User Research Methods Practice Exam

Question 1 User Research Methods

What is the risk of creating personas without research?

The system should always keep users informed about what is going on through appropriate feedback within reasonable time — e.g., loading indicators, success messages. They become fictional stereotypes rather than data-driven archetypes, leading to design decisions based on assumptions rather than real user needs. Jakob Nielsen — his 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design, published in 1994, remain the industry standard. Typically 3–5 primary personas to cover key user segments without overcomplicating the design process.

Question 2 User Research Methods

What is cognitive load in UX?

A design pattern that shows only essential information first and reveals more detail on demand — reducing cognitive load and interface complexity. A baseline measurement of usability metrics (task success, time, satisfaction) that you can compare against after making design changes. The total amount of mental effort required to use an interface. Good UX minimises extraneous cognitive load so users can focus on their goals. Asking participants to verbalise their thoughts continuously while performing tasks — revealing their mental model, expectations, and confusion points.

Question 3 User Research Methods

What is a screen reader?

Evaluating competitor products to understand their strengths, weaknesses, features, and user experiences — identifying gaps and opportunities for your design. A usability test measuring where users first click to complete a task — research shows that users who get the first click right succeed 87% of the time. 1. Stages/phases 2. User actions 3. Thoughts and feelings 4. Touchpoints 5. Pain points 6. Opportunities for improvement. Assistive technology that reads aloud the content of a screen (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) — used by people with visual impairments.

Question 4 User Research Methods

How many user interviews are typically needed?

The control is the existing version (A); the variant is the modified version (B) with one or more changes being tested. 5–8 interviews per user segment often reveal ~80% of usability issues (based on Nielsen's research on diminishing returns). Closed-ended: predefined answers (multiple choice, rating scales). Open-ended: free-text responses. Closed gives quantitative data; open gives qualitative insights. Using multiple research methods (e.g., interviews + analytics + usability tests) to validate findings — increasing confidence in the insights.

Question 5 User Research Methods

Who developed the most widely used usability heuristics?

A method where representative users attempt tasks with a product while researchers observe to identify usability problems and measure performance. Jakob Nielsen — his 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design, published in 1994, remain the industry standard. A centralised collection of all research findings, insights, and artefacts — making past research discoverable and reducing duplicate studies. Showing a design for 5 seconds then asking what the user remembers — testing whether the key message and purpose are communicated at a glance.

Question 6 User Research Methods

What is a screener survey?

Showing a design for 5 seconds then asking what the user remembers — testing whether the key message and purpose are communicated at a glance. A short questionnaire used to filter and select participants who match the target user profile for a research study. The time to reach a target is a function of the distance to the target and its size — larger, closer targets are faster to click. Implications: make important buttons large and accessible. The process of finding and selecting users who represent your target audience to participate in research — critical for valid, reliable findings.

Question 7 User Research Methods

What is the "5-second test"?

Alternative text describing an image for screen readers — should convey the image's purpose, not just say "image of…" A one-on-one conversation with a user (or potential user) to understand their needs, behaviours, pain points, and motivations. Showing a design for 5 seconds then asking what the user remembers — testing whether the key message and purpose are communicated at a glance. A visual representation of the end-to-end experience a user has with your product or service, showing stages, actions, thoughts, emotions, and pain points.

Question 8 User Research Methods

Name the other five of Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics.

Jakob Nielsen — his 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design, published in 1994, remain the industry standard. A rating scale (typically 1–5 or 1–7) measuring agreement or satisfaction — e.g., "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree." A usability method that evaluates the findability of topics in a site's hierarchy — participants navigate a text-only tree structure to find target items. 6. Recognition rather than recall 7. Flexibility and efficiency of use 8. Aesthetic and minimalist design 9. Help users recognise and recover from errors 10. Help and documentation.

Question 9 User Research Methods

How many evaluators are recommended for heuristic evaluation?

