User:Gergodley/User research

User research focuses on understanding the behaviors, needs, and motivations of users through methods such as interviews, surveys, usability evaluations and other forms of feedback methodologies. It is used to understand how people interact with products and to evaluate if design solutions meet their needs. This field of research aims to improve the user experience (UX) of products, services, or processes through the incorporation of experimental and observational research methods to guide the design, development, and refinement of a product. User research is used to improve a wide range of products such as websites, applications, technological devices, services and more. It is an iterative process which plays a core role in user-centered design.

User research is beneficial in all stages of product development from ideation to market release. Data gathered from user research can be used to identify existing problems and user requirements. Design solutions to identified problems and requirements are created and tested with the target user group in a process known as usability testing. This process is repeated as many times as necessary to ensure that the users problems and requirements have been satisfied. After the product is launched in the market, user research can be used to understand and analyze how well it works, and how to improve it or create a new solution. User research also helps to uncover problems faced by users when they interact with a product and turn them into actionable insights.

Mike Kuniavsky, a pioneer in the field of UX design notes that user research is “the process of understanding the impact of design on an audience.” The types of user research you can or should perform very much depends on the context in which the design will take place. It is important to consider the type of site, system or application you are developing, the project timeline, and the environment in which the research and design will take place. Professionals who practice user research often use the job title 'user researcher' or ‘UX researcher’. User researchers are becoming increasingly common, especially in the digital and service industries, and also in governments around the world. User researchers often work closely with designers, engineers, and programmers in all stages of product development.

Purpose
With respect to user research in the field of design, research is typically approached with an empathetic perspective in order to humanise data collected about people. This method can also be referred to a human-centered approach to problem-solving. User researcher aims to uncover the barriers or frustrations users face, and gain a deeper understanding of a user’s interactions with products, services, or systems. A unique facet of user research is the brand of user experience (UX) research which places the focus on the feelings, thoughts, and situations users encounter as they interact with products, services, and systems. Failing to include users in their development process may result in unsuccessful products. Involving users throughout the entire research and development process can help to improve the quality of design, and results in products which cater to user’s needs, solves their problems, and provides a more desirable experiences for the users. User research helps businesses and organizations improve their products and services by helping them better understand:


 * Who their users are;
 * What their users are trying to achieve/what their needs are;
 * How do their users currently try to do things, and what are the prevailing pain points;


 * What is the best way to help users achieve their tasks.

Many benefits from conducting user research exist, beyond designing more user friendly products and services. Gaining an understanding of the user’s requirements before beginning the development or releasing a product can help to save time, money, and resources. Additionally, user research helps to gather data that can influence stakeholders' decisions based on evidence rather than opinion.

Despite providing many positive effects, user studies should be performed with care. While carrying out a user study, the level of  user satisfaction can be influenced by several factors such as user effectiveness, system effectiveness, user effort, and user expectations and characteristics, making user satisfaction a subjective variable. When evaluating a system with user research, the subjectiveness should be considered. One study examined the influence of answering a survey in virtual reality (VR) research. It found that users answering the survey within the VR environment experienced less interruption of the experience compared to users answering the survey in the real world. The interruption of the experience can influence the answers of the users and could provide different results for the same product.

Application
User research is interrelated with the field of design. In many cases, someone working in the field can take on both roles as researcher and designer. Alternatively, these roles may be separated, and teams of designers and researchers must collaborate through their projects. User research is commonly used in:


 * Software Development
 * User experience Design
 * Requirements Engineering

Software development
Over the past decade, software development has shifted from a strictly phase-based linear approach to a dynamic process of iterative cycles, including several active stakeholders. Originally, most software was developed using the waterfall model, a method using linear sequential phases where each phase depends on the deliverables of the previous phase. This design process allows for little flexibility. The original waterfall model did not incorporate user research. After criticism, the waterfall model was modified and included customer involvement into the final step.

A new approach to software development is reflected in Agile software development (ASD), a technique responding to unpredictable change by relying on users and stakeholders and their creativity, rather than the process. The Manifesto for Agile Software Development is based on twelve principles, with the first principle focusing on customer satisfaction by early and continuous delivery of valuable software. To achieve this goal, ASD incorporates user research in their iterative cycle, allowing users to regularly review the product and add or alter existing requirements.

