Questions tagged [user-research]
Comprises multiple methods for gaining insight into user needs and behaviours from real end users.
55
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How to discover what users NEED and not what they WANT?
I have been thinking a lot about my favorite quote from Henry Ford:
If I asked people what they wanted, they would have said 'Faster Horses'. -Henry Ford
The trouble I have been having is that I ...
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What research methods can I use to create personas?
My experience with personas has been from creating personas with data that already exists usually provided by the marketing team based on their research.
How do you go about conducting research to ...
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What is the ROI of UI or UX design?
I was trying to find out if there have been studies on how much a bad UI or UX design affects sales on websites? I couldn't really find anything in my searches.
Also, does anyone know about any ...
user9533
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votes
11
answers
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Should users be allowed to use any special character they want when creating a password?
I came across a number of login configuration settings where there is a list of allowable special characters and was wondering:
Does this limitation cater for a specific security or usability need?
...
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5
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How to recruit user test participants?
Where do you find participants for user tests and interviews for persona building? Is it OK to recruit them via an existing web site for example? How much do you pay them?
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16
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Should personal data be asked at the beginning or end of an online survey
Given a 10-step online survey (mostly yes/no radio buttons), where is it best to ask for the users' personal data e.g. name, age, contact details?
My intuition says putting it at the end will yield ...
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29
votes
9
answers
12k
views
Dark on Light or Light on Dark? [duplicate]
For a very technical site documenting code, sharing code snippets, and documentation, I have been told that using dark fonts on light backgrounds is recommended for people being able to read the ...
- 709
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answer
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Loading Times / Breaking points
We all know that a user is not going to wait forever for a website to load. Given there are certain factors and circumstances that can apply to this, is there a breakdown of users stages/breaking ...
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4
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UX without user research: How do I implement good UX principles when my resources are limited?
In UX, it should all start with the user. Everything from visual design to information architecture flows from the needs of the user. If I don't have the resources to be conducting field research or ...
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3
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What is the rationale for the design of search input fields?
Having read through a whole bunch of literature on search behaviour and looking at different design patterns, I am interested in the large variation of search input field on the web. Specifically, I ...
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Is it better to use a Likert scale or Semantic Differential for gathering attitudes towards pages?
For gathering users' emotional reactions to web pages via a survey, a researcher could use either a Likert scale (e.g., Agree Strongly - Agree Somewhat - Indifferent - Disagree Somewhat - Disagree ...
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How to tell user if they are offline or online?
App is browser based and is using local storage to facilitate offline working (no internet dependency for limited functionality) and faster response (data is available locally so less network calls).
...
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2
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How can I showcase my user research in an UX portfolio?
I'm a beginning in a UX field and currently building up my portfolio. In portfolio projects how do I include the research element of the UX process when I have no money to spend on formal UX research?
...
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36
votes
4
answers
6k
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Display comments order - best practice
I wonder what is the best comments order on the website. I assume there are two major methods to display comments:
from newest to oldest,
from oldest to newest.
Facebook uses method one and displays ...
- 463
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votes
6
answers
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Metrics for measuring user engagement for web applications
Unlike business and e-commerce sites, web applications don't necessarily have an end-goal or target for users to achieve. What are some metrics that can be used to measure how 'engaged' users are with ...
- 25.5k
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votes
26
answers
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How to prevent users using your app while driving?
I'm working on an app project for professional drivers.
Besides all the features we need to offer them, we need to prevent as much as we can our users to use the app while driving.
Can you think of ...
- 641
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8
answers
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When (if ever) should links be opened in a new window?
I have seen a lot of discussion on this topic but it all seems to be opinion based without any research backing up the assumptions.
It seems that there are times that it is particularly relevant to ...
- 1,450
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votes
3
answers
14k
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Gender neutral photos for users who don't yet have a profile picture
I am administering a web application that has male and female users.
Currently, the default user photo is:
I don't like this because it seems rather masculine and gives me the impression that the ...
- 673
14
votes
5
answers
708
views
What ways to conduct user research quickly and cheaply are there?
Let's face it, in today's world - everything is moving fast and with approaches like agile, UX gets squeezed. It doesn't have to be this way and from what I hear many companies are using Sprint 0 ...
- 497
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votes
4
answers
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Where is the best way to approach hallway usability testing?
I found UserTesting.com but it costs $40 per person which is super expensive. I want to test if I am communicating the correct message to users on our site. Where is a good place to do some hallway ...
- 163
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4
answers
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Quantitative and qualitative data used in UX research
I am trying to find examples of user behaviour research that combines both quantitative and qualitative data. It seems to me that most of the research leans heavily or exclusively towards one approach ...
- 25.5k
11
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6
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What is the difference between human factors and UX design?
I appreciate that this question might not have a well defined scope but i am hopping that providing a context might help. So consider the aviation industry ( often associated with Human factor) as an ...
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What are good questions to ask when interviewing intranet users for persona development? [duplicate]
I'm part of an external team hired to improve a software engineering company's intranet.
I have been tasked with developing a usable set of personas out of a pool of around 300 employees. The ...
- 1,071
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votes
10
answers
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Is it OK to autocorrect users when they have mistyped parts of their email address?
When logging in, users might mistype parts of their email address. For example, name@company.con instead of .com, Yaho instead of yahoo, etc.
The main rationale is that by autocorrecting user input ...
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11
votes
3
answers
208
views
How can I structure a usability study to produce findings that relate to the long-term use of a tool by an expert user?
I am building a tool that will be used in a call center. The users range from part-time temps to 5 year veterans. I have personas that reflect these.
I have two (quite different) prototypes of a ...
