User Research audiobook cover - A Practical Guide to Designing Better Products and Services

User Research

A Practical Guide to Designing Better Products and Services

Stephanie Marsh

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Entrepreneurship

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User Research
Ethics & Strategy+
Interviewing & Observation+
Research Methodologies+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9
According to the text, what is the most critical ethical requirement when beginning a user research session?
  • A. Offering financial compensation for the participant's time.
  • B. Ensuring participants have signed a strict non-disclosure agreement.
  • C. Explaining the objectives and securing explicit legal consent for data usage.
  • D. Allowing participants to remain completely anonymous in the final report.
Question 2 of 9
Why does the author recommend asking a question like 'What, if anything, did you like or dislike about this?' rather than 'Do you like this?'
  • A. It prevents participants from feeling compelled to give a strictly positive or negative answer.
  • B. It allows the researcher to quantify the emotional response more accurately.
  • C. It speeds up the interview process by combining two questions into one.
  • D. It prevents participants from getting distracted by external political factors.
Question 3 of 9
What is identified as a major drawback of moderated usability testing?
  • A. It requires expensive equipment to monitor the participants effectively.
  • B. It lacks interactivity, making it hard to understand the user's thought process.
  • C. It is highly time-intensive, resulting in small, statistically insignificant sample sizes.
  • D. It relies too heavily on unguided user exploration, leading to superficial data.
Question 4 of 9
Which of the following is a key advantage of unmoderated usability testing?
  • A. It provides deep, highly qualitative insights into user emotions.
  • B. It can be completed rapidly with a large data pool from various locations.
  • C. It ensures that all demographic groups, including the elderly, are equally represented.
  • D. It allows the researcher to intervene and assist users when they get stuck.
Question 5 of 9
When designing a survey, why does the author suggest keeping open-ended questions to a minimum?
  • A. Open-ended questions are too difficult for researchers to code and analyze.
  • B. Participants are more likely to finish the survey if it primarily uses easier 'closed' questions.
  • C. Open-ended questions often lead to legal and ethical compliance issues.
  • D. Closed questions generate a smaller, more manageable data set.
Question 6 of 9
How should a researcher structure an interview that deals with highly sensitive or emotional topics?
  • A. Dive straight into the sensitive questions to get them out of the way quickly.
  • B. Start with the most difficult questions while the participant's energy levels are high.
  • C. Begin with context and vague warm-up questions before building toward complex issues.
  • D. Avoid asking any direct questions and rely entirely on observation.
Question 7 of 9
How should an interviewer handle an awkward silence during a user research session?
  • A. Quickly fill the silence with a new topic to keep the participant comfortable.
  • B. Ride out the silence to see what the participant says without interference.
  • C. Offer a personal anecdote to build rapport and prompt a response.
  • D. Immediately end the session to avoid causing the participant further stress.
Question 8 of 9
What specific benefit does 'mobile ethnography' offer over traditional on-site ethnography?
  • A. It allows researchers to physically observe participants without their knowledge.
  • B. It relies entirely on quantitative data, removing researcher bias.
  • C. It enables participants to record their own daily activities remotely and at their convenience.
  • D. It ensures the researcher is present to guide the participant through their natural environment.
Question 9 of 9
According to the actionable advice section, what is 'guerilla research'?
  • A. A highly secretive method of analyzing competitors' products.
  • B. A low-resource method where researchers approach random people in public spaces to test a prototype.
  • C. An aggressive interviewing technique used to challenge users' preconceived notions.
  • D. A long-term study focusing on a small, isolated group of highly dedicated users.

User Research — Full Chapter Overview

User Research Summary & Overview

User Research (2018) is a practical how-to guide for entrepreneurs, researchers and managers interested in answering the most important question in business – does your product meet your customers’ needs? Drawing on author Stephanie Marsh’s years of experience in user research, these blinks present the most commonly used methods, clearly describing the advantages and disadvantages of each. 

Who Should Listen to User Research?

  • Entrepreneurs working on the next big thing
  • Managers looking to optimize their business strategy
  • Researchers investigating user experience testing

About the Author: Stephanie Marsh

Stephanie Marsh is a user research expert based in the UK. She is the head of user research and analysis for the Government Digital Service, an official body tasked with the digitalization of public services. Before taking up her current position, Marsh was a consultant and led user experience design firm, Bunnyfoot. Her previous clients include the BBC, Arsenal Football Club and EasyJet. 

 

© Stephanie Marsh, 2018. This Summary of User Research is published by arrangement with Kogan Page.

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