🥳 User Experience
User experience design is the process of creating products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. This involves understanding the needs and wants of users, and creating designs that meet those needs. Investing in user experience can lead to increased profits, as well as improved customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Working in a user-centered way means putting the needs, preferences, and behaviors of users at the center of the design and development process. By focusing on the user, organizations can create products, services, and experiences that are more effective, efficient, and satisfying for their target audience.
Here are some benefits of working in a user-centered way:
- Increased user satisfaction
- By understanding user needs and designing solutions that meet those needs, organizations can create more satisfying experiences for users, resulting in increased customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth recommendations.
- Improved usability
- User-centered design can help organizations create products and services that are easier to use and more intuitive, reducing user frustration and increasing adoption rates.
- Reduced development costs
- By involving users early in the design process, organizations can identify and address usability issues and design flaws before significant development resources are invested. This can lead to cost savings by reducing rework and improving time-to-market.
- Competitive advantage
- Organizations that focus on user-centered design can differentiate themselves from competitors by offering more user-friendly and tailored experiences.
- Better decision-making
- User-centered design can provide organizations with valuable insights into user behavior and preferences, enabling them to make data-driven decisions and design more effective products and services.
Overall, working in a user-centered way can result in more satisfied users, better products and services, and ultimately, more successful organizations.
Design Thinking
Understand
Define
- Affinity Diagram
- User Journey Map
- Personas
- Day in the Life Model
The Day in the Life model shows the different places in the user’s life, the activities undertaken in that place, the devices which support the activities, and the content accessed there. —Contextual Design
- Identity Model
The Identity model shows the different observations of sources of pride, self-esteem, and value that emerged during the interview. As the team sees these observations cluster they may start to come up with names for coherent identity elements that are relevant to the project focus. —Contextual Design
- Sequence Model
The Sequence model lists the detailed steps the user took to accomplish a task. Multiple sequence models may be captured. —Contextual Design
- Collaboration Model
The Collaboration model shows each collaboration event discovered during the interview, including who interacted with whom to achieve what and what was shared, done or discussed. —Contextual Design
- Relationship Model
The Relationship model shows the important relationships in the user’s life as it relates to the target activity—it’s a cleaned up version of the model captured in the interview. —Contextual Design
- Experience Mapping
- Empathy Map
Explore
Roles
UX Researcher
According to PayScale.com, the median annual salary for a user experience researcher in the United States is $85,000.
UX Designer
According to Payscale.com, the median salary for a user experience designer in the United States is $85,277 per year.
UX Writer
According to payscale.com, the median salary for a user experience writer in the United States is $85,000 per year.
UX Strategist
UX Data Analyst
According to Payscale.com, the median salary for a UX analyst in the United States is $85,276 per year.
Visual Designer / Graphic Designer
Processes
Design Sprints
Combine “Agile” with Design Thinking.
GV Design Sprints
Combine Lean Startup with Design Thinking.
Lean UX
Also Combine Lean Startup with Design Thinking.
Contextual Design
Process based heavily on Contextual Inquiry.
Further Reading
UX Strategy
A UX strategy is a 3-part plan that fosters shared understanding of direction toward achieving goals before designing and implementing solutions. It serves to intentionally guide the prioritization and execution of UX work over time. ---nngroup
UX Metrics [Measuring the User Experience]
There are many different metrics that can be used to evaluate the user experience of a product or service. Some common metrics include:
- Task completion rate
- This metric measures the percentage of users who are able to complete a specific task successfully.
- Time on task
- This metric measures the amount of time it takes for users to complete a specific task.
- Error rate
- This metric measures the number of errors or mistakes made by users while attempting to complete a specific task.
- Satisfaction level
- This metric measures the level of satisfaction that users have with the product or service, typically using a survey or rating system.
- Retention rate
- This metric measures the percentage of users who continue to use the product or service over time.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS)
- This metric measures the likelihood that users will recommend the product or service to others.
These are just a few examples of metrics that can be used to evaluate the user experience of a product or service. The specific metrics that are most appropriate will depend on the specific goals and objectives of the organization conducting the evaluation.
If you have a tight project budget, some recommended UX metrics to consider include:
- Task completion rate
- Satisfaction level
- Net Promoter Score (NPS)
User Experience Evaluation Services
Usability Engineering
Task Analysis
Task analysis is a technique used in the field of usability engineering to understand the steps and actions a user takes to complete a specific task with a user interface. The goal of task analysis is to identify potential usability problems and design solutions to improve the user experience.
Heuristic Evaluation
Heuristic evaluation is a usability inspection method where a group of evaluators uses a set of heuristics (or “rules of thumb”) to evaluate a user interface. The goal of heuristic evaluation is to identify usability problems in the interface so that they can be addressed and improved. One of the advantages of heuristic evaluation is that it can be done quickly and inexpensively compared to usability testing.
Usability Testing
Usability testing is a method used to evaluate a product or service by testing it with representative users. The core idea of usability testing is to observe how easily and effectively users can use the product or service in question, in order to identify any problems or areas for improvement. This can help ensure that the product or service is user-friendly and meets the needs of the intended users. In general, usability testing involves asking users to perform specific tasks with the product or service, and then observing and collecting data on their performance. This data can then be used to identify any problems or difficulties that users may encounter, and to make improvements to the product or service to enhance its usability.
Time sheet
Based on the assumption you want to test 5 participant, and every participant has to perform 4 tasks.
| Task | Duration (hours) |
|---|---|
| Prepare and Planning | 24 |
| Test Execution | 8 |
| Data Analysis | 40 |
| Test Report | 24 |
| Sum | 96 |
What are the key differences between User Research and Requirements Engineering?
User research and requirements engineering are two important activities in the field of product development, particularly in the context of software and technology. While there is some overlap between these two activities, there are also some key differences. Here are some of the main differences between user research and requirements engineering:
- Focus
- User research is primarily focused on understanding the needs, goals, and behaviors of users, as well as their attitudes and preferences. Requirements engineering, on the other hand, is focused on defining and documenting the specific features and functions that a product must have in order to meet user needs.
- Methods
- User research often involves a range of qualitative and quantitative research methods, such as interviews, surveys, observation, and usability testing. Requirements engineering, on the other hand, often involves methods such as user stories, use cases, and functional requirements.
- Outcome
- The outcome of user research is usually a set of insights and findings about user needs, behaviors, and preferences. The outcome of requirements engineering, on the other hand, is usually a set of detailed specifications and requirements that describe the features and functions of a product.
- Timing
- User research is typically conducted early in the product development process, before requirements engineering. This allows designers and developers to gain a deep understanding of user needs and preferences before deciding on specific features and functionality. Requirements engineering is typically conducted later in the process, once the user research is completed, and the design team has a better understanding of the specific requirements that the product must meet.
- Stakeholders
- User research often involves a range of stakeholders, including users, designers, product managers, and other members of the development team. Requirements engineering typically involves a narrower set of stakeholders, including product managers, developers, and other technical team members.
Overall, while user research and requirements engineering are both important activities in the product development process, they serve different purposes and involve different methods and outcomes. User research is focused on understanding user needs and behaviors, while requirements engineering is focused on defining the specific features and functions that a product must have in order to meet those needs.