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User Research

Improve Product and Service Design and Enhance Your UX Research

Put the consumer back into the heart of your campaigns with this bestselling guide to user experience and research, offering practical and straightforward advice on the most up-to-date research methods.

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EAN: 9781398603578

Edition: 2

Published: 03 Feb 2022

Format: 235 x 155

344 pages

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About the book

Despite businesses often being based on creating desirable experiences, products and services for consumers, many fail to consider the end user in their planning and development processes. This book is here to change that.
User experience research, also known as UX research, focuses on understanding user behaviours, needs and motivations through a range of observational techniques, task analysis and other methodologies. User Research is a practical guide that shows readers how to use the vast array of user research methods available. Written by one of the UK's leading UX research professionals, readers can benefit from in-depth knowledge that explores the fundamentals of user research.

Covering all the key research methods including face-to-face user testing, card sorting, surveys, A/B testing and many more, the book gives expert insight into the nuances, advantages and disadvantages of each, while also providing guidance on how to interpret, analyze and share the data once it has been obtained. Now in its second edition, User Research provides a new chapter on research operations and infrastructure as well as new material on combining user research methodologies.

About the authors

Stephanie Marsh (she/they) is a leading UX research professional and currently UX Research Operations Lead at Springer Nature. They are the former Head of User Research and Analysis for the UK Government Digital Service and former Head of Digital Strategy for the UK Ministry of Defence. She was also previously a consultant at Bunnyfoot, a leading UX consultancy in the UK. They have contributed chapters to a range of peer-reviewed texts in related fields and has delivered talks on UX Research, Research Operations and UX strategies at a range of conferences and industry events. She is based in London.

Stephanie Marsh

- Chapter - 01: Introduction: Why is user research so important?
Section - ONE: The fundamentals: What good research looks like
- Chapter - 02: Planning your user research
- Chapter - 03: Best practice in user research: Who, what, why and how
- Chapter - 04: Getting the legal and ethical stuff right
- Chapter - 05: Setting up for success
- Chapter - 06: Managing user research logistics: agencies, facilities and contracts
Section - TWO: Selecting and using user research methods
- Chapter - 07: Usability testing: observing people doing things
- Chapter - 08: Content testing: what do people think your content means?
- Chapter - 09: Card sorting: understanding how people group and relate things
- Chapter - 10: Surveys: how to gauge a widespread user response
- Chapter - 11: User interviews: understanding people's experience through talking to them
- Chapter - 12: Diary studies: how to capture user research data over time
- Chapter - 13: Information architecture validation through tree testing: does the structure of your information work for your users?
- Chapter - 14: Ethnography: Observing how people behave in the real world
- Chapter - 15: Contextual inquiry: Interviewing people in their own environment
- Chapter - 16: A/B Testing: A technique to compare different options
- Chapter - 17: Getting the best out of stakeholder workshops
- Chapter - 18: Guerrilla research: Running fast-paced research in the real world
- Chapter - 19: How to combine user research methodologies
Section - THREE: Analyzing user research data
- Chapter - 20: Content analysis: understanding your qualitative data
- Chapter - 21: Identifying themes through affinity diagramming
- Chapter - 22: Thematic analysis: Going beyond initial analysis
- Chapter - 23: Agile analysis
- Chapter - 24: Analysing usability data and cataloguing issues and needs
- Chapter - 25: Analysing data to create personas to communicate user characteristics and behaviour
- Chapter - 26: Analysing data to create mental models: visualizing how users think and identify opportunities
- Chapter - 27: Turning findings into insights
Section - FOUR: UX storytelling: Communicating your findings
- Chapter - 28: Making recommendations: How to make your research findings actionable
- Chapter - 29: Creating executive summaries and detailed reports to present results
- Chapter - 30: Using video playback to present your research results
- Chapter - 31: Using journey and experience maps to visualize user research data
- Chapter - 32: Using scenarios and storyboards to represent the user journey
- Chapter - 33: Using infographics to translate numerical and statistical data
- Chapter - 34: How to recommend changes to visual, interaction and information design
- Chapter - 35: Conclusion

Reviews

Steve Bromley, Principal User Researcher at Reach PLC and author of Building User Research Teams and How To Be A Games User Researcher

This book offers a comprehensive overview of how to be a great user researcher and explains exactly how to plan, run and debrief impactful user research. This new edition is right up to date with modern research needs for ethical data handling, and operationalising research. An essential handbook for new and experienced researchers to keep by their side!

Brigette Metzler, ResearchOps Lead, Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment (Australia) and co-chair of the ResearchOps Community

For those embarking on a career in user research, research operations, or for those with experience in the fields, User Research is a must-have guide. Fantastically practical with all those questions you didn't even know you had already covered.

Laura Wilson, Data Quality Hub Lead, UK Office for National Statistics and author of Respondent Centred Surveys

A true guide as it covers the full lifecycle of user and qualitative research, from design and collection through to dissemination. Following the advice in each chapter will ensure you deliver robust research and insights. The addition of the research operations section and the prominence given to the legal and ethical considerations only further enhances the credibility and utility of this book.

Karmen Guevara, Human-Computer Interaction Pioneer

This is an essential handbook for anyone learning how to conduct user research. It's also an invaluable reference book for experienced researchers. I shall add it to my library! What stands out in this book is the excellent blending of the basic building blocks with best practice for conducting quality user research.

Amy Stoks, Principal Consultant, Affinity UX Ltd

We finally have a practical and pragmatic overview of user research methods together in one book. I expect to see well-thumbed and bookmarked copies of this book on the desks of everyone who believes in the value of designing for their users.

Colin MacAthur, Adjunct Professor, University Bocconi

Stephanie Marsh artfully and comprehensively describes modern user research methods...and importantly, exactly when to use which one!

Amy Hupe, Design Systems and Content Design Expert

The comprehensive guide that follows delivers this promise, empowering its reader with clear explanations and practical instructions based on Stephanie's extensive experience. If you've ever felt intimidated by the complexity and breadth of the subject of user research, this book is for you.

Mithula Naik, Head of Client Experience, Canadian Digital Service

Stephanie Marsh does a hard thing well- she covers the whole gamut of a user researcher's process while placing a strong emphasis on the core fundamentals. Whether you're an experienced researcher or you're new to the field, you'll want to keep this book close to hand.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of how to be a great user researcher and explains exactly how to plan, run and debrief impactful user research. This new edition is right up to date with modern research needs for ethical data handling, and operationalising research. An essential handbook for new and experienced researchers to keep by their side!
Steve Bromley, Principal User Researcher at Reach PLC and author of Building User Research Teams and How To Be A Games User Researcher

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