(16:137:532) Contextual Inquiry

Course Number
16:137:532
Credits
3
Prerequsites
16:137:531 Introduction to User Experience Design
Semesters(s) Offered
Spring
Description

Learn about a variety of research techniques, including how to choose among them for the problem that needs to be solved and how to apply the results with insights to create engaging and usable design. Conduct research, synthesize data, and use this information in design. Build a core toolkit that will help you throughout your UXD career.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • User research fundamentals – Categories of user research techniques from
    observation to ethnography to participatory practices, ethics, and core skills of
    interviewing, observing, and planning a project.
  • Collect, and analyze users’ qualitative/quantitative data
  • Demonstrate basic principles of contextual inquiry
  • Task and activity analysis – Techniques for observing and noting the steps and
    interactions in an activity, including activity diagrams and journey maps.
  • Personas and scenarios – Techniques for representing an understanding of users
    through segmentation, personas, and writing stories or scenarios to communicate
    the user context.
  • Surveys and other remote data collection methods – An overview of the range of
    user research techniques including surveys, diary studies, artifact probes, and
    how to ask questions effectively.
  • Card sorting and analytics – card sorting for information architecture, and ways to
    use site and search analytics to analyze behavior.
  • Bringing research into the design studio – using the design studio approach for
    research-based ideation and exploring new ideas.
  • Planning a project – organizing the research toolkit so you can select a balance
    of methods by type of data collected, whether it is qualitative or quantitative in
    approach, and where it fits in the user-centered design cycle.

Technical Skills

Wireframing

Transferable Skills

  • Teamwork
  • Communications
  • Presentations
  • Research