How to Conduct User Experience (UX) Research
Summary
This creative challenge aims to evaluate the usability of Elon University’s website and the Pew Research Center’s pages on human agency and AI. This assignment introduces you to persona-based usability research, a method technical writers and web designers use to evaluate websites and prototypes from the perspective of different user types. In this creative challenge, you’ll apply this method to explore the usability of these websites and provide actionable recommendations. Each group will give a presentation to the other groups at the end of the assignment. This assignment will set you up for the next creative challenge, where you’ll conduct content, rhetorical, and corpus-linguistic analysis of the studies presented on these websites.
In this two-week creative challenge, you’ll use persona-based usability research, a powerful method employed by industry professionals, to assess how well the following two research studies are reported on
- Anderson, J. & Rainie, L. (2023, February). The Future of Human Agency. Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech.
- Rainie, Lee, J., Anderson. (2024). Experts Imagine the Impact of Artificial Intelligence by 2040. Imagining the Digital Future Center.
Your challenge consists of three main components:
- Develop and apply user personas to conduct a thorough usability evaluation of both websites.
- Analyze your findings to identify key strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement in each site’s user experience.
- Present your insights and actionable recommendations to your peers in a professional presentation.
Usability Research
Usability research is a crucial tool in user-centered design, employed not only for websites but also for testing prototypes, services, and products in various fields, including entrepreneurship. It focuses on evaluating and improving the ease of use, efficiency, and user satisfaction of digital and physical interfaces.
Professional UX researchers, designers, and technical writers use usability testing to:
- Identify pain points in user journeys
- Validate design decisions
- Improve product-market fit
- Enhance user engagement and retention
- Reduce development costs by catching issues early
For this creative challenge, please consider the following criteria:
Ease of Navigation
- Are menus and links clear and logical? (Assess this by attempting to complete specific tasks and noting any confusion or difficulties encountered)
- Are there any broken links or confusing pathways?
- Can you think of ways to improve the ease of navigation?
Content Presentation
- Are the investigator’s methods and key results presented in a clear and well-structured manner?
- Is information easy to find and understand?
- Are unnecessary technical terms used?
- Are citations provided for cited material?
When evaluating headers and titles, consider the following best practices:
- Length: Aim for 6-8 words or 50-60 characters. Concise headers are more scannable and memorable.
- Clarity: Use clear, descriptive language that accurately represents the content.
- Emotional appeal: Incorporate words that evoke emotion or curiosity when appropriate.
- Uniqueness: Use uncommon or intriguing words to capture attention, but ensure they’re still easily understood.
- Active voice: Use active verbs to create more dynamic and engaging headers.
- Consistency: Maintain a consistent style and tone across all headers.
- Hierarchy: Ensure headers and subheaders clearly indicate the content’s structure and importance.
Design
- How do layout, color scheme, typography, and visual hierarchy enhance or hinder the user experience?
- Have the investigators leveraged the power of visual language? If there are data visualizations, are they clear?
- Does the design emphasize key study methods and results?
Accessibility
- Are there features that make the site usable for people with disabilities?
- Is there alt text for images? (You can check this by right-clicking on an image and selecting “Inspect” in most browsers)
- Is closed captioning available for video content?
- Is there a transcript for audio content?
Engagement
- Does the site effectively engage its audience?
- Are there interactive elements or features that enhance engagement?
Information Architecture
- How well is information structured and categorized?
- Is there too much or till little information on every page?
- Is there a logical flow of information?
Mobile Responsiveness
- How well does the site adapt to different screen sizes and devices?
Load Time
- How quickly do pages load?
- Are there any elements that significantly slow down the site?
- You can use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to check load times and performance
Search Functionality
- Is there a search feature?
- How effective and user-friendly is it?
Readability
- Is the text easy to read? You can use readability analysis tools such as Hemingway or Readable to check this.
- Are headings and subheadings used effectively to break up content?
