Synopses & Reviews
Wow! So many of the user experience research methods we have refined and used over the years are now organized and described in detail in one book.
--Christian Rohrer, Manager, User Experience Research, Yahoo!
I love Observing the User Experience! This comprehensive guide approaches user experience research like never before, and is well-written, easy-to-read, and quite user friendly. It provides a real-world example of how research is done in just enough detail that it can both inform a CEO of the role of usability research as well as introduce methodology to someone starting out in the field. Bravo!
--Kelly Braun, Usability Manager, Ebay
The gap between who designers and developers imagine their users are, and who those users really are can be the biggest problem with product development. Observing the User Experience will help you bridge that gap to understand what your users want and need from your product, and whether they'll be able to use what you've created.
Filled with real-world experience and a wealth of practical information, this book presents a complete toolbox of techniques to help designers and developers see through the eyes of their users. It provides in-depth coverage of 13 user experience research techniques that will provide a basis for developing better products, whether they're Web, software or mobile based. In addition, it's written with an understanding of how software is developed in the real world, taking tight budgets, short schedules, and existing processes into account.
Features and benefits:
Explains how to create usable products that are still original, creative, and unique
A valuable resource for designers, developers, project managers'"anyone in a position where their work comes in direct contact with the end user.
Provides a real-world perspective on research and provides advice about how user research can be done cheaply, quickly and how results can be presented persuasively
Gives readers the tools and confidence to perform user research on their own designs and tune their software user experience to the unique needs of their product and its users
Review
"The no-nonsense approach includes guidelines, tables for estimating costs, and plenty of detailed practical advice. Simply written, well-structured and highly informative. Don't leave home without it."--Gerry Gaffney, Founder and Director, Information & Design
Review
"The no-nonsense approach includes guidelines, tables for estimating costs, and plenty of detailed practial advice. Simply written, well-structured and highhy ifnormative. Don't leave home without it."--Gerry Gaffney, Founder and Director, Information & Design
Synopsis
The gap between who designers and developers imagine their users are, and who those users really are can be the biggest problem with product development. Observing the User Experience will help you bridge that gap to understand what your users want and need from your product, and whether they'll be able to use what you've created.
Filled with real-world experience and a wealth of practical information, this book presents a complete toolbox of techniques to help designers and developers see through the eyes of their users. It provides in-depth coverage of 13 user experience research techniques that will provide a basis for developing better products, whether they're Web, software or mobile based. In addition, it's written with an understanding of how software is developed in the real world, taking tight budgets, short schedules, and existing processes into account.
·Explains how to create usable products that are still original, creative, and unique
·A valuable resource for designers, developers, project managers—anyone in a position where their work comes in direct contact with the end user.
·Provides a real-world perspective on research and provides advice about how user research can be done cheaply, quickly and how results can be presented persuasively
·Gives readers the tools and confidence to perform user research on their own designs and tune their software user experience to the unique needs of their product and its users
Synopsis
hniques that will provide a basis for developing better products, whether they're Web, software or mobile based. In addition, it's written with an understanding of how software is developed in the real world, taking tight budgets, short schedules, and existing processes into account.
Features and benefits:
·Explains how to create usable products that are still original, creative, and unique
·A valuable resource for designers, developers, project managers anyone in a position where their work comes in direct contact with the end user.
·Provides a real-world perspective on research and provides advice about how user research can be done cheaply, quickly and how results can be presented persuasively
·Gives readers the tools and confidence to perform user research on their own designs and tune their software user experience to the unique needs of their product and its users
Synopsis
.
Features and benefits:
·Explains how to create usable products that are still original, creative, and unique
·A valuable resource for designers, developers, project managers anyone in a position where their work comes in direct contact with the end user.
·Provides a real-world perspective on research and provides advice about how user research can be done cheaply, quickly and how results can be presented persuasively
·Gives readers the tools and confidence to perform user research on their own designs and tune their software user experience to the unique needs of their product and its users
Synopsis
and confidence to perform user research on their own designs and tune their software user experience to the unique needs of their product and its users
Synopsis
o the unique needs of their product and its users
About the Author
Mike Kuniavsky is a founding partner of Adaptive Path, a user experience consulting company in San Francisco. He has been developing commercial web sites since 1994, and is the interaction designer of an award-winning search engine, HotBot. He created the Wired Digital User Experience Laboratory and served as its chief investigator for two years. His design work and writing have appeared in many publications, including
WebMonkey,
ID Magazine,
Wired,
Step-By-Step Design, Inc.,
The Wall Street Journal,
The LA Times, and
.Net (UK).
Founder, ThingM, a ubiquitous computing design and development company; cofounded Adaptive Path, a leading internet consultancy; cofounded Wired Digital UX for Wired Magazine's online division, where he served as the interaction designer of the award-winning search engine, HotBot.
Table of Contents
Part I: Why Research is Good and How It Fits Into Product Development
1. Typhoon: A Fable
2. Do a Usability Test Now!
3. Balancing Needs Through Iterative Development
4. The User Experience
Part II: User Experience Research Techniques
5. The Research Plan
6. Universal tools: Recruiting and Interviewing
7. User Profiles
8. Contextual Inquiry, Task Analysis, Card Sorting
9. Focus Groups
10. Usability Tests
11. Surveys
12. Ongoing Relationship
13. Log Files and Customer Support
14. Competitive Research
15. Others' Hard Work: Published Information and Consultants
16. Emerging Techniques
Part III: Communicating Results
17. Reports and Presentations
18. Creating a User-Centered Corporate Culture
Appendices
A. The Budget Research Lab
B. Common Survey Questions
C. Observer Instructions
Bibliography
Index
About the Author