- 1,798
10
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8
answers
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How to measure self reported computer proficiency? Ideally with one item
For a usability test, I'd like to have a simple measure for computer proficiency, to be able to see, whether it has an impact on successfully handling the tasks.
How can we best measure that?
A ...
- 999
6
votes
5
answers
1k
views
How to solve Design/UX problems using more tangible/fun techniques?
I am trying to compile a list of interesting/more tangible methods of solving UX/Creative problems - whether it be as individual, in small groups, workshops, in user testing etc...
I am already ...
- 2,164
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3
answers
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views
How do users react to a browser request for geolocation?
Is there a study about a user's reaction to a browser request of a geolocation?
What is the percentage of acceptation?
In which case?
What triggers acceptance and what triggers denial?
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5
answers
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Should printed graphics of a domain start with www, uppercase/lowercase? How to make the user understand that it's a domain?
Consider a car used by a company which has "advertising" printed on it regarding the actual company.
How should domains be displayed on such a car? Is there any research regarding this? With a wide ...
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3
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Is domain name important for user experience?
Is it important for the domain of a website to be chosen so that it is simple to type?
For example, consider delicious-dot-ly (delicious.ly).
Would it be fair to say that the difficulty of typing ...
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8
votes
5
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1k
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Developer with HCI background studying graphic design
I'm thinking about going to design school for a year, studying graphic design.
I want to get work as a UX designer/researcher, with the possibility of day to day activities like user research, user ...
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votes
9
answers
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Can UX without research really be called UX?
However bold the question may seem it is still valid since how many UX Pros we are out there do we really know things before we test on real users?
UX teams are responsible for creating desirable ...
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4
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3
answers
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How to know what user likes or dislikes about a product or service when user is unable to express it himself?
I see many people prefer one product or service over another in same category but when we ask them what did you like or dislike in those products they don't really have any answer.
They say "I don't ...
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4
votes
1
answer
365
views
Age group dilemma in surveys
So I'm new to research and I started a survey to understand users a bit more. After doing a HotJar Poll/ Email Survey on one of the sites I'm managing I'm getting 55+ as an age group for the majority ...
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3
votes
3
answers
310
views
Whom should we design for? Early Adopters or Late Adopters?
If we categorize the users as "Early Adopters" and "Late Adopters", whom should we design for?
The categorization is not just based on their age, but their capabilities or interest towards adopting ...
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1
vote
2
answers
338
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User research for a product users have never used
I am designing a health tracker app for the users in my organisation and I am planning to interview users in order to understand them more.
However, these users have never used such an application ...
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18
votes
14
answers
483
views
Is user testing a luxury or a necessity?
I understand that you should be thinking of your users all the time but given the current climate where every pound counts, is user testing just for the richer companies? Should you discount your ...
Alan Tucker
8
votes
7
answers
655
views
When to use data driven personas and when to make them up?
I'm studying HCI and the focus for persona creation on my course is resolutely that personas should be derived from user research data. I also attended adaptive path's uxintensive last year and the ...
alison
8
votes
4
answers
839
views
What are the best practices for keeping and analyzing unstructured user feedback?
To get and analyze users' feedback is vital for designing successful products as all of you perfectly know. It is more or less clear what to do with surveys' results, but what is the best way to keep ...
6
votes
3
answers
320
views
Are there standard metrics to gauge process complexity?
One aspect of user experience in a software application or website is the complexity of the processes involved in completing a user task/goal. It probably comes as no surprise that if the steps ...
- 25.5k
4
votes
3
answers
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views
What is the best approach to design registration page
I have seen users (including me) who get frustrating registration page and eventually decide to quit the site. (To be frank few of my friends left registration due to annoying captca verification) As ...
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3
votes
1
answer
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views
What's the term for modeling detailed customer behavior in service/UX design?
Let's say I'm designing a service experience for a restaurant app.
For a typical restaurant, you have an owner, a manager, an executive chef, line cooks, waiters, and a bar manager.
Only the waiters ...
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3
votes
7
answers
7k
views
Should external link open in same tab or new tab? [duplicate]
What is best case scenario for external link to open in new tab or same tab? and Why?
When do we use external link? Is it when the data is linking to some external page other than your existing page.
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votes
1
answer
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User classification
Are there any "standard" frameworks for user classification/categorization in terms of behaviour, frequency of use, expertise, loyalty, attitude to product etc? Examples could be: early adopter, ...
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votes
1
answer
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Should complex new UI designs be user-tested element-by-element or as a whole?
StackExchange rolls out a new top bar on meta-StackOverflow. This is a complex innovative design containing several new (as in unfamiliar to current user base) elements.
Should one present a new UI ...
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1
vote
1
answer
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How to get users feedback on experience when they are not 'your' users?
Storytelling mode
You can skip it if you want ;)
I am UI and UX designer on a LMS solution. An LMS is a CMS dedicated to digital learning purpose and sold to a wide range of clients. Some of them ...
1
vote
2
answers
220
views
Best order of user research
Context
I'm planning on doing user testing and research to help improve the UI and UX of our portal/website.There are a lot tools to help improve your product. Think of tools like card sorting, user ...
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vote
2
answers
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Filtering Tables/Grids vs Sorting Tables/Grids
What are the advantages and disadvantages with filtering and sorting tables.
Are there specific situations where one is preferred over the other?
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vote
5
answers
155
views
How should UX designers review the completed web application and prepare a report about it?
How Should a UX designer review the completed app? What are the main credentials and How do you report if something is not working like expected? Do you have some check-list during your review or a ...
11
votes
6
answers
2k
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Floppy disk icon for "Save" [closed]
It's funny that we still use floppy disks icon for save operation association while floppies have long been outdated, unused and many computer users nowadays don't even know how floppy disks actually ...
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