User experience design
User research plays a fundamental role in the process of user experience (UX) design. User research allows UX researchers and designers to gain a deeper understanding of their target user base. User research is typically performed throughout the entire UX design process in an iterative manner, meaning that steps are repeated as part of a cyclical process until a satisfactory solution has been created. The UX design process typically begins with a user research phase, which involves researchers and designers speaking to or observing people from their target user group. The purpose of this is to gain an understanding of any problems users face, and any desires or requirements they seek from a solution. Following the initial research phase comes the define stage, where gathered research is analysed to define a problem statement. During the design stage in the UX process, designers will create solutions in an effort to solve any problems or user requirements identified in the research phase. These solutions will typically be tested on users at various stages during the design stage, to validate their effectiveness and assess their user friendliness.

Requirements engineering
Requirements engineering is the process of defining, documenting, and maintaining requirements in the design process. It is a common role in software engineering and systems engineering. Involving the user early on into the development and design process of the software and hardware is a key factor to success. To accomplish this several methods from user research can be applied. Personas can help model and prioritize actors and requirements, identify and illustrate actors and use cases, specify relationships among actors and use cases, and specify non-functional requirements. One study found that with high levels of uncertainty, higher user involvement had a significant impact on the quality of the requirements. Greater user involvement is seen as a good strategy for alleviating the negative effects of uncertainty on the quality of the requirements. Higher user involvement also leads to greater user consensus and helps the stakeholders reason about what their business process should look like and what they need from the information system.

Process
The process of conducting user research can be broken into a number of different phases. In order to achieve best results, it is advised to engage in a structured user research process. It is important to note however that this does not mean a rigid process, as there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to user research solutions. User research is a non-linear process, meaning that the research phase does not end when design and development begin. Instead, research continues throughout all phases in an iterative manner, allowing researchers to continuously make additional discoveries throughout all stages.

Before commencing user research, it is recommended to first clarify your goals - what you aim to get out of the research. Setting clear goals allows researchers to define the process, efficiently distribute any relevant resources, get stakeholders on board, and maximize user insights with the least amount of effort. Methods to assist researchers in clarifying goals may include the analysis of previously conducted research or new opportunities identified from creative brainstorming sessions. Setting key UX research questions to be answered allows researchers to focus their exploration and contextualize UX research goals in line with larger organizational objectives.

Selecting the right approach
Once the research goals and questions have been set, the next phase of user research concerns the approach regarding the type of research and data collection methods to be used. The suitability of research methods depends on both user and business needs, and the availability of resources to the researcher. It is recommended to include a selection of both behavioral and attitudinal research methods. Behavioral research refers to the process of observing how users act. Examples of behavioral research methods include A/B testing, user recordings, and eye tracking. Attitudinal research refers to the process of understanding a user's feelings and attitudes. Attitudinal research methods include user interviews, surveys, and card sorting. By using a combination of behavioral and attitudinal research methods, researchers are able to gain an understanding of both what users say and what they do, which do not always align. Ideally, researchers should seek to gather a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, also known as a mixed methods approach, as this helps to strengthen the validity of results.

Discovery, exploration, and testing phases
Common phases of user research processes include Discovery, Exploration, and Testing. These phases are usually performed in the order they are stated above, however each project is different, and as a result, the different stages in user research are not always neatly compartmentalised. The discovery phase usually occurs near the beginning of the project, as researchers attempt to deepen their understanding of what they do not know, and highlight needs of the user. Performing discovery research prior to the development of a new product or feature can help to inform researchers if it makes sense to conduct the project in the first place. Examples of activities that are typically performed during the discovery phase include field studies, user interviews, diary studies, and competitive analyses.

The exploration phase helps researchers to enhance their understanding of the problem space and allows them to determine if their proposed design solutions appropriately address previously identified user needs. Examples of activities that are typically performed during the exploration phase include comparison of features against competitors in the same field, development of personas and user stories, development and testing of paper prototypes, and card sorting.

