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  • Berkeley Global

User Research for UX

DESIGN X475.3

26741233
Delivery Options Online

Get an introduction to the fundamentals of UX research. You gain an understanding of the logistics and theory of conducting user research and how to impact user experience design and product development. You also learn best practices for determining when to use particular methodologies, either qualitative or quantitative research and how to develop appropriate research interviews.

You then apply user research to better understand user behaviors, needs and motivations through observation techniques, task analysis and other feedback methodologies. You also learn about eye tracking and where a person is looking when using a device.

User experience research (UXR) aims at improving the usability of products or services by incorporating experimental and observational research methods to guide the design, development and refinement of a product. Class assignments offer you opportunities to define research objectives, develop a research plan, conduct contextual interviews, execute a research study, analyze results and report findings effectively. You conclude the course with a portfolio project that demonstrates your research skills, when and how to apply different research methods for products or services.

See a sample of former student Megan Wilkinson who works for Google as a UX researcher.

Course Outline

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Course Objectives

UC Berkeley Extension designs the best possible online learning experience to give you the skills to produce a quality portfolio and become a confident research and design professional.

  • Understand usability testing and user experience
  • Study logistic and theoretical components of applied research
  • Explore best practices for developing a research plan
  • Learn how research contributes to a design effort
  • Develop, conduct, analyze and report findings from a user research study
  • Ensure that research is applicable to product development
  • Explore quantitative and qualitative research methods

What You Learn

User research is used to identify user behaviors, needs, experience and motivations through various qualitative and quantitative methods to improve the process of solving user’s problems and refine a product or service.

  • Research plans
  • Moderator goals
  • Recruiting/sourcing
  • Legal considerations
  • Contextual inquiry
  • Accessibility and ethics
  • Persona development
  • Research presentation
  • Heuristic evaluations
  • Cognitive walkthroughs
  • UX research in the organizational context
  • Usability vs. user experience
  • Quantitative vs. qualitative methods
  • Mixed methods to understanding users
  • Ethnography research
  • Diary studies to understand user behaviors
  • Synthesize, create and plan online surveys
  • Survey findings with stakeholders to create buy-in
  • Research questions and methods
  • Interaction with participants and observers for quality data collection
  • Iteration accompanied with user research to product development
  • Introduction to eye tracking in UX research
  • Engagement with internal stakeholders and external clients

How You Learn

We are online! All of the design classes are conducted online including: video classes, mentor-led learning and peer-to-peer support through our student online platform, Canvas.

  • Lectures
  • Reading assignments
  • Quizzes (at instructor’s discretion)
  • Small-group activities
  • Homework assignments
  • Capstone project

Is This Course Right for You?

If you are interested in conducting user research to create better products and websites, or want to pursue a career in the UX field, you should enroll. Our experienced instructors monitor your development along with peer-to-peer support on our student online platform.

After completing this course, you are ready for Information Architecture (IA) and Content Strategy.

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Sections

Section 021

Feb 22, 2021 to Apr 26, 2021 Live Online

Course Fee(s)

course fee credit (2 units)

$1,107.00


Type Lecture

Days

M

Time

6:30PM to 9:30PM Pacific Time

Dates

Feb 22, 2021 to Apr 26, 2021

Schedule and Location

View Details

Instructional Hours

30.0

Delivery Options

Online

Available for Credit

2 semester units

Instructors

  • Ryan Hanau
  • Instructor To Be Announced

Section Notes

This course runs from February 22 to April 26, 2021.

Enroll early to secure a space for this course. Enrollment will not be accepted after the second class meeting.

This course will be taught "Live-Online" where the instructor will lecture through the Zoom remote-learning platform at the same designated time every week.

Equipment

The following minimum recommendation for UX Design:

  • Apple MacBook or PC

    • 8 to16 GB RAM

Section Materials

  • (Mandatory) Usability Testing for Survey Research by Emily Geisen and Jennifer Romano Bergstrom Morgan Kaufmann 1st edition ISBN 978-0128036563

Section 022

Mar 03, 2021 to May 25, 2021 Online

Course Fee(s)

course fee credit (2 units)

$1,107.00


Type Online, Fixed Date

Enroll in this course by its start date and complete it by its specified end date. There are no live sessions, but plenty of opportunities to collaborate with your classmates and instructor.

Dates

Mar 03, 2021 to May 25, 2021

Delivery Options

Online

Available for Credit

2 semester units

Instructors

  • Jennifer Romano Bergstrom

Section Notes

This course runs from March 03 to May 25, 2021.

Enroll early to secure a space for this course. Enrollment will not be accepted after the second class meeting.

Equipment

The following minimum recommendation for UX Design:

  • Apple MacBook or PC

    • 8 to16 GB RAM

Section Materials

  • (Mandatory) Usability Testing for Survey Research by Emily Geisen and Jennifer Romano Bergstrom Morgan Kaufmann 1st edition ISBN 978-0128036563

This course applies to the following programs:

Professional Program in User Experience (UX) Design

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Required Courses

  • Essentials of User Experience (UX) Design
  • Diagramming and Prototyping for UX
  • Visual Design Principles
  • User Research for UX
  • Information Architecture (IA) and Content Strategy
  • User-Interface (UI) Design

Electives

  • UX Design Portfolio
  • Qualitative Research: Design, Implementation and Methods
  • Quantitative UX Metrics and Research
  • Human-Centered Design for Data Visualization
  • Design Thinking and UX Strategy
  • Accessibility in UX Design
  • Service Design
  • Web Design With HTML5 and CSS3
  • Typography Fundamentals
  • Illustrator I
  • Photoshop I
  • InDesign
  • Branding

Learn More About this Program

Notes

Departmental contact: extension-uxdesign@berkeley.edu | (510) 643-8916

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DESIGN X475.3 - 021 - User Research for UX

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Online

Ryan Hanau

Ryan is a design leader and educator who has managed teams for over 20 years and designed highly usable products and interfaces (B2B and B2C) for more than 24 years. He sees his role as connecting humans, machines, and organizations following an evidence-based methodology. He relies on data to make informed decisions. Design thinking, strategy, UX, visual design, and user research are a few of  Ryan's skills. Both qualitative and quantitative are research approaches he feels equally comfortable executing. Ryan conducted his first user research study in 1999 and has also held senior executive roles at Oracle, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Motorola. Ryan loves to write about design and has been a college design instructor since 1997.

course fee

Jennifer Romano Bergstrom

Jen is the Director of User Experience Research at Bridgewater Associates and the Director of Marketing and Communications of the User Experience Professional Association (UXPA) and a board member of the UX Quality Certification Center (UXQCC). She earned a Ph.D. in Applied/Experimental Psychology from Catholic University of America. Jen’s research specialties include usability, eye tracking, survey design, experimental design, and cognitive aging. An established UX expert, she teaches graduate-level classes and trains and coaches UX professionals. She is co-author of Usability Testing for Survey Research (2017) and co-author/editor of Eye Tracking in User Experience Design (2014). She has held UX positions in industry (Facebook, Instagram, Fors Marsh Group) and government (U.S. Census Bureau), and has also worked as an independent consultant.

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