The UX Research Methods: Glossary by Nielsen Norman Group, authored by Raluca Budiu and published on September 10, 2023, serves as a comprehensive reference for understanding key terms and concepts in user experience (UX) research. This glossary is particularly beneficial for UX professionals, researchers, and students seeking to familiarize themselves with the terminology used in various research methods.
The glossary categorizes terms into several groups:
- Attitudinal Methods: These methods collect self-reported data about users’ perceptions and attitudes. Examples include surveys, user interviews, and focus groups.
- Behavioral Methods: These methods gather data reflecting users’ actions and behaviors, such as usability testing and analytics methods.
- Context Methods: These methods involve capturing the context in which users naturally engage in a specific behavior, like field studies and diary studies.
- Quantitative Methods: These methods involve collecting numerical data to quantify behaviors and attitudes, such as A/B testing and clickstream analytics.
- Qualitative Methods: These methods involve collecting non-numerical data to understand users’ experiences and motivations, such as ethnographic studies and prototype testing.
Each term is accompanied by a concise definition, providing clarity on its meaning and application in UX research. This resource is an invaluable tool for anyone involved in UX research, offering quick access to definitions and explanations of commonly used terms.
