Title: User Research Methods — LearnCoachAssist

Q: What is UX research?
A: The systematic study of target users and their requirements to add realistic contexts and insights to the design process, ensuring products meet real needs.

Q: What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative UX research?
A: Qualitative explores the "why" through interviews, observations, and open-ended data. Quantitative measures the "what" and "how much" through numbers and statistics.

Q: What is the difference between attitudinal and behavioural research?
A: Attitudinal measures what users say (opinions, preferences). Behavioural measures what users actually do (observed actions, click patterns).

Q: What is a user interview?
A: A one-on-one conversation with a user (or potential user) to understand their needs, behaviours, pain points, and motivations.

Q: What are the three types of user interviews?
A: 1. Structured (fixed questions) 2. Semi-structured (guided but flexible) 3. Unstructured (open, exploratory conversation).

Q: Name three best practices for conducting user interviews.
A: 1. Ask open-ended questions 2. Avoid leading questions 3. Listen more than you talk — aim for an 80/20 listen-to-talk ratio.

Q: What is a leading question and why should you avoid it?
A: 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?"

Q: How many user interviews are typically needed?
A: 5–8 interviews per user segment often reveal ~80% of usability issues (based on Nielsen's research on diminishing returns).

Q: What is a contextual inquiry?
A: A field research method where you observe and interview users in their natural environment while they perform tasks, combining observation with dialogue.

Q: What is a diary study?
A: A longitudinal research method where participants log their experiences, activities, and thoughts over days or weeks using a journal, app, or photos.

Q: When should you use a diary study?
A: When you need to understand behaviours over time, habits, or infrequent events that can't be observed in a single session.

Q: What is a survey in UX research?
A: A structured questionnaire distributed to many users to collect quantitative and qualitative data about attitudes, preferences, and demographics.

Q: What is the difference between open-ended and closed-ended survey questions?
A: Closed-ended: predefined answers (multiple choice, rating scales). Open-ended: free-text responses. Closed gives quantitative data; open gives qualitative insights.

Q: What is a Likert scale?
A: A rating scale (typically 1–5 or 1–7) measuring agreement or satisfaction — e.g., "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree."

Q: What is the Net Promoter Score (NPS)?
A: A loyalty metric based on the question: "How likely are you to recommend us?" (0–10). NPS = % Promoters (9–10) − % Detractors (0–6).

Q: What is the System Usability Scale (SUS)?
A: A 10-question standardised questionnaire yielding a score from 0–100 that measures perceived usability. A score above 68 is considered above average.

Q: What is usability testing?
A: A method where representative users attempt tasks with a product while researchers observe to identify usability problems and measure performance.

Q: What is moderated usability testing?
A: A session where a facilitator guides the participant through tasks in real time, asking follow-up questions and probing for insights.

Q: What is unmoderated usability testing?
A: Participants complete tasks independently (often remotely via tools like UserTesting or Maze) with no facilitator present — scalable and cheaper.

Q: What is the "think-aloud" protocol?
A: Asking participants to verbalise their thoughts continuously while performing tasks — revealing their mental model, expectations, and confusion points.

Q: What are the three key usability metrics?
A: 1. Task success rate 2. Time on task 3. Error rate — sometimes supplemented by satisfaction ratings.

Q: What is task success rate?
A: The percentage of participants who complete a given task correctly — a primary measure of usability effectiveness.

Q: What is A/B testing (split testing)?
A: A controlled experiment comparing two versions (A and B) of a page or feature to determine which performs better on a specific metric.

Q: What is a control and a variant in A/B testing?
A: The control is the existing version (A); the variant is the modified version (B) with one or more changes being tested.

Q: What is statistical significance in A/B testing?
A: The confidence level (typically 95% or p < 0.05) that the observed difference between variants is real and not due to random chance.

Q: What sample size is needed for reliable A/B tests?
A: It depends on the baseline conversion rate and minimum detectable effect — typically hundreds to thousands of users per variant for reliable results.

Q: What is multivariate testing?
A: Testing multiple variables simultaneously (e.g., headline + image + button colour) to find the optimal combination — requires much larger sample sizes than A/B tests.

Q: What is card sorting?
A: A method where participants organise topics into categories that make sense to them — used to design intuitive information architecture and navigation.

Q: What is the difference between open and closed card sorting?
A: Open: participants create their own category names. Closed: participants sort cards into pre-defined categories. Open discovers structure; closed validates it.

Q: What is tree testing?
A: 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.

Q: How do card sorting and tree testing complement each other?
A: Card sorting helps create the information architecture; tree testing validates whether users can find content within that structure.

