1. New Media Research Methods- Part 1 Planning stage: Using Methods, Data and Tools to explore User’s Experience. How methods relate to research questions? Gosia Kwiatkowska gosia@uel.ac.uk

2. Outcomes Research question ? Variables ? Tools, Methods, Data ? Analysis Design Implementation

3. Research question General Focused Refined

4. Variables Independent IV – cause Dependent DV – effect, response – that you measure

5. What is your research question? General Focused Refined - Is it clear and specific? - Is it feasible in the time allowed? - Clear, specific, feasible and relevant for the target audience

6. Check point… I am studying… because I want to know… in order to help my readers to understand…

7. Good question “Well-crafted questions guide the systematic planning of research. Formulating your questions precisely enables you to design a study with a good chance of answering them.” Light, Singer, Willett (1990)

8. Research terminology Method – the process of gathering and analysing data about a user experience. ! It is also how you approach the relation between IV and DV.

9. Research terminology Data – refers to factual or sensory information taken from your tests, observations, surveys etc.

10. Research terminology Tools – ‘instruments’ you use to ask your research question.

11. Think about the stages of your method! Logic Choice of tools How the data captured feeds into the next phase of testing?

12. New Media Research process Analysis Design Implementation

13. Beginning the process of UX research Brainstorming ideas Who are the users? And what are their needs? – Tools: Observations Questionnaires Interviews Focus groups Ethnography Personas Analysis

14. Observations Interactions Human dynamics Patterns Full picture but can be subjective

15. Questionnaires Cheap and quick Easy Q’s and A’s standardised Mainly quantitative Cross-sectional Replicable

16. Interviews Meanings Perceptions Understanding Interpretations Experiences Qualitative

17. Focus groups Perceptions Opinions Concepts Experiences Qualitative Larger groups

18. Ethnography Participation Observation Experience Natural settings Why, how, who, where… Netnography (Robert V. Kozinets)

19. Personas Made up User friendly Used for testing http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web-usability/personas.shtml

20. UX research – what are you looking for? What data? How are you going to capture it? How will this data inform the next phase? Analysis

21. User’s mental model vs your initial design? Conceptual design model: – Walkthroughs – Scenarios – Card sorts – Prototypes Set up a design phase to include early paper prototypes to confirm what you have designed corresponds with the user’s mental model. Design

22. Walkthroughs Task specific Learning through experiences Usability issues

23. Scenarios Questions Tasks or goals Stories Reasons Focus on the user Test personas

24. Card sorts Grouping Organising Renaming groups

25. UX research – what are you looking for? What data? How are you going to capture it? How will this data inform the next phase? Design

26. UX research – functionality and aesthetics From paper prototype to beta versions- testing basic functionality and design aesthetic. What aspects do you need/want to understand more about? Implementation

27. UX research – emotional design Tasks Levels of frustration/satisfaction Errors Specific responses to your aesthetics Implementation

28. UX research – what tools? Observations Think aloud Post test questionnaire Heuristic testing Task based tests Implementation

29. Observations Tasks Levels of frustration/satisfaction Errors Specific responses to your aesthetics

30. Think aloud Tasks Levels of frustration/satisfaction Errors Specific responses to your aesthetics

31. Post test questionnaires Tasks Levels of frustration/satisfaction Errors Specific responses to your aesthetics

32. Heuristics – Nielson’s ‘Rules of Thumb’ 1.Visibility of system status 2.Match between system and the real world 3.User control and freedom 4.Consistency and standards 5.Error prevention 6.Recognition rather than recall 7.Flexibility and efficiency of use 8.Aesthetic and minimalist design 9.Help users recognise, diagnose, and recover from errors 10.Help and documentation

33. Task based questionnaires

34. UX research – what are you looking for? What data? How are you going to capture it? How will this data inform the next phase? Implementation

35. Research process Analysis Design Implementation

36. Research Question? “Well-crafted questions guide the systematic planning of research. Formulating your questions precisely enables you to design a study with a good chance of answering them.” Light, Singer, Willett (1990)

37. Activity Refine your research question: – Is your question clear and relevant to your goal? – What is your target audience? – What is your independent variable? – What is your dependent variable? – What kind of research methods you might need to use? – What can impact or influence your findings? – What you will need to use to collect data? – Will your research influence users? How?

38. References Light, Singer, Willett, By Design (1990) http://www.nnyman.com/personal/2005/11/ 18/the-user-experience-equation/ http://www.nnyman.com/personal/2005/11/ 18/the-user-experience-equation/ Kozinets, Robert V. (2010), “Netnography: The Marketer’s Secret Weapon”; White Paper.