The UX Research Cheat Sheet by Nielsen Norman Group, authored by Susan Farrell, serves as a comprehensive guide for selecting appropriate user experience (UX) research methods throughout the design process. Recognizing that user research is valuable at every stage of product development, the cheat sheet categorizes methods into four key phases:
- Discover: Methods like field studies, diary studies, user interviews, and stakeholder interviews help in understanding user needs and gathering requirements.
- Explore: Techniques such as competitive analysis, design reviews, persona building, task analysis, journey mapping, prototype feedback, and card sorting assist in exploring design solutions.
- Test: Approaches like qualitative usability testing, benchmark testing, and accessibility evaluations are used to test and validate designs.
- Listen: Activities including surveys, analytics reviews, search-log analyses, usability-bug reviews, and FAQ reviews help in listening to user feedback and monitoring ongoing user experience.
The guide emphasizes that while it’s not necessary to employ every method in each project, a mix of these techniques can lead to more effective and user-centered designs. Additionally, the article provides a downloadable PDF summarizing these methods for quick reference.
