This document provides an overview of user experience research and guidance on getting started with UX research. It discusses: - The importance of understanding user needs through observation and research before building products - A 5-step process for conducting UX research: starting with research questions, defining the research type, planning the research, conducting research such as interviews, and analyzing findings - Tips for effective research such as creating an interview guide, analyzing data themes, and reporting insights to facilitate decision-making The overall message is that UX research is a systematic process to build empathy with users in order to help solve their problems and create valuable products and experiences.

1. Gilang A. Pradana, PhD / @gildy
Co-Founder / Lead Design Facilitator
at Next Creation, Inc. - Fukuoka, Japan
Getting Started
With UX Research

2. 2
About Me
•Co-founder / Lead Design Facilitator at
Next Creation, Inc. - Fukuoka Japan
•Official Design Workshop Advisor for
Fukuoka Prefecture Government
•Certified Design Sprint Facilitator
Helping companies
turn insights & ideas
into action and boost
co-innovation culture

3. 3
Bachelor (B.Eng.)
Computer Science
Ritsumeikan University
Kyoto
Master
Global Innovation Design
Keio University
Front-End Engineer Intern
Cyber Agent
Tokyo
Master
Global Innovation Design
Pratt Institute
New York
Master
Global Innovation Design
Royal College of Art
PhD
Computer Science (HCI)
University of London
London
Research Background
2007 2012 2013 2014 2018

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Research interest:
Enhancing emotional experience with
multi-sensory technology
Ring U
Send your significant other a remote 'hug'
no matter how far you are from each other.
Virtual Smell Experience
Research collaboration with Scentee and
2-Michelin Starred Restaurant in Spain
Digital Scent Catalogue
with Wick & Tallow
Featured at London Design Festival 2014

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Human-Centred Design
Research approach:
Putting focus on the users and how they interact with technology

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What is the first thing you do
when you want to give present
to someone you love?

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You start to think about
what you understand about
the person
Their personality, things they love, things they need, past gift-giving experience.
You start to put more attention in observing their daily life and behaviour.

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A gift is not just a ‘thing’.
It is a representation of your feeling,
showing how much you care for them
That’s why you don’t just give it to the person.
You try to convey your feeling more by thinking: How are you going to give it?
What is the best possible experience?

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1. Observing and understanding
2. Thinking about the best possible
gift and experience
3. Gift shopping/making, setting up the stage
4. Gift giving, see how they react,
and learn from their feedback

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1. Observing and understanding
2. Thinking about the best possible
gift and experience
3. Gift shopping/making, setting up the stage
4. Gift giving, see how they react,
and learn from their feedback
User research
Problem discovery
Create hypothesis
Ideation
Prototyping
Building the product
User testing & validation

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1. Observing and understanding
2. Thinking about the best possible
gift and experience
3. Gift shopping/making, setting up the stage
4. Gift giving, see how they react,
and learn from their feedback
Prototyping
Building the product
Most of us are too busy building the product
without actually understanding who are we designing for
and how can we solve their problem.

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It’s not about what your product can do.
It’s more about how you can help
them solve problems/ achieve their goals.
There’s a gap between the value that users need
and the value that the product/service provides.

13. Research = Systematic inquiry
Going through a process to increase your knowledge
on a particular topic
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14. User experience research
Penelitian pengalaman pengguna?
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15. Systematic process to understand
user behaviors, needs, and motivations
so we can build empathy and help them achieve their goals.
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16. Systematic process to understand
user behaviors, needs, and motivations
so we can build empathy and help them achieve their goals.
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who how, when, where what why
data-driven, rigorous

17. Systematic process to understand
user behaviors, needs, and motivations
so we can build empathy and help them achieve their goals.
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who how, when, where what why
data-driven, rigorous
•Create positive impact on both users and business
•Reduce risk/waste in building a product that doesn’t create value for users

18. Overwhelmed by the methods and tools?
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19. Five simple steps
to help you get started with user experience research
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20. Start with a question
What is your objective and what do you want to learn?
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•What problem are we trying to solve?
•Why is it important to solve?
•How have we tried to solve it before?
•Who are we designing for?
•What are their needs and goals?
•How do we define and measure success? → Create hypothesis and figure out how to validate
Step 1
A good research start with good questions!