A visual diagram showing the hierarchical structure of a website's pages and their relationships — used to plan information architecture. 3–5 evaluators typically find 75–80% of usability problems, according to Nielsen's research. The control is the existing version (A); the variant is the modified version (B) with one or more changes being tested. Using multiple research methods (e.g., interviews + analytics + usability tests) to validate findings — increasing confidence in the insights.

Question 10 User Research Methods

What is remote usability testing?

A usability test measuring where users first click to complete a task — research shows that users who get the first click right succeed 87% of the time. A longitudinal research method where participants log their experiences, activities, and thoughts over days or weeks using a journal, app, or photos. Conducting usability tests with participants who are in a different location — either moderated (via video call) or unmoderated (via testing platform). A visual representation of the end-to-end experience a user has with your product or service, showing stages, actions, thoughts, emotions, and pain points.

Question 11 User Research Methods

What is a leading question and why should you avoid it?

1. Figma 2. Sketch (with InVision or Principle) 3. Adobe XD — all support interactive prototyping and collaboration. A visual diagram showing the hierarchical structure of a website's pages and their relationships — used to plan information architecture. The percentage of participants who complete a given task correctly — a primary measure of usability effectiveness. A question that suggests a preferred answer — e.g., "Don't you think this feature is easy?" It biases the response. Instead ask: "How was your experience with this feature?"

Question 12 User Research Methods

What happens in the Test phase of design thinking?

You put prototypes in front of real users, gather feedback, and learn what works and what doesn't — iterating back to earlier phases as needed. Users tend to scan web content in an F-shaped pattern — reading across the top, then down the left side with shorter horizontal scans. Identified by Nielsen Norman Group. The time to make a decision increases logarithmically with the number of choices — reducing options speeds up user decisions. Jakob Nielsen — his 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design, published in 1994, remain the industry standard.

Question 13 User Research Methods

What are the four components of information architecture?

1. Organisation systems 2. Labelling systems 3. Navigation systems 4. Search systems. Conducting usability tests with participants who are in a different location — either moderated (via video call) or unmoderated (via testing platform). Card sorting helps create the information architecture; tree testing validates whether users can find content within that structure. A one-on-one conversation with a user (or potential user) to understand their needs, behaviours, pain points, and motivations.

Question 14 User Research Methods

Name five of Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics.

1. Visibility of system status 2. Match between system and real world 3. User control and freedom 4. Consistency and standards 5. Error prevention. 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold). Assistive technology that reads aloud the content of a screen (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) — used by people with visual impairments. The structural design of shared information environments — organising, labelling, and structuring content so users can find and understand it.

Question 15 User Research Methods

What is the difference between attitudinal and behavioural research?

1. Structured (fixed questions) 2. Semi-structured (guided but flexible) 3. Unstructured (open, exploratory conversation). They become fictional stereotypes rather than data-driven archetypes, leading to design decisions based on assumptions rather than real user needs. Attitudinal measures what users say (opinions, preferences). Behavioural measures what users actually do (observed actions, click patterns). A loyalty metric based on the question: "How likely are you to recommend us?" (0–10). NPS = % Promoters (9–10) − % Detractors (0–6).

Question 16 User Research Methods

What is a customer journey map?

A visual representation of the end-to-end experience a user has with your product or service, showing stages, actions, thoughts, emotions, and pain points. 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold). Jakob Nielsen — his 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design, published in 1994, remain the industry standard. The system should always keep users informed about what is going on through appropriate feedback within reasonable time — e.g., loading indicators, success messages.

Question 17 User Research Methods

What is a "How Might We" (HMW) question?

A reframing of the problem as an opportunity for design — e.g., "How might we make first-time users feel confident navigating the dashboard?" Conducting usability tests with participants who are in a different location — either moderated (via video call) or unmoderated (via testing platform). The total amount of mental effort required to use an interface. Good UX minimises extraneous cognitive load so users can focus on their goals. The percentage of participants who complete a given task correctly — a primary measure of usability effectiveness.

Question 18 User Research Methods

What is a heatmap?

