checkout process on the e-commerce page of your app and leave before they complete a purchase. What key performance indicator (KPI) should you use in this example?
- Error rate
- Conversion rate
- Time on task
- Drop-off rate (CORRECT)
24. You have finalized the methodology for the research plan for the app you are creating. Your UX design mentor tells you it is important to ensure your research is documented properly. Why is this important?
- If the research is not documented properly, reviewers of the app may discredit the designers.
- In order for the research to be reliable, it will need to be documented in a way that another researcher could repeat it and find similar results. (CORRECT)
- Documenting research properly provides your stakeholders with proof that you conducted the research and acted on the insights that were gathered.
- The research needs to be documented properly to provide future users a first glance to your app, demonstrating how it will work.
25. You are working to gather participants for your usability study. You have identified the participant characteristics in the research plan. What are some considerations you should have when thinking about your participants? Select all that apply.
- Participants should represent only the types of users who the app targets.
- Participants should represent certain geographic locations and socioeconomic backgrounds. (CORRECT)
- Participants should represent diverse backgrounds and abilities. (CORRECT)
- Participants should represent the key user group and groups that are marginalized. (CORRECT)
26. You are almost finished with your research plan. The last piece is to put together your script for user interviews. Why is it good to use a script? Select all that apply.
- A script ensures the users do not project their personal biases.
- A script ensures you present a professional appearance for the user interviews.
- A script ensures you don’t forget the instructions to give to participants. (CORRECT)
- A script ensures the language is consistent for each participant. (CORRECT)
27. You want to assure the users you are interviewing for your usability study that their data and privacy are very important. What are the best ways for you to do this? Select all that apply.
- Let users know their data will be destroyed after the app or product goes live.
- Let users know what data will be collected. (CORRECT)
- Gain active consent from users for the data that will be collected (CORRECT)
- Provide detail about how you will use participants’ information, and protect their privacy. (CORRECT)
28. You tell your client that you are ready to conduct a UX research study on the app you are designing for them. The client asks you to explain the purpose of this type of study. What is the best way for you to explain it? Select all that apply.
- It tests the number of users who visit the app.
- It helps uncover problems and design opportunities. (CORRECT)
- It adds realistic context to the design process. (CORRECT)
- It is a step-by-step examination of a group of users and their needs. (CORRECT)
29. You have planned your UX research study and conducted a usability study, which has generated a lot of data. You spent a lot of time analyzing the data and have identified some trends and patterns. Now, it is time to share and promote your insights with your stakeholders. What is the best way for you to do this?
- Invite the users from the usability study to explain their perceptions and feedback to your stakeholders.
- Create a presentation and present your research findings and your conclusions to your stakeholders. (CORRECT)
- Invite the stakeholders to lunch to get to know them better before discussing your high-level findings and recommendations.
- Iterate the design to incorporate the research findings and your conclusions, and share the new design with your stakeholders.
30. You are planning your usability study for the app you are creating. You have identified key performance indicators (KPIs) and have sent those to your client for review. Your client is not sure what KPIs are. What is the best way for you to explain this to them?
- KPIs assess how quickly the design team passes off the app designs to the development team.
- KPIs are critical measures of progress toward an end goal. (CORRECT)
- KPIs are a measurement of your design performance in comparison to other designers.
- KPIs compare the design assets used to define the project scope.
31. You are moving along nicely with the research plan. You are now ready to outline the steps you will take to conduct your research. This is also known as the methodology. What should be included in the methodology? Select all that apply.
- The number of questions and desired length of answers that you are looking for
- The time and place of the product tests and interviews (CORRECT)
- The procedures you’ll use to collect the information needed to answer your research questions (CORRECT)
- The names of who will conduct the interviews and how they will be conducted (CORRECT)
32. You have put a lot of design work and thought into a new app and are excited to conduct a usability study to see if your hard work has paid off. What information will the usability study provide?
- It will assess how easy it is for users to complete core tasks in your design. (CORRECT)
- It will provide metrics of how the accessibility components are viewed and visited.
- It will survey the users on their satisfaction and feelings about your app.
- It will gather data points that show how long users spend in your app.
33. In your research plan, you have identified the characteristics of participants that you would like to engage for your usability study. What is the best way for you to ensure you get the type of participants you are looking for?
- Ask participants their opinions about the app.
- Offer incentives to participate.
- Conduct interviews with each participant.
- Use a screener survey. (CORRECT)
34. You are conducting user interviews and inform the participants that their data is private and will be protected. What type of user data should be protected? Select all that apply.
- Sensitive publicly identifiable information
- Publicly identifiable information
- Personally identifiable information (CORRECT)
- Sensitive personally identifiable information (CORRECT)
35. You are working with the design team to create research questions for your research plan. A junior UX designer is not sure why the team needs to spend time crafting research questions. What is the best thing for you to tell them?
- The research questions are the questions you will ask the users participating in the study.
- The research questions should be the questions you want your research to answer and should align with the goals of your research. (CORRECT)
- The research questions should inform the developers about the potential revisions that are coming to them.
- The research questions should target each design deliverable, such as wireframes and mockups, and provide insight into how those designs have evolved and iterated over time.
36. You are ready to conduct user interviews for the usability testing study. What are some best practices to do at the beginning of the interview? Select all that apply.
- Advise the participants about the areas of the app that may cause them problems.
- Give the participants the opportunity to ask questions. (CORRECT)
- Ask for consent to record the interviews. (CORRECT)
- Remind participants they are not being tested. (CORRECT)
37. You are ready to select participants for your usability study. What do you need to consider when selecting participants?
- Participants should be representative of all of your users, not just of a select group. (CORRECT)
- Participants should be selected from a group who will benefit from the app you are creating.
- Participants should have a history of using apps similar to the one you are creating.
- Participants should have several mobile devices so they can test your app on multiple platforms.
38. You are creating the key performance indicators (KPIs) for your research plan. You want to measure how users move through the app. Which KPI would you use in this example?
- System usability scale
- Navigation versus search (CORRECT)
- Drop-off rates
- Time on task
39. You are putting together the project background for the research study of the app you are creating. A junior UX designer asks why you are spending so much time on the project background, instead of moving forward with the actual research. What are the best ways to tell them about the importance of preparing the project background? Select all that apply.
- The project background provides your client and other stakeholders with your credentials and background in UX design.
- The project background informs the iterations of your design that you will be doing during the course of the research study.
- The project background shows that you understand why you’re doing this research and promotes confidence in the overall quality of your analysis and insights. (CORRECT)
- The project background gets the entire team on the same page at the beginning of the study. (CORRECT)
Planning UX Research Studies CONCLUSION
Creating a UX research study plan is a crucial step in the design process that should never be overlooked. A well-crafted plan ensures clarity, direction, and respect for participants’ privacy. There are seven essential components to include: project background, research goals, research questions, key performance indicators (KPIs), methodology, participants, and your script for asking questions. This blog post has explored each of these elements, providing valuable insights to help you craft your own UX research study plan. By the end of this post, readers will be equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to create a thoughtful, privacy-conscious plan.
The ability to not only design but also conduct effective UX research is a key skill for any professional designer. Learning how to create comprehensive study plans can set you apart from other candidates in the job market or give you an advantage when bidding for freelance projects.
By gaining confidence in executing UX research, you will position yourself as a designer who not only excels in creative solutions but also handles the research process responsibly and efficiently, all while prioritizing user privacy and data security. Don’t wait—join Coursera today and start planning your own successful UX studies!