As professionals, we’re judged on what we produce. So-called deliverables are the artifacts produced by researchers. But what are UX research deliverables? Deliverables are almost always a digital record of inputs, outcomes, and recommendations in a document or presentation. But delivering documents and presentations fits the description of just about all knowledge worker output, so
User experience research has a wide variety of methods. The variety can be both inspiring and daunting—where do you start, what should you master? We recommend two approaches to extend your knowledge of UX methods. First, understand how the many methods relate by reviewing our taxonomy. Second, understand which methods are used the most and
Who cares what happened 15 or 20 years ago? Though technology changes fast, some of the most important questions in UX research are enduring. Preparing for the future means understanding the past. We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary at MeasuringU (2005–2025). For us, it’s less about popping the champagne and more about reflecting on how the
Who cares what happened 15 or 20 years ago? Though technology changes fast, some of the most important questions in UX research are enduring. Preparing for the future means understanding the past. We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary at MeasuringU (2005–2025). For us, it’s less about popping the champagne and more about reflecting on how the
What makes a measure valid? Good intentions? Because someone influential said to use it online? A measure is valid if it can be demonstrated that it measures what it is intended to measure, has the expected alignment of items with factors, and has the expected statistical relationships with other metrics. Its usage also depends on
We’ve all spent a lot of time at home this year. The pandemic has made already-popular video streaming services seem essential. The popularity makes sense given the relatively inexpensive subscription fees, the lack of long-term contracts, and the many channels of access (through websites, mobile apps, smart TVs), and there is a LOT of content
We write extensively about standardized UX metrics such as the SUS, PSSUQ, and SUPR-Q. The main benefits of standardization include improved reliability, validity, sensitivity, objectivity, quantification, economy, communication, and norms. Even when standardized UX questionnaires are developed independently, they are influenced by earlier work, just like how UX itself is a new field built upon earlier
A lot of UX methods exist along with recommendations on when to use them. Some activities tend to cross methods: from operationalizing research questions, making data collection more efficient, and making the most of both what users say and what they do. Here are five techniques we’ve found that make our UX research more effective (and often
Finding and fixing usability problems in an interface leads to a better user experience. Beyond fixing problems with current functionality, participant behavior can also reveal important insights into needed new features. These problems and insights are often best gleaned from observing participants interacting with a website, app, or hardware device during actual use or simulated use (during
While UX research may be a priority for you, it probably isn’t for your participants. And participants are a pretty important ingredient in usability testing. If people were predictable, reliable, and always did what they said, few of us would make a living in improving the user experience! Unfortunately, people don’t always show up when