Evaluating competitor products to understand their strengths, weaknesses, features, and user experiences — identifying gaps and opportunities for your design. A design pattern that shows only essential information first and reveals more detail on demand — reducing cognitive load and interface complexity. A visual diagram showing the hierarchical structure of a website's pages and their relationships — used to plan information architecture. A visual representation of where users click, move, or scroll on a page — warmer colours indicate more activity. Tools: Hotjar, Crazy Egg.

Question 19 User Research Methods

What is unmoderated usability testing?

A wireframe is a static layout; a prototype is interactive and clickable, simulating the actual user experience. 6. Recognition rather than recall 7. Flexibility and efficiency of use 8. Aesthetic and minimalist design 9. Help users recognise and recover from errors 10. Help and documentation. 1. Feature comparison matrix 2. UX strengths and weaknesses 3. Screenshots/flows 4. User reviews summary 5. Opportunities for differentiation. Participants complete tasks independently (often remotely via tools like UserTesting or Maze) with no facilitator present — scalable and cheaper.

Question 20 User Research Methods

What is progressive disclosure?

A visual representation of where users click, move, or scroll on a page — warmer colours indicate more activity. Tools: Hotjar, Crazy Egg. 1. Task success rate 2. Time on task 3. Error rate — sometimes supplemented by satisfaction ratings. A design pattern that shows only essential information first and reveals more detail on demand — reducing cognitive load and interface complexity. The systematic study of target users and their requirements to add realistic contexts and insights to the design process, ensuring products meet real needs.

Question 21 User Research Methods

What is a diary study?

A controlled experiment comparing two versions (A and B) of a page or feature to determine which performs better on a specific metric. A longitudinal research method where participants log their experiences, activities, and thoughts over days or weeks using a journal, app, or photos. The total amount of mental effort required to use an interface. Good UX minimises extraneous cognitive load so users can focus on their goals. A visual diagram showing the hierarchical structure of a website's pages and their relationships — used to plan information architecture.

Question 22 User Research Methods

What is the difference between a journey map and an experience map?

A human-centred problem-solving methodology with five phases: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test. Using specialised hardware to measure where users look on a screen, for how long, and in what order — revealing attention patterns and visual hierarchy. A journey map focuses on a specific user's interaction with your product; an experience map captures the broader experience independent of any particular product. Tracking the percentage of users who complete each step in a multi-step process (e.g., checkout) to identify where drop-offs occur.

Question 23 User Research Methods

What is a prototype?

An interactive simulation of a product that allows users to click through screens and experience the flow — used for testing before development. Level A (minimum), Level AA (recommended standard for most sites), Level AAA (highest; not required for entire sites). A human-centred problem-solving methodology with five phases: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test. Showing a design for 5 seconds then asking what the user remembers — testing whether the key message and purpose are communicated at a glance.

Question 24 User Research Methods

What is a mental model?

A user's internal representation of how something works — designs that match users' mental models feel intuitive; mismatches cause confusion. A human-centred problem-solving methodology with five phases: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test. Formative: conducted during design to identify and fix issues. Summative: conducted after design to measure overall usability against benchmarks. A method where representative users attempt tasks with a product while researchers observe to identify usability problems and measure performance.

Question 25 User Research Methods

What is the F-pattern in reading?

Showing a design for 5 seconds then asking what the user remembers — testing whether the key message and purpose are communicated at a glance. Users tend to scan web content in an F-shaped pattern — reading across the top, then down the left side with shorter horizontal scans. Identified by Nielsen Norman Group. Closed-ended: predefined answers (multiple choice, rating scales). Open-ended: free-text responses. Closed gives quantitative data; open gives qualitative insights. Participants complete tasks independently (often remotely via tools like UserTesting or Maze) with no facilitator present — scalable and cheaper.

Question 26 User Research Methods

What is a cognitive walkthrough?

