In this 12-week asynchronous course, starting on Mar 5, you will get an introduction to the fundamentals of UX research. Gain an understanding of the logistics and theory of conducting user research and how to impact user experience design and product development. 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.
This course is part of the UC Berkeley Extension Professional Program in User Experience (UX) Design and can be taken individually or as part of the certification program. It is asynchronous, meaning lectures are pre-recorded, and students can consume and learn when is best for them. Jen hosts live office hours each week.
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.
“Dr. Romano did a wonderful job of creating a curriculum that built upon itself. The content she provided helped me to reach a holistic understanding of topics by providing materials in different mediums to facilitate learning for different types of learners. I thoroughly enjoyed learning from Dr. Romano and feel that she has designed a thorough and engaging course that requires just the right level of effort for working professionals to succeed in building a new skill without becoming overwhelmed.”
“Dr. Romano was fantastic. Despite her busy schedule, she made ample time for 1 on 1 office hours that far exceeded her duty. Interesting materials and a bit more rigorous course than I might’ve expected (which is great).”
“Professor Romano is obviously a top professional in her field. I’m grateful for the structure and sequence of material she provided for the course, and I think I learned a lot from it. ”
