Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design from edX

Small tech startups, large corporations, and even government organizations are all beginning to recognize that creating solutions for their clients must go beyond simply producing functional and useable products/services. To best support their populations, designing tech solutions to problems must be more than functional. They must be more than usable. Solutions must be designed to maximize the totality of the experience that a person has with the designed solution.

Achieving this goal must begin with a rich understanding of who we are designing for. The better, more complete and holistic understanding of our users as well as anyone that can be directly or indirectly affected by what we design, the more likely we can match the solution with the mental model of our users/stakeholders.

In this course you will learn concepts, tools, and techniques, needed to gather data to better understand who you are designing for so that you can develop information system solutions that will maximize the experiences that users/stakeholders have with those solutions, enabling you to work in a myriad of real-world roles that require designing IT solutions for clients. You will learn concepts like the utility, usability and user experience, why it is important to understand who a system is designed for, and why it is important to deploy a diversity of techniques to truly get as complete a picture of your users and stakeholders as possible.

What's inside

Learning objectives

Understand the difference between utility, usability, and user experience
Identify the types of data a questionnaire and an interview can best provide
Discover how to structure questions and type of on-line controls that can be used to capture responses
Discover procedures for obtaining information about your population through ways that go beyond just asking the users directly

Understand what is participatory design and how can it be used in the design process
Create a persona and identify the key elements of a persona
Create a scenario and where it can be used

Understand the difference between utility, usability, and user experience
Identify the types of data a questionnaire and an interview can best provide
Discover how to structure questions and type of on-line controls that can be used to capture responses
Discover procedures for obtaining information about your population through ways that go beyond just asking the users directly
Understand what is participatory design and how can it be used in the design process
Create a persona and identify the key elements of a persona
Create a scenario and where it can be used

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Develops skills in user research and data gathering, which are essential for creating human-centered designs that meet user needs and improve overall user experience

Explores participatory design, which is a collaborative approach that involves users in the design process to ensure solutions align with their needs and expectations

Teaches how to create personas and scenarios, which are valuable tools for understanding user behavior and designing solutions that address specific user needs and contexts

Examines the importance of understanding the difference between utility, usability, and user experience, which is crucial for designing effective and satisfying IT solutions

Focuses on gathering data through methods beyond direct user questioning, which is important for obtaining a comprehensive understanding of users and stakeholders

Explores questionnaires and interviews, which are standard methods for gathering