Testing and validation of data gathered from user research and beyond can be very valuable to researchers, to inform them if the data they have gathered is accurate, and that the proposed solutions work well for their target user groups. It is advised to perform qualitative usability testing early and often to ensure that any solutions satisfy the needs of your target research group.

Analyzing the data and reporting results
One data is gathered, it is important to analyze it to draw findings and collect insights which can help to decide the direction in which potential design solutions may take. Typical analysis methods for qualitative data include organizing it into different categories or tags, and focusing on user pain points. A thematic analysis can also be performed during the data analysis stage. This refers to a systematic method of breaking down the data gathered from user research and organizing it by tagging individual observations and quotations with codes, which can then be used to facilitate the discovery of broader themes.

Researchers can present findings from their research by compiling findings into reports. Research reports commonly summarize the details of a research study, including any research questions, methodology, insights of interest, and recommended next steps. Reports should be presented in such a way so that stakeholders of different types can digest and understand the findings. Reports can come in many forms, including written articles and visual presentations.

Types
Two main types of general research exist - pure and applied. Pure research focuses on understanding the basic relevant properties and processes, while applied research focuses on the utilization of information to create useful material. User research utilizes applied research to produce improved products. Multiple ways of classifying research exist, however with regards to user research, Erika Hall mentions four ways in her book 'Just Enough Research' of classification.

Generative or exploratory research
Generative research or exploratory research is performed in an effort to understand and define the user’s problems that need to be solved in the first place. It can be used during the initial stages of product development to create new solutions or it can be applied to an existing product to identify potential improvements and enhancements. Interviews, observational studies, secondary research, etc., are some of the common methods used during this phase. These methods are used to answer broad and open questions, where the aim is to identify problems users might be experiencing. Usually, the data collected through generative research must be synthesized in order to formulate the problems to be solved, for whom and why it is important.

Descriptive or explanatory research
Descriptive research or explanatory research helps to define the characteristics of the problem and populations previously identified. It is used to understand the context of the problem and the context in which users have the problem. The methods used in this phase of research can be very similar to the methods used in the generative research phase mentioned previously. However, this phase helps to identify what is the best way to solve a problem as opposed to what problems need to be solved. During this phase, experts in the problem area are consulted to fill knowledge gaps that may be required in order to implement a solution. This phase is required to avoid making assumptions about the problem or people that might otherwise result in a biased solution. The aim of this phase is to gain a satisfactory understanding of any problems, and to ensure that potential solutions will solve the identified problems.

Evaluative research
Evaluative research is used to test the solution ideas to ensure they work and solve the identified problems. Ideas are usually tested by representatives from the target population or user group. This is an iterative process and can be done on prototype versions of the solution. The commonly used method in this phase is called usability testing and it focuses on measuring if the solution satisfactorily addresses the intended problem. Users can also be asked to provide their subjective opinion about the solution, or they can be asked to perform a set of tasks while a researcher observes to determine if the solution is intuitive and easy to use. In simple words, evaluative research assess whether the solution fits the problem and whether the right problems were addressed.

Causal research
Causal research typically answers why something is happening. Once a solution is up and running, one can observe how people are using it in real time and understand why it is or isn't used in the way that it was originally envisioned. One of the common methods used in this phase is A/B testing.

Tools and Methods
The user research process follows a traditional iterative design approach that is common to user-centered design and design thinking. User research can be applied throughout the entire design cycle. Typically, software projects start with conducting user research at the requirement gathering stage, which means that users are involved right from the beginning of the projects. Various design models exist which are suitable to be used by organizations conducting user research, they include a wide range of research methods which are frequently used in the field of user research. The Nielsen Norman group provide a framework to better understand when to use which method, it is helpful to view them along a 3-dimensional framework with the following axes:


