User ResearchDiscipline
User research focuses on understanding user behaviors, needs, and motivations through observation techniques, task analysis, and other feedback methodologies. Mike Kuniavsky further notes that it is “the process of understanding the impact of design on an audience."
Which user research methods you can or should perform will depend on the type of site, system or app you are developing, your timeline, and your environment.
User Research Methods
Card Sorting
Card sorting is a method used to help design or evaluate the information architecture of a site
Contextual Interviewing
Observation of users performing tasks in their own environment
Domain Modeling
Define the concepts and relationships that inform effective structured content design
Journey Mapping
Explore and communicate a user’s experience with a service or product over time
Persona Creation
Development of research-informed representations of target user goals, behaviors, and pain points
Scenarios
A specific user's context, motivations, and goals for visiting a website or app
Task Analysis
Observe users in action to understand how they perform tasks to achieve goals
Use Cases
Written descriptions of how users will perform tasks with your product or on your website
User Interviewing
Understand the tasks and motivations of the user group for whom you are designing