UX research with distance learners

In order to avoid restricting the Open University Library's User Experience research to those students who happen to live within easy travelling distance of our Milton Keynes campus, we conduct as much UX as possible remotely online. This chapter talks about some of the methods we have used

Netnography approach for UX research

This paper discusses on how netnography can be applied to gain an understanding on sensitive research topic in a high power distance culture. The study investigated the frustrations among practitioners in incorporating the User Experience Design (UXD) in software development process. Netnography has been applied to uncover the unspoken behaviors of stakeholders and attitudes of clients who disrespect designers that reflects the UX practitioners frustration on the stakeholiders‘ politics. This findings will be useful in seeking a solution to improve the UXD process. From this work it can be concluded that netnography can be a suitable approach to gain deeper insights into understanding practitioner’s frustrations in UX research study

UX in the Arab World - Research Trends and Challenges for a Better Understanding and Collaboration

During the last decade, a considerable number of studies question how HCI is perceived and how the cultural differences are considered. However, very few focused on eliciting the cultural factors of UX and the underlying integration of UX research methods. In this paper, we overview the literature on UX research in the Arab world. Among others, our findings show that UX research focused on two main themes (1) elicitation of UX guidelines and UX patterns (best UX practices) to match the Arab culture (2) identification of the factors influencing UX in the Arab region. The findings also illustrate existing efforts to raise awareness of HCI and conclude with some research challenges that draw a road map for a better collaboration between Arab researchers and the international community

UX research: uma proposta baseada no desenvolvimento do portal da UA

As a process inherent to the HCI area, UX Research can be seen as a strategy that supports the development of digital products, namely when usability and accessibility guidelines are used to drive the approach adopted. Practices and strategies based on user experience can facilitate understanding the generation of inputs to drive the digital products development as well as support requirements. In this context, this research is focused on the observation of the UX Research process in the development of the new web portal of the University of Aveiro aiming to investigate how UX Research practice can support the methodological approach used, regarding requirements support, identification of typology interface problems, and collection of information towards the continuous improvement of the development of the University of Aveiro (UA) New Portal. For this purpose, a Mixed Methodology was used based on the Grounded Theory framework, by the inductive process of data observation, delimited to the observation of the new News area of the web portal. Data saturation allowed us to know which UX Research sources had more capacity to raise data from the end-users, support requirements, identify types of interface problems, and supply the development of product solutions. As a consequence of the data processing, this research presents a UXR flow proposal to support data collection and engage stakeholders with the end-user needs and interests.Como um processo inerente à área de Interação Humano-Computador (HCI), a Investigação em Experiência do Utilizador (UX Research) pode ser vista como uma estratégia de apoio ao desenvolvimento de produtos digitais quando princípios de usabilidade e acessibilidade são utilizados para impulsionar a abordagem adoptada. Práticas e estratégias baseadas na coleta de dados relativos à experiência do utilizador podem facilitar a geração de inputs para impulsionar desenvolvimento de produtos digitais bem como suportar a defesa de requisitos. Neste contexto, esta investigação está centrada na observação do processo de UX Research no desenvolvimento do novo portal web da Universidade de Aveiro com o objetivo de compreender como a prática da Investigação em UX pode apoiar a abordagem metodológica utilizada, no que diz respeito ao suporte de requisitos, identificação de tipologias de problemas da interface, e recolha de informação para a melhoria contínua do desenvolvimento do Novo Portal da Universidade de Aveiro (UA). Para este fim, foi utilizada uma Metodologia Mista, Qualiquantitativa fundamentada na estrutura de Grounded Theory, em que parte-se do processo indutivo da observação dos dados, delimitado à observação da nova Área de Notícias do portal web. O tratamento estatístico permitiu saber quais as fontes da UX Research com maior capacidade para levantar dados dos utilizadores finais, qual delas mais dá suporte aos requisitos, ajuda na identificação de tipos de problemas da interface, e apoia o desenvolvimento de soluções de produto. Como consequência do processamento de dados, esta investigação apresenta uma proposta de fluxo de Investigação em UX para apoiar a recolha de dados e motivar os envolvidos no processo para atender as necessidades e interesses dos utilizadores finais.Mestrado em Comunicação Multimédi

User Experience (UX) in the Cultural Field

This commentary paper aims to pro-mote the acknowledgment of user experience (UX) research principles in the cultural field. As discussed in the preceding dissertation, The Meaning of Participation: Detecting the space for inclusive strategies in the Finnish and German museum context (2022), efforts to get to know one’s audience (or users) should not be ignored. What is the meaning of UX research, why should it be used sustainably, and how can it be ben-eficial? This paper aims to answer these questions by explaining and unfolding the reasons for conducting such research and proposing it to the cultural audience development work

Generative User-Experience Research for Developing Domain-specific Natural Language Processing Applications