 * Attitudinal vs. behavioral: This distinction is the contrast between what people say and what people do. Attitudinal research is used to study users' perceptions, beliefs, opinions and what they think about a certain product or problem. Behavioral research on the other hand measures how people interact with a product. Interview studies, focus groups, surveys and diary studies often measure attitudes. Some usability studies that aim to investigate how people interact with products can fall under the category of behavioral research. Web analytics and click rates are good examples of informative behavioral measures.
 * Qualitative vs. quantitative: Qualitative research generates data by asking users about their attitudes, opinions, and experiences regarding products, services, or processes. Qualitative research is conducted by asking users open ended questions via surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Additionally, directly observing a user’s behaviors is another form of generating qualitative data. Quantitative research aims to measure attitudes and behaviors via closed-ended surveys and analytics. The contrast lies in the ability to analyze data, quantitative research typically use mathematical analysis where the instrument of data collection gathers data that can be coded numerically. On the other hand, analysis of qualitative data is a process which entails of analyzing non-numeric, conceptual information. Affinity diagraming, thematic analysis, grounded theory, are some commonly used qualitative analysis methods.
 * Context of use: This describes the way in which participants interact with a product, system, or service. Products, systems and services can be used in a natural or near natural setting where there is minimum interference from the researchers. This method provides data with great validity, however researchers lack the ability to ask follow up or clarifying questions to users. Scripted uses of the product, system or service are typically conducted in a lab based context, where the main goal is to test usability, or to examine more specific aspects of the product. Exploratory studies such as interviews are conducted when a product does not yet exist or if a researcher is aiming to deepen their understanding of a user’s perception regarding the product in question when it is not in use.

Deliverables
User research deliverables allow researchers to summarize research and make insights easy-to-understand and digestible to all relevant stakeholders. Multiple formats of presenting research deliverables exist. Regardless of the format, the deliverable should be engaging, actionable and should also cater to the audience. The following are some of the most common user research deliverables:

ResearchOps
In 2018, a group of user researchers defined a new practice called Research Ops to operationalize user research practice in companies. ResearchOps is similar to DevOps, DesignOps and SalesOps, where the goal is to support practitioners by removing some basic operational tasks from their daily work. The goal of ResearchOps is to enable researchers become more efficient in their roles by reducing the time needed to perform data collection and the processing of data for analysis. ResearchOps is aimed at supporting researchers in all facets of user research starting from planning, conducting, analyzing, and maintaining user research data. The ResearchOps community defines itself as the people, mechanisms, and strategies that set user research in motion - providing the roles, tools and processes required to support researchers in delivering and scaling the impact of the craft across an organization. ResearchOps focuses on standardizing research methods across the organization, and providing support documentation such as scripts, templates, consent forms, etc., to ensure a quick application of research. Additionally, ResearchOps aims to assist researchers by helping them to manage and recruit participants, provide governance, having an oversight of research ethics, and ensuring that research insights are accessible to the organization.

Ethics
When it comes to to private companies, unlike academic research, no clear regulations or approval requirements from ethics committees exist. In 2014, Facebook conducted an emotional contagion experiment, which involved the manipulating the newsfeeds of 689,000 users by displaying an increased amount of either positive or negative content, when compared to the average user. The experiment lasted for a week, and upon completion Facebook found that users who were shown an increased amount of positive posts posted more positive content, while the users who were exposed to more negative content tended to post an increased amount of negative content, than prior to the experiment. This study was widely criticized due to the fact that users were not presented with an informed consent form, and were completely unaware that they were part of any experiment. This study however appeared to be legal under Facebook's terms and conditions, due to the fact that Facebook's users relinquish the use of their data for data analysis, testing and research. Much criticism stemmed as a result of the manipulative nature of the study, harm caused to the participants who were exposed to an increased amount of negative content, and a lack of explicit informed consent. Since this experiment, Facebook has implemented an internal Institutional review board (IRB) however, not all studies must undergo an ethics approval.

User researchers often gather and analyze data from their users, however, such activity does not fall under the legal definition of research according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' requirements for common rule (46.102.l). According to them, the legal definition of research is a "systematic investigation, including research development, testing, and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge". It can be argued that many user research studies do not contribute to generalizable knowledge, instead companies use the data to improve their products and offerings. There is no official framework or process however that exists for ethical approval of user research in companies.