User Personas in Usability Research
User personas are fictional characters created to represent different user types that might interact with a website, product, or service. They are a crucial tool in user-centered design and usability research, helping researchers and designers empathize with users and make decisions based on user needs and behaviors.
Persona-based usability research is a cornerstone of user-centered design, allowing researchers to empathize with different user types and uncover usability issues that might otherwise go unnoticed. By adopting this method, you’ll gain valuable insights into how diverse users interact with complex information about emerging technologies and their societal impacts.
Personas are typically developed based on user research, including interviews, surveys, and behavioral data. They help teams:
- Focus on real user needs and goals
- Align on a shared understanding of who the users are
- Make design decisions that cater to specific user groups
- Prioritize features and improvements
- Communicate user needs to stakeholders
In this creative challenge, you’ll use predefined personas to evaluate the usability of the websites. This method allows you to step into the shoes of different users and experience the websites from various perspectives.
User Personas Exercise
For each of the following personas, follow these steps:
- Brainstorming: In your groups, create 2-3 specific scenarios or tasks that each persona might attempt on the websites. Consider their background, goals, and technical proficiency.
- Task Completion: Attempt to complete these scenarios as if you were the persona. Pay close attention to your thought process and any obstacles you encounter.
- Evaluation: For each persona:
- Note any difficulties or frustrations they might experience
- Identify positive aspects of the user experience
- Consider how well each site meets their specific needs and preferences
- Apply the usability criteria discussed earlier, viewing them through the lens of each persona
- Documentation: Record your findings, providing specific examples and screenshots where relevant. Consider creating a user journey map for each persona to visualize their experience.
Personas
- Dr. Emily Chen
- 45-year-old AI researcher at a university
- Highly technical background
- Seeking latest research on AI’s societal impact
- Time-pressed, needs to quickly find relevant information
- Finding recent publications on AI ethics
- Locating data on public perceptions of AI
- Identifying potential research collaborators
- Jamal Washington
- 35-year-old high school social studies teacher
- Low technical knowledge
- Looking for accessible materials to teach students about AI and society
- Wants engaging, visual content to capture students’ attention
- Finding age-appropriate explanations of AI concepts
- Locating interactive resources for classroom use
- Identifying real-world examples of AI’s impact on society
- Alex Rodriguez
- 20-year-old college student
- Moderate technical knowledge
- Working on a paper about the future impact of AI on society
- Needs credible sources and data for academic citations
- Finding peer-reviewed articles on AI’s potential societal impacts
- Locating statistics on AI adoption rates
- Identifying expert opinions on future AI trends
Schedule
Week 1:
Tuesday (Day 1): Introduction and Initial Exploration
- Form groups of 3-4 students.
- Explore the Imagining the Digital Future Center’s website:
- Explore the Pew Research Center’s pages on human agency and AI:
Spend about 30 minutes navigating through both sites. Each group member should take notes on their observations regarding structure, navigation, content, and design.
Homework:
- Complete initial website exploration
- Start evaluating the website using the usability criteria
Thursday (Day 2):
- Finalize slides on usability criteria
- Begin work on scenarios and personas
Homework:
- Complete persona scenarios if needed
- Begin persona-based evaluation of the website
Week 2:
Tuesday (Day 3): Persona-Based Evaluation and Analysis
- Continue evaluations and work on presentations
Homework:
- Complete persona-based evaluations
- Start preparing presentation
Thursday (Day 4): Presentations
- Group presentations (15 minutes per group, assuming 4-5 groups)
- Q&A and discussion after each presentation
Final Deliverables
- A group presentation (15 minutes) summarizing your usability research findings and recommendations for improving the Imagining the Digital Future Center website.
Evaluation Criteria:
- Thorough application of usability criteria
- Effective use of personas in website evaluation
- Quality and insightfulness of analysis
- Practicality and relevance of recommendations
- Clarity and engagement of presentation