Q: What is a persona in UX design?
A: A fictional but data-driven representation of a key user segment — including demographics, goals, frustrations, behaviours, and context of use.

Q: What should a good persona include?
A: 1. Name and photo 2. Demographics 3. Goals and motivations 4. Pain points 5. Behaviours and context 6. A quote capturing their mindset.

Q: How many personas should a project have?
A: Typically 3–5 primary personas to cover key user segments without overcomplicating the design process.

Q: What is the risk of creating personas without research?
A: They become fictional stereotypes rather than data-driven archetypes, leading to design decisions based on assumptions rather than real user needs.

Q: What is a customer journey map?
A: 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.

Q: What are the key components of a journey map?
A: 1. Stages/phases 2. User actions 3. Thoughts and feelings 4. Touchpoints 5. Pain points 6. Opportunities for improvement.

Q: What is the difference between a journey map and an experience map?
A: 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.

Q: What is a service blueprint?
A: An extension of a journey map that also shows behind-the-scenes processes — front-stage actions, back-stage actions, support processes, and physical evidence.

Q: What is heuristic evaluation?
A: An expert review method where evaluators assess a user interface against a set of established usability principles (heuristics) to identify problems.

Q: Who developed the most widely used usability heuristics?
A: Jakob Nielsen — his 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design, published in 1994, remain the industry standard.

Q: Name five of Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics.
A: 1. Visibility of system status 2. Match between system and real world 3. User control and freedom 4. Consistency and standards 5. Error prevention.

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

Q: What does "Visibility of system status" mean?
A: The system should always keep users informed about what is going on through appropriate feedback within reasonable time — e.g., loading indicators, success messages.

Q: What does "Match between system and real world" mean?
A: The interface should use language, concepts, and conventions familiar to users rather than system-oriented jargon — following real-world conventions.

Q: How many evaluators are recommended for heuristic evaluation?
A: 3–5 evaluators typically find 75–80% of usability problems, according to Nielsen's research.

Q: What is a cognitive walkthrough?
A: 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?"

Q: What is competitive analysis in UX?
A: Evaluating competitor products to understand their strengths, weaknesses, features, and user experiences — identifying gaps and opportunities for your design.

Q: What should a UX competitive analysis include?
A: 1. Feature comparison matrix 2. UX strengths and weaknesses 3. Screenshots/flows 4. User reviews summary 5. Opportunities for differentiation.

Q: What is analytics in UX research?
A: Using quantitative data from tools like Google Analytics, Hotjar, or Mixpanel to understand user behaviour — page views, click paths, drop-offs, and conversion rates.

Q: What is a heatmap?
A: A visual representation of where users click, move, or scroll on a page — warmer colours indicate more activity. Tools: Hotjar, Crazy Egg.

Q: What is session recording?
A: Replaying actual user sessions (mouse movements, clicks, scrolls) to observe behaviour patterns, confusion, and usability issues.

Q: What is funnel analysis?
A: Tracking the percentage of users who complete each step in a multi-step process (e.g., checkout) to identify where drop-offs occur.

Q: What is WCAG?
A: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines — a set of international standards by the W3C for making web content accessible to people with disabilities.

Q: What are the four principles of WCAG (POUR)?
A: Perceivable · Operable · Understandable · Robust — content must be presented, navigable, comprehensible, and compatible with assistive technologies.

Q: What are the three WCAG conformance levels?
A: Level A (minimum), Level AA (recommended standard for most sites), Level AAA (highest; not required for entire sites).

Q: What is the minimum colour contrast ratio for WCAG AA?
A: 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold).

Q: What does "alt text" mean for accessibility?
A: Alternative text describing an image for screen readers — should convey the image's purpose, not just say "image of…"

Q: Name three common accessibility issues.
A: 1. Missing alt text on images 2. Insufficient colour contrast 3. Keyboard-inaccessible interactive elements.

Q: What is a screen reader?
A: Assistive technology that reads aloud the content of a screen (JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver) — used by people with visual impairments.

Q: What is information architecture (IA)?
A: The structural design of shared information environments — organising, labelling, and structuring content so users can find and understand it.

Q: What are the four components of information architecture?
A: 1. Organisation systems 2. Labelling systems 3. Navigation systems 4. Search systems.

Q: What is a sitemap in UX?
A: A visual diagram showing the hierarchical structure of a website's pages and their relationships — used to plan information architecture.

Q: What is navigation design?
A: Creating the mechanisms (menus, breadcrumbs, links, search) that help users move through content and find what they need efficiently.

Q: What is a wireframe?
A: A low-fidelity visual guide representing the skeletal framework of a page — showing layout, content placement, and functionality without visual design.

Q: What is the difference between low-fi and high-fi wireframes?
A: 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.

