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User Research Introduction

User research basics for beginners

Research can be intimidating, especially if you’re new to it. Here are a few things to help you understand the basics!

Overviews

1. A User Experience Designer Might Not Be What You Think
   Paul Boag
   Not explicitly about user research but this is a great read for folks new ux and user research to think about when considering career opportunities.
2. Complete Beginner’s Guide to UX Research
   UX Booth
3. UX Research Cheat Sheet
   Susan Farrell
4. The 7 Deadly Sins of User Research
   David Travis
5. UX Tools for User Research and User Testing
   Fabricio Teixeira & Caio Braga
   Lists of tools are ALWAYS helpful — here are 35 tools ranging from recording to recruiting!
6. Consider these variables before you choose a UX research method
   Hannah Alvarez
   Here’s a high-level overview of research types and the product life cycle — a great intro for those just beginning with research and product design.

Interesting Studies and Reads

1. Transformation
   Jan Chipchase
2. [Video] Choice, Happiness and spaghetti sauce
   Malcolm Gladwell
3. Design Research at Dropbox: How to win friends and influence product
   Cristen Torrey
4. How a roadside rest stop inspired an entirely different approach to FAQs
   Jason Fried
   Just a quick article that shows how answers to problems can be found in lots of places

Understanding the Field

1. Lean Customer Development: Building Products Your Customers Will Buy
   Cindy Alvarez
2. Just Enough Research
   Erika Hall
3. UX Strategy: How to Devise Innovative Digital Products that People Want
   Jaime Levy
4. How to apply a design thinking, HCD, UX or any creative process from scratch
   Dan Nessler

Find more articles on research methods in User Research Resources.

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