User experience (UX) is a part of human-computer interaction (HCI) research and focuses on increasing intuitiveness, transparency, simplicity, and trust for system users. Most of the UX research for machine learning (ML) or natural language processing (NLP) focuses on a data-driven methodology, i.e., it fails to focus on users' requirements, and engages domain users mainly for usability evaluation. Moreover, more typical UX methods tailor the systems towards user usability, unlike learning about the user needs first. The paper proposes a methodology for integrating generative UX research into developing domain NLP applications. Generative UX research employs domain users at the initial stages of prototype development, i.e., ideation and concept evaluation, and the last stage for evaluating the change in user value. In the case study, we report the full-cycle prototype development of a domain-specific semantic search for daily operations in the process industry. Our case study shows that involving domain experts increases their interest and trust in the final NLP application. Moreover, we show that synergetic UX+NLP research efficiently considers data- and user-driven opportunities and constraints, which can be crucial for NLP applications in narrow domain

User Experience as Organizational Ethos Focused on Quality: a Case Study of UX-Receptive and UX-Reluctant Workplace Cultures

User experience (UX) research is a workplace approach to improving the quality of texts and technologies an organization produces to advance its business goals. Across the industry, UX roles, job titles, and responsibilities are widely varied, and the inconsistency is also reflected in the quality of outcomes; successful, effective research depends on complex, interrelated factors, and the influence of workplace culture and context are largely unacknowledged and unexamined across the technical communication (TC) field. Such examination is warranted because UX professionals face unique workplace challenges that impede their ability to conduct effective research that will improve the quality of outcomes that meet user needs. These challenges arise from 1) limited access to necessary resources for research, 2) limited agency over the goals and direction of research, 3) resistance to research findings that challenge or conflict with organizational identity. I conducted an exploratory, qualitative study to investigate the perceptions of UX professionals in working within and against workplace constraints. The study includes four case studies, each focused on a UX professional in an organization that incorporates UX research as a quality-assurance practice. To analyze the data, I used a combination of theoretical lenses, including rhetorical analysis and the cultural approach to organizations. The resulting data indicated that some organizational preferences and norms do not align well with UX methods and practices and may impede UX professionals from fully executing their research, applying findings, and delivering high-quality outcomes. A wide variety of professional relationships also influence the UX research context and shape the conditions for research activities, and responses to research initiatives. This study highlights key implications for Technical Communication (TC) theory, including a need to deepen and broaden the field’s understanding of the rhetorical situation for UX work within organizations, and the intersections of UX and quality. I offer recommendations for UX professionals, including closely observing the workplace with its key relationships and power structures, networking within the organization to build alliances, and framing the goals of UX research to align with strategic organizational and departmental goals. I advocate for TC academic programs to help students understand the complexities of the rhetorical situations within and across organizational boundaries in workplaces, and to help students develop a sense of “organizational literacy.” The TC field benefits from a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between UX research, perceptions of quality and the role of rhetorical context in workplace settings

Incorporating Cognitive Neuroscience Techniques to Enhance User Experience Research Practices

User Experience (UX) involves every interaction that customers have with products, and it plays a crucial role in determining the success of a product in the market. While there are numerous methods available in literature for assessing UX, they often overlook the emotional aspect of the user\u27s experience. As a result, cognitive neuroscience methods are gaining popularity, but they have certain limitations such as difficulty in collecting neurophysiological data, potential for errors, and lengthy procedures. This article aims to examine the most effective research practices using cognitive neuroscience techniques and develop a standardized procedure for conducting UX research. To achieve this objective, the study conducts a comprehensive review of UX research that employs cognitive neuroscience methods published between 2017 and 2022

Analysis of UX Cultural Probe: study of postgraduate taught students, University of Birmingham

This study was based on the production and analysis of a cultural probe research project that was completed by 10 Postgraduate Taught (PGT) students. This cultural probe, structured around a diary format, contained 10 tasks for participants to complete, each lasting under 30 minutes and to be completed over 10 days. The tasks were made as open as possible so that the data is user guided rather than entering the research project with any preconceptions or clear aims. This differs from common surveys that often have narrow questions. We can learn a huge amount about how our users experience (and feel about) services, spaces and products by adopting rich qualitative and quantitative research methods that come under the umbrella term ‘UX’ (User eXperience). Crucially UX research explores user behaviours and needs, not just what users say they want. UX research is becoming more important as higher education is being forced to adapt to the increased importance of students as high paying ‘customers’ of the university

Understanding and improving subjective measures in human-computer interaction

In Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), research has shifted from a focus on usability and performance towards the holistic notion of User Experience (UX). Research into UX places special emphasis on concepts from psychology, such as emotion, trust, and motivation. Under this paradigm, elaborate methods to capture the richness and diversity of subjective experiences are needed. Although psychology offers a long-standing tradition of developing self-reported scales, it is currently undergoing radical changes in research and reporting practice. Hence, UX research is facing several challenges, such as the widespread use of ad-hoc questionnaires with unknown or unsatisfactory psychometric properties, or a lack of replication and transparency. Therefore, this thesis contributes to several gaps in the research by developing and validating self-reported scales in the domain of user motivation (manuscript 1), perceived user interface language quality (manuscript 2), and user trust (manuscript 3). Furthermore, issues of online research and practical considerations to ensure data quality are empirically examined (manuscript 4). Overall, this thesis provides well-documented templates for scale development, and may help improve scientific rigor in HCI