21. Define your type of research
UX Research happens at all the stages of the design process
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Step 2

22. Plan your research
Learn more about your approach: when to use which methods
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Step 3

23. Conduct your research
Set the stage, recruit your participants, and collect the data
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Step 4

24. Recruiting participants
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Step 4 - Conduct your research
•It is important to ask the right question to the right target
•Learn about the users of your product:
See past analytical data about gender, age range, area, etc.
•Define the criteria of your participants,
including how comfortable they are in using technology
•Offer incentives
•Ethical consideration

25. Interview guide
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Step 4 - Conduct your research
•Introduction: Who you are, let them know why they are in the interview, thank them for participating
“I work/study at _____ and we’re trying to improve/find out _____
I want to learn from you today to hopefully make some improvements on _____”
•“Nothing you can say or do will be wrong so I would be happy if you give honest feedback”
•Set expectations and make participant comfortable. Ask their consent if you are going to record
•Setting participant in their experience
“Today we’re going to talk about _____. I’m curious how do you typically _____”
•Core research questions.
Avoid leading questions like: “We have a great new feature for you, what do you think?”
•Make the interview feel as natural as possible (not scripted)
•Final thoughts and thank them for their time and provide them with the incentive.

26. Getting comfortable
conducting interviews
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Step 4 - Conduct your research
•Interview remains the most effective way to get inside another person’s head
and see the world as they do
•It is a core research technique that can be applied in many situations to
extract information
•Be mindful of recruitment criteria: who are you going to interview?
•Pay attention to ethical and privacy issue, respect your participants & stakeholders
•Phrase your questions clearly, use open-ended questions, and avoid leading questions
•Make participants comfortable to articulate their thoughts clearly
•LISTEN. Aim to listen at least 80% of the time. You are here to learn from the participant
•Learn to embrace the silence!

27. Making sense of the mess
Identify themes and insights, and use them to lead your next action
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Step 5
•Gather all information you have collected and look for meaningful patterns
•How do your findings help you answer your initial research question?

28. Analysing the data
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Step 5 - Making sense of the mess
•Give each participant identifier ([P1], [P2], … )
•Create a summary document to identify themes
•For example:
•Users struggled to find the search box [P1],[P3],[P5]
•“I’m not sure where to find it… I was expecting it in the upper right hand corner of the screen.” [P3]
•Participant tapped the browse button and looked in the section for a search box [P5]
•Rank them based on frequency and identify what issues are most common
•Identify the priority of importance of each theme:
Which issues are crucial and need to be solved immediately?
•Study and analyse the pattern and make design recommendations

29. Reporting the findings
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Step 5 - Making sense of the mess
•People gain value from your research when they get something to learn
so your report/ presentation is very important!
•Prepare slide decks for presentation and separate document/report for in-depth information
•Focus on high level themes that should be acted on
•Common patterns
•Design recommendations
•Listed in order of severity/ importance
•Where possible, include real user quotes/ videos (ask permission!)
•A good user research should facilitate a conversation to help your team become more focused
on the needs of the users so they can decide on next action based on real information (and not on
assumptions)

30. Things to consider
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•Document everything from day 0
•Communicate with the stakeholders early to inform and guide the research
•Adjust the approach based on your needs: adapt with feedback and changes
•Don’t get overwhelmed with all the tools and different methods:
Start with the basic and practice along the way
•Focus on the outcomes, not the outputs
•Ethical considerations, always ask for consent, make your participants comfortable
•Take into account the time required for: debriefing, recruiting participants, scheduling,
sending invites, booking rooms, other paperworks, and analysing the data
Last but not least,

31. Thank You!
@gildy / gil@nextcreation.design
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