Understanding the Core User Research Concepts

User research plays a crucial role in shaping any successful product or service. It keeps the user at the heart of the experience by tailoring it to their needs, and in turn provides real advantage over competitors. But with a growing arsenal of different research methods out there, it can be a challenge to know which is best to use, and when.

This guide offers an overview of the fundamentals for each of the most commonly used methods, providing direction on when to use them—and more importantly, why.

We’ll cover:

• the origins of user research
• discovery and exploratory research
• quant and qual, and the difference between them
• core methodologies:
  • user interviews
  • ethnography and field studies
  • surveys and questionnaires
  • analytics and heatmaps
  • card sorts and tree tests
  • usability studies
• further reading and resources
• key takeaways

This book is for anyone interested in user research. No experience is required.