Testing multiple variables simultaneously (e.g., headline + image + button colour) to find the optimal combination — requires much larger sample sizes than A/B tests. Tracking the percentage of users who complete each step in a multi-step process (e.g., checkout) to identify where drop-offs occur. 1. Task success rate 2. Time on task 3. Error rate — sometimes supplemented by satisfaction ratings. An evaluation method where experts step through tasks from the user's perspective, asking at each step: "Will the user know what to do? Will they understand the feedback?"

Question 27 User Research Methods

What is the difference between formative and summative evaluation?

Using multiple research methods (e.g., interviews + analytics + usability tests) to validate findings — increasing confidence in the insights. Formative: conducted during design to identify and fix issues. Summative: conducted after design to measure overall usability against benchmarks. Generative research explores problems and opportunities to define what to design. Evaluative research tests existing designs to assess how well they work. When you need to understand behaviours over time, habits, or infrequent events that can't be observed in a single session.

Question 28 User Research Methods

What is multivariate testing?

You build quick, inexpensive representations of solutions — paper prototypes, clickable mockups, or physical models — to make ideas tangible. Testing multiple variables simultaneously (e.g., headline + image + button colour) to find the optimal combination — requires much larger sample sizes than A/B tests. A loyalty metric based on the question: "How likely are you to recommend us?" (0–10). NPS = % Promoters (9–10) − % Detractors (0–6). A qualitative method for identifying recurring patterns (themes) across research data — used to synthesise interview and diary study findings.

Question 29 User Research Methods

What is a Likert scale?

A usability method that evaluates the findability of topics in a site's hierarchy — participants navigate a text-only tree structure to find target items. A method of organising qualitative data by grouping related ideas, quotes, or observations on sticky notes into clusters to reveal themes and patterns. A rating scale (typically 1–5 or 1–7) measuring agreement or satisfaction — e.g., "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree." A short questionnaire used to filter and select participants who match the target user profile for a research study.

Question 30 User Research Methods

What is tree testing?

A usability method that evaluates the findability of topics in a site's hierarchy — participants navigate a text-only tree structure to find target items. A rating scale (typically 1–5 or 1–7) measuring agreement or satisfaction — e.g., "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree." Creating the mechanisms (menus, breadcrumbs, links, search) that help users move through content and find what they need efficiently. A visual representation of the end-to-end experience a user has with your product or service, showing stages, actions, thoughts, emotions, and pain points.

Question 31 User Research Methods

What happens in the Empathise phase of design thinking?

You synthesise research findings into a clear problem statement (Point of View or "How Might We" question) that frames the design challenge. 1. Name and photo 2. Demographics 3. Goals and motivations 4. Pain points 5. Behaviours and context 6. A quote capturing their mindset. 3–5 evaluators typically find 75–80% of usability problems, according to Nielsen's research. You build deep understanding of users through observation, interviews, and immersion — setting aside assumptions to see the world through their eyes.

Question 32 User Research Methods

What is the "think-aloud" protocol?

Participants complete tasks independently (often remotely via tools like UserTesting or Maze) with no facilitator present — scalable and cheaper. A low-fidelity visual guide representing the skeletal framework of a page — showing layout, content placement, and functionality without visual design. An evaluation method where experts step through tasks from the user's perspective, asking at each step: "Will the user know what to do? Will they understand the feedback?" Asking participants to verbalise their thoughts continuously while performing tasks — revealing their mental model, expectations, and confusion points.

Question 33 User Research Methods

What is a task analysis in UX?

Using specialised hardware to measure where users look on a screen, for how long, and in what order — revealing attention patterns and visual hierarchy. A design pattern that shows only essential information first and reveals more detail on demand — reducing cognitive load and interface complexity. Breaking down user goals into discrete steps and sub-tasks to understand the actions, decisions, and information needed to complete a workflow. A rating scale (typically 1–5 or 1–7) measuring agreement or satisfaction — e.g., "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree."

Question 34 User Research Methods

What is the difference between a wireframe and a prototype?

6. Recognition rather than recall 7. Flexibility and efficiency of use 8. Aesthetic and minimalist design 9. Help users recognise and recover from errors 10. Help and documentation. A wireframe is a static layout; a prototype is interactive and clickable, simulating the actual user experience. Qualitative explores the "why" through interviews, observations, and open-ended data. Quantitative measures the "what" and "how much" through numbers and statistics. A usability test measuring where users first click to complete a task — research shows that users who get the first click right succeed 87% of the time.

Question 35 User Research Methods

How many personas should a project have?

A session where a facilitator guides the participant through tasks in real time, asking follow-up questions and probing for insights. A visual representation of the end-to-end experience a user has with your product or service, showing stages, actions, thoughts, emotions, and pain points. A field research method where you observe and interview users in their natural environment while they perform tasks, combining observation with dialogue. Typically 3–5 primary personas to cover key user segments without overcomplicating the design process.

Question 36 User Research Methods

What are the four principles of WCAG (POUR)?

1. Structured (fixed questions) 2. Semi-structured (guided but flexible) 3. Unstructured (open, exploratory conversation). 1. Name and photo 2. Demographics 3. Goals and motivations 4. Pain points 5. Behaviours and context 6. A quote capturing their mindset. A field research method where you observe and interview users in their natural environment while they perform tasks, combining observation with dialogue. Perceivable · Operable · Understandable · Robust — content must be presented, navigable, comprehensible, and compatible with assistive technologies.

Question 37 User Research Methods

What is a control and a variant in A/B testing?

Low-fi: simple sketches or grey boxes, quick to create, focus on layout. High-fi: more detailed, include real content and closer-to-final proportions. Users perceive aesthetically pleasing designs as more usable — good visual design creates positive first impressions that increase tolerance for minor issues. An interactive simulation of a product that allows users to click through screens and experience the flow — used for testing before development. The control is the existing version (A); the variant is the modified version (B) with one or more changes being tested.

Question 38 User Research Methods

What is a first-click test?

A usability test measuring where users first click to complete a task — research shows that users who get the first click right succeed 87% of the time. Testing multiple variables simultaneously (e.g., headline + image + button colour) to find the optimal combination — requires much larger sample sizes than A/B tests. A visual representation of the end-to-end experience a user has with your product or service, showing stages, actions, thoughts, emotions, and pain points. The total amount of mental effort required to use an interface. Good UX minimises extraneous cognitive load so users can focus on their goals.

Question 39 User Research Methods

What is a research repository?

A structured questionnaire distributed to many users to collect quantitative and qualitative data about attitudes, preferences, and demographics. You put prototypes in front of real users, gather feedback, and learn what works and what doesn't — iterating back to earlier phases as needed. A baseline measurement of usability metrics (task success, time, satisfaction) that you can compare against after making design changes. A centralised collection of all research findings, insights, and artefacts — making past research discoverable and reducing duplicate studies.

Question 40 User Research Methods

What is the minimum colour contrast ratio for WCAG AA?

A question that suggests a preferred answer — e.g., "Don't you think this feature is easy?" It biases the response. Instead ask: "How was your experience with this feature?" 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold). A usability method that evaluates the findability of topics in a site's hierarchy — participants navigate a text-only tree structure to find target items. The system should always keep users informed about what is going on through appropriate feedback within reasonable time — e.g., loading indicators, success messages.

Question 41 User Research Methods

What does "Visibility of system status" mean?

A visual diagram showing the hierarchical structure of a website's pages and their relationships — used to plan information architecture. You build quick, inexpensive representations of solutions — paper prototypes, clickable mockups, or physical models — to make ideas tangible. It depends on the baseline conversion rate and minimum detectable effect — typically hundreds to thousands of users per variant for reliable results. The system should always keep users informed about what is going on through appropriate feedback within reasonable time — e.g., loading indicators, success messages.

Question 42 User Research Methods

What is an affinity diagram?

A method of organising qualitative data by grouping related ideas, quotes, or observations on sticky notes into clusters to reveal themes and patterns. A visual diagram showing the hierarchical structure of a website's pages and their relationships — used to plan information architecture. Attitudinal measures what users say (opinions, preferences). Behavioural measures what users actually do (observed actions, click patterns). The control is the existing version (A); the variant is the modified version (B) with one or more changes being tested.

Question 43 User Research Methods

What is moderated usability testing?

1. Organisation systems 2. Labelling systems 3. Navigation systems 4. Search systems. A session where a facilitator guides the participant through tasks in real time, asking follow-up questions and probing for insights. A centralised collection of all research findings, insights, and artefacts — making past research discoverable and reducing duplicate studies. A user's internal representation of how something works — designs that match users' mental models feel intuitive; mismatches cause confusion.

Question 44 User Research Methods

Name three best practices for conducting user interviews.

1. Ask open-ended questions 2. Avoid leading questions 3. Listen more than you talk — aim for an 80/20 listen-to-talk ratio. Users tend to scan web content in an F-shaped pattern — reading across the top, then down the left side with shorter horizontal scans. Identified by Nielsen Norman Group. 1. Feature comparison matrix 2. UX strengths and weaknesses 3. Screenshots/flows 4. User reviews summary 5. Opportunities for differentiation. A baseline measurement of usability metrics (task success, time, satisfaction) that you can compare against after making design changes.

Question 45 User Research Methods

What is competitive analysis in UX?

Evaluating competitor products to understand their strengths, weaknesses, features, and user experiences — identifying gaps and opportunities for your design. 1. Figma 2. Sketch (with InVision or Principle) 3. Adobe XD — all support interactive prototyping and collaboration. The time to make a decision increases logarithmically with the number of choices — reducing options speeds up user decisions. Low-fi: simple sketches or grey boxes, quick to create, focus on layout. High-fi: more detailed, include real content and closer-to-final proportions.

Question 46 User Research Methods

What is a wireframe?

A human-centred problem-solving methodology with five phases: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test. Assistive technology that reads aloud the content of a screen (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) — used by people with visual impairments. A low-fidelity visual guide representing the skeletal framework of a page — showing layout, content placement, and functionality without visual design. An expert review method where evaluators assess a user interface against a set of established usability principles (heuristics) to identify problems.

Question 47 User Research Methods

What are the three types of user interviews?

1. Structured (fixed questions) 2. Semi-structured (guided but flexible) 3. Unstructured (open, exploratory conversation). A structured questionnaire distributed to many users to collect quantitative and qualitative data about attitudes, preferences, and demographics. A short questionnaire used to filter and select participants who match the target user profile for a research study. A usability method that evaluates the findability of topics in a site's hierarchy — participants navigate a text-only tree structure to find target items.

Question 48 User Research Methods

What is task success rate?

A reframing of the problem as an opportunity for design — e.g., "How might we make first-time users feel confident navigating the dashboard?" 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold). The percentage of participants who complete a given task correctly — a primary measure of usability effectiveness. Attitudinal measures what users say (opinions, preferences). Behavioural measures what users actually do (observed actions, click patterns).

Question 49 User Research Methods

What should a UX competitive analysis include?

1. Feature comparison matrix 2. UX strengths and weaknesses 3. Screenshots/flows 4. User reviews summary 5. Opportunities for differentiation. Users tend to scan web content in an F-shaped pattern — reading across the top, then down the left side with shorter horizontal scans. Identified by Nielsen Norman Group. A method of organising qualitative data by grouping related ideas, quotes, or observations on sticky notes into clusters to reveal themes and patterns. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines — a set of international standards by the W3C for making web content accessible to people with disabilities.

Question 50 User Research Methods

What is usability testing?

A collection of reusable components, patterns, and guidelines (buttons, typography, colour, spacing) ensuring consistency across a product. A method where representative users attempt tasks with a product while researchers observe to identify usability problems and measure performance. The percentage of participants who complete a given task correctly — a primary measure of usability effectiveness. Users tend to scan web content in an F-shaped pattern — reading across the top, then down the left side with shorter horizontal scans. Identified by Nielsen Norman Group.