Understanding Users
In the second chapter of Cooper’s About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design, he details the essentials of design research. Namely, Cooper outlines the differences between Qualitative and Quantitative data in design research. A brief summary of the benefits of qualitative methods include context of the domain and a common understanding of user concerns. Cooper argues that quantitative research should be the main focus of a designer. However, he does note that quantitative research is the way designers should direct their research. The strengths of quantitative measures include analytics and specifications. However, the statistical data obtained through quantitative methods “may simply raise more questions than it answers.” Thus, Quantitative research should act as a tool for designers to create their proper quantitative research study. In Qualitative research, designers have a goal-directed objective. They utilize behavioral models created by personal studies. These models are argued to be the keys to developing eventual products and prototypes.
Cooper goes on to specify what specific methods are used in both qualitative and quantitative research. One example that stuck out to me was subject matter expert interviews (or SMEs). During these interviews with SMEs, we should consider having access to them throughout the process and understand that they are knowledgable, but not designers.
Furthermore, Cooper details ethnographic interviews. Ethnography, meaning systematic and immersive study of human culture, is key in determining a design solution. We are designing for people, and the betterment of people, so we need to know about the current environment and behaviors. The persona hypothesis is a first key step toward our solution. We need to synthesize what we think we know about the problem through personas we identify. Only after we have an initial direction would it be effective for us to solve the design challenge.
Cooper, A., Reimann, R., Cronin, D., Noessel, C. (2014). Understanding Users : Qualitative Research Chapter 2. In About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design, 4th Edition. Wiley.
