User research is part and parcel of a successful design. Understand people who will use your design, apply this knowledge while creating personas and customer journey maps, put them into use, and you will nail it.
Like any other discipline, user research requires specific knowledge and skills. There is a flood of learning materials on UX, both online and offline, but the sources are surprisingly scarce when it comes to user research.
I'm telling you this from my personal experience. When I was transitioning from cultural anthropology into UX, I spent much time figuring out how to apply my knowledge to a new setting.
At that time, I set out to create a list of useful learning assets for newcomers to user research.
Talking to UXPressia users from different countries, I found out that they were looking for something like my list. That’s why I decided to write a post to share with you the useful learning resources on user research for beginners I collected.
I’m going to introduce you to the courses, training, and books created by practitioners for practitioners and even more. Read on the post to find learning sources that will work best for you.
Some of the courses found in this section are free, some are paid. They vary in duration, content, and delivery. Dive in and see which one better suits your needs.
I deliberately placed this course first. It provides a great introduction to user experience, and its scope is much wider than just user research. The course is a great starting point even for those who have some UX knowledge. It will help you put user research in context, making it truly worth your time.
The course contains numerous excellent examples. In a nutshell, it tells a story that develops gradually from lesson to lesson and so does the learner’s understanding of the subject matter.
The course consists of short, easily digestible videos overviewing the most common research methods. It also guides you to additional resources to deepen your knowledge.
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User Research – Methods and Best Practices is a part of the six-course series User Researcher Learning Path by Interaction Design Foundation. Whether you’re trying to break into user research and change your career or find useful research techniques to help you in your current role, this course got you covered.
Combining video lectures with text-based learning materials, the course gives a detailed overview of qualitative research methods.
Don’t be surprised that quantitative research methods are not covered. Qualitative UX research is usually what a professional researcher does at the beginning of a new project. Applying these methods puts you in direct contact with the user. It also allows you to immerse yourself into the context to see the goals, motivations, and tasks from the user’s perspective.
Pay special attention to the lecture on the ROI of user research. It may help you convince your boss to invest in UX research.
Tip: if you have zero experience with UX, check out User Experience: The Beginner’s Guide and Design Thinking: The Beginner’s Guide in the same course series.
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User Experience: Research & Prototyping is part of the Interaction Design Specialization, which covers a broad range of UX topics. Week one of the course is dedicated to qualitative methods, which are particularly useful for user research.
The content is video-based and easy to access at any time. One of the perks of this course is that participants are required to conduct research as a practical exercise. The results of each study are peer-reviewed by other people taking the course. So, you get immediate feedback on your work, and this helps you learn quickly.
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Beyond Usability: Learn the User Research Toolkit presents a high-level overview of both qualitative and quantitative user research methods. It will take you less than an hour to watch the course lectures.
There’s a very brief introduction to user research techniques. But the suggestions for applying different methods to specific problem areas provided at the end of the course are certainly valuable.
Another perk is that the course is divided into bite-sized videos. The course is free.
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Reading books on user research may take more time than watching video lectures. However, systematic learning is a long-term investment in your project and your career in UX. Here are the best user research books for beginners that I read.
The book by Leah Buley is not limited to user research; it’s much broader than that. If you’re the only person in your company who cares about UX, it's a must-read.
Leah Buley provided an accurate summary of each chapter. If you don’t have time to read the whole thing, examine the summaries to choose the chapters to read in full.
As for user research beginners, I find two book chapters particularly relevant:
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In the book, Just Enough Research, Erika Hall explains what design research is and what it is not. She demonstrates how to introduce different types of research to your organization when resources are scarce and how to promote the research agenda.
This book is very practical and explains complex concepts in a simple language understood by user research beginners. It's quite short and meant to be read in full. While reading, I recommend that you pay special attention to three chapters:
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Observing the User Experience is a user research classic that is not meant to be read in one sitting. Mike Kuniavsky, Elizabeth Goodman, and Andrea Moed encourage readers to explore the chapters as needed.
The book details a wide range of user research techniques, both qualitative and quantitative. The authors provide examples from their own work experience of applying each technique.
This book is written for more advanced users than the first two. It’s on my list because it explains how to analyze research results and present findings to the team during the discussion of research techniques.
At the end of the day, the success of your research is not only about doing it right and asking the right questions. It’s also about being able to communicate findings and convince stakeholders.
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Finally, I would like to share with you some other sources where you’ll find user research materials.
Reading blogs may be the easiest way to learn a thing or two about user research without investing too much time. They are also a place to read about the latest trends in the field.
Norman Nielsen Group is an industry leader and one of the most authoritative sources on user research and all things UX. Read this article first — it explains how to choose the right research method.
The User Research and User Testing section of the UX Collective’s blog contains various articles on the subject matter written by practitioners worldwide.
Usabilityworks is a website created by a renowned user researcher Dana Chisnell. In the blog, she writes about research and data analysis techniques. There is also a small library of public talks the author held over the years.
If you want to learn more about ethnography and its application in a broader context, try Ethnography Matters.
Last but not least, there is an article on secondary research methods, which is useful for cases when direct interaction with users is unavailable. Though the techniques mentioned there are complementary and should normally accompany actual user research, if you’re having trouble advocating for research in your company, this is a place to start.
I’m a firm believer that user research doesn’t have to be intimidating. Even ad hoc, beginner-level research activities prove to be effective compared to not doing any research at all. Try out learning materials for user research for beginners from the list, take a leap of faith and throw yourself into the unknown world of user research. I promise it will be fun.