User Research Methods Infographic SG KG SG KG Compressed

A Guide To Using
User-Experience
Research Methods
Summary: Modern day UX research methods answer a wide range
of questions. To help you know when to use which user-research
method, each of 20 methods is mapped across 3 dimensions and
over time within a typical product-development process.
A Landscape of Methods
The field of user experience has a
wide range of research methods Behavioral
available. To better understand Example
Method 1
when to use which method, it is 1
helpful to view them along a
3-dimensional framework:
1. Attitudinal vs. Behavioral Attitudinal
2. Qualitative vs. Quantitative
Qualitative 2 Quantitative
3. Context of Product Use
(Direct) (Indirect)
Popular User-Experience Methods Plotted

Against the 3-Dimensional Framework
Eyetracking Clickstream /
Behavioral Analytics
A/B Testing
Usability
Benchmarking
Usability Remote Moderated
Testing Testing
Field Studies Unmoderated Testing
Contextual
Inquiry
Concept Testing
Diary
Participatory Studies
Design
Card Sorting /
Tree Testing
Attitudinal Focus Groups Customer
Feedback
Interviews Desirability Studies Surveys
Qualitative Quantitative
(Direct) (Indirect)
Key
Natural use of product Decontextualized / not using product
Scripted (often lab-based) use of product Limited use of product
Content by Christian Rohrer

Poster Design by Kelley Gordon
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/which-ux-research-methods/
A Guide To Using
User-Experience
Research Methods
The Dimensions Explained

1 2
Attitudinal vs. Behavioral Qualitative vs. Quantitative
This distinction can be summed up by contrasting Studies that are qualitative in nature generate
“what people say” versus “what people do” (very data about behaviors or attitudes based on
often the two are quite different). observing them directly. These methods are
better suited for answering questions about
Between these two extremes lie the two most why or how to fix a problem. In quantitative
popular methods we use: usability studies and studies, the data about the behavior or
field studies. They utilize a mixture of attitudes are gathered indirectly, through a
self-reported and behavioral data. measurement and answer how many and how
much types of questions.
A/B testing
Behavioral What people do eyetracking
Why & How many &
how to fix how much
usability studies
field studies
usability studies surveys

card sorting field studies
Attitudinal What people say surveys
(Direct) (Indirect)
Questions Answered by Research Methods

Across the Landscape
Behavioral What people do
Why & How many &

how to fix how much
Attitudinal What people say
(Direct) (Indirect)
Content by Christian Rohrer

A Guide To Using
User-Experience
Research Methods
20 UX Methods in Brief
Key
Natural use of product Decontextualized / not using product
Scripted (often lab-based) use of product Limited use of product
Usability Testing Concept Testing

Participants are brought into a lab, one-on-one with a A researcher shares an approximation of a product or
researcher, and given a set of scenarios that lead to tasks service that captures the key essence (the value
and usage of specific interest within a product or service. proposition) of a new concept or product in order to
determine if it meets the needs of the target audience.
It can be done one-on-one or with larger numbers of
Field Studies participants, and either in person or online.
Researchers study participants in their own environment
(work or home), where they would most likely encounter
the product or service being used in the most realistic or Diary Studies
natural environment. Participants are given a mechanism (diary or camera) to
record and describe aspects of their lives that are relevant
to a product or service or simply core to the target audience.
Contextual Inquiry
Diary studies are typically longitudinal and can be done
Researchers and participants collaborate together in the
only for data that is easily recorded by participants.
participants own environment to inquire about and
observe the nature of the tasks and work at hand.
Customer Feedback
Open-ended and/or close-ended information provided by
Participatory Design
a self-selected sample of users, often through a feedback
Participants are given design elements or creative link, button, form, or email.
materials in order to construct their ideal experience in
a concrete way that expresses what matters to them
most and why. Desirability Studies
Participants are offered different visual-design alternatives
and are expected to associate each alternative with a set of
Focus Groups
attributes selected from a closed list. These studies can be
Groups of 3–12 participants are led through a discussion both qualitative and quantitative.
about a set of topics, giving verbal and written feedback
through discussion and exercises.
Card Sorting
A quantitative or qualitative method that asks users to
Interviews organize items into groups and assign categories to each
A researcher meets with participants one-on-one to group. This method helps create or refine the information
discuss in depth what the participant thinks about architecture of a site by exposing users’ mental models.
the topic in question.
Tree Testing
Eyetracking A quantitative method of testing an information
An eyetracking device is configured to precisely measure architecture to determine how easy it is to find items in
where participants look as they perform tasks or interact the hierarchy. This method can be conducted on an
naturally with websites, applications, physical products, existing information architecture to benchmark it and
or environments. then again after the information architecture is improved
with card sorting to demonstrate improvement.
Usability Benchmarking
Tightly scripted usability studies are performed with Analytics
several participants, using precise and predetermined Analyzing data collected from user behavior like clicks,
measures of performance. form filling, and other recorded interactinos. It requires the
site or application to be instrumented properly in advance.
Remote Moderated Testing
Usability studies conducted remotely, with the use of Clickstream Analytics
tools such as video conferencing, screen-sharing A particular type of analytics that involves analyzing the
software and remote-control capabilities. sequence of pages that users visit as they use a site or
softward application.
Unmoderated Testing
An automated method that can be used in both A/B Testing
quantitative and qualitative studies and that uses a A method of scientifically testing different designs on a
specialized research tool to capture participant site by randomly assigning groups of users to interact
behaviors and attitudes, usually by giving with each of the different designs and measuring the
participants goals or scenarios to accomplish with a effect of these assignments on user behavior.
site, app, or prototype.
Surveys
A quantitative measure of attitudes through a series of
Content by Christian Rohrer questions, typically more closed-ended than open-ended.

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A Guide To Using

Popular User-Experience Methods Plotted

Field Studies Unmoderated Testing

Interviews Desirability Studies Surveys

Content by Christian Rohrer

The Dimensions Explained

usability studies surveys

Questions Answered by Research Methods

Behavioral What people do

Why & How many &

Attitudinal What people say

Content by Christian Rohrer

Usability Testing Concept Testing

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