Cours de Ux Research

User experience (UX) research is the study of target customers and their requirements for software or mobile applications. UX research is closely related to the broader field of user research, which usability.gov defines as research focused on “understanding user behaviors, needs, and motivations through observation techniques, task analysis, and other feedback methodologies.” This feedback is important for ensuring that user experience design (UXD) meets the needs of users and leads to the creation of a successful product.

There are several methods commonly used in UX research, and a typical project will use more than one to develop an accurate understanding of how users interact with your product. One of the most important is conducting one-on-one user tests (in-person or remotely) to closely observe them using a product to see what works and what doesn’t. A/B testing is a related technique, which evaluates how different users interact with two distinct variations on a product in order to determine which design meets their needs most effectively. User surveys can also yield important insights by tapping into feedback from a wider range of opinions.

A key step for putting UX research into action is often the creation of user personas, which harness findings from research to build fictional characters who represent the different user types that might use your product. Personas can help focus the work of UX designers by distilling all of these different types of research insights into a few target archetypes whose needs and attitudes should be prioritized when revising product designs.‎

UX research is an important skill for many careers in UX or user interface (UI) design, as the findings of this research are critical for informing the creation of successful products. Top designers must be able to take insights from user testing, A/B testing, surveys, personas, and other UX research methods, use rapid prototyping to create new versions of the product based on this feedback, and repeat and iterate the process over and over until the best design for your target customers emerges.

UX researchers systematically study target users to collect and analyze data that will help inform the product design process. Take a closer look at what UX researchers do, how they do it, and what steps you can take to start or advance a career in this in-demand field.‎

Yes! Coursera offers lots of courses to help you learn about every stage of the digital product design process, including UX research, UX design, user interface (UI) design, and the closely-related field of interaction design. You can take courses and Specializations spanning multiple courses from top-ranked schools like the University of Michigan, the University of California San Diego, and the University of Minnesota. Or, you can learn by completing step-by-step tutorials on UX research presented by experienced instructors with the Coursera Project Network.‎

The skills or experience you may need to have to learn UX research includes having a good understanding of UI design. It also helps to have knowledge about quantitative and qualitative research and how to interpret the analytics and statistics to be able to incorporate them into the design process. The soft skills that may be necessary to learn UX research include a willingness to observe human behavior and product interactions. If you have experience working with or interviewing consumers or users of websites and products, you will have some skills needed to learn UX research. If you have good time-management skills, can communicate well, consider yourself a team player, and have problem-solving skills, you may have just the right experience to learn UX research.‎

The kind of people best suited for roles in UX research are interested in knowing what makes an ideal user experience on a website. They are comfortable interviewing face-to-face or surveying users for their input and reactions to websites and products. Those well suited for roles in UX research can share prototypical products with audiences and observe their interactions. The best type of people for UX research roles will be able to encourage users and testers to talk about their thought processes as they're engaging and navigating their way through the website or using the product.‎

The first topic related to UX research that you can study is UX design so you can understand what needs to happen to create the user experience. Another related topic to learn would be market research, which evaluates consumer behaviors. Prototyping is another closely related topic to UX research that you can study because researchers rely on rapid prototyping, storyboarding, paper prototyping, and other types of design concepts to test with users.‎

The types of places that hire people with a background in UX research include large product and tech companies with a large and critical online presence. Places that hire people with UX research training need to conduct various types of user research to make sure they are offering the right type of site or product.‎