Q: What is a prototype?
A: An interactive simulation of a product that allows users to click through screens and experience the flow — used for testing before development.

Q: What is the difference between a wireframe and a prototype?
A: A wireframe is a static layout; a prototype is interactive and clickable, simulating the actual user experience.

Q: Name three popular prototyping tools.
A: 1. Figma 2. Sketch (with InVision or Principle) 3. Adobe XD — all support interactive prototyping and collaboration.

Q: What is a design system?
A: A collection of reusable components, patterns, and guidelines (buttons, typography, colour, spacing) ensuring consistency across a product.

Q: What is design thinking?
A: A human-centred problem-solving methodology with five phases: Empathise, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test.

Q: What happens in the Empathise phase of design thinking?
A: You build deep understanding of users through observation, interviews, and immersion — setting aside assumptions to see the world through their eyes.

Q: What happens in the Define phase of design thinking?
A: You synthesise research findings into a clear problem statement (Point of View or "How Might We" question) that frames the design challenge.

Q: What is a "How Might We" (HMW) question?
A: A reframing of the problem as an opportunity for design — e.g., "How might we make first-time users feel confident navigating the dashboard?"

Q: What happens in the Ideate phase of design thinking?
A: You generate a wide range of creative solutions through brainstorming, mind mapping, sketching, and other divergent thinking techniques.

Q: What happens in the Prototype phase of design thinking?
A: You build quick, inexpensive representations of solutions — paper prototypes, clickable mockups, or physical models — to make ideas tangible.

Q: What happens in the Test phase of design thinking?
A: 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.

Q: What is an affinity diagram?
A: A method of organising qualitative data by grouping related ideas, quotes, or observations on sticky notes into clusters to reveal themes and patterns.

Q: What is thematic analysis?
A: A qualitative method for identifying recurring patterns (themes) across research data — used to synthesise interview and diary study findings.

Q: What is a usability benchmark?
A: A baseline measurement of usability metrics (task success, time, satisfaction) that you can compare against after making design changes.

Q: What is the "5-second test"?
A: Showing a design for 5 seconds then asking what the user remembers — testing whether the key message and purpose are communicated at a glance.

Q: What is a first-click test?
A: 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.

Q: What is eye tracking in UX research?
A: Using specialised hardware to measure where users look on a screen, for how long, and in what order — revealing attention patterns and visual hierarchy.

Q: What is the F-pattern in reading?
A: 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.

Q: What is progressive disclosure?
A: A design pattern that shows only essential information first and reveals more detail on demand — reducing cognitive load and interface complexity.

Q: What is cognitive load in UX?
A: The total amount of mental effort required to use an interface. Good UX minimises extraneous cognitive load so users can focus on their goals.

Q: What is Fitts's Law?
A: 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.

Q: What is Hick's Law?
A: The time to make a decision increases logarithmically with the number of choices — reducing options speeds up user decisions.

Q: What is the "aesthetic-usability effect"?
A: Users perceive aesthetically pleasing designs as more usable — good visual design creates positive first impressions that increase tolerance for minor issues.

Q: What is a mental model?
A: A user's internal representation of how something works — designs that match users' mental models feel intuitive; mismatches cause confusion.

Q: What is the difference between formative and summative evaluation?
A: Formative: conducted during design to identify and fix issues. Summative: conducted after design to measure overall usability against benchmarks.

Q: What is a research repository?
A: A centralised collection of all research findings, insights, and artefacts — making past research discoverable and reducing duplicate studies.

Q: What is triangulation in UX research?
A: Using multiple research methods (e.g., interviews + analytics + usability tests) to validate findings — increasing confidence in the insights.

Q: What is guerrilla usability testing?
A: Quick, informal usability tests conducted in public places (coffee shops, lobbies) with random participants — fast and low-cost for early feedback.

Q: What is remote usability testing?
A: Conducting usability tests with participants who are in a different location — either moderated (via video call) or unmoderated (via testing platform).

Q: What is a screener survey?
A: A short questionnaire used to filter and select participants who match the target user profile for a research study.

Q: What is participant recruitment?
A: The process of finding and selecting users who represent your target audience to participate in research — critical for valid, reliable findings.

Q: What is an empathy map?
A: A collaborative tool capturing what a user says, thinks, does, and feels — used to synthesise research and build shared understanding of the user.

Q: What is a task analysis in UX?
A: Breaking down user goals into discrete steps and sub-tasks to understand the actions, decisions, and information needed to complete a workflow.

Q: What is the difference between generative and evaluative research?
A: Generative research explores problems and opportunities to define what to design. Evaluative research tests existing designs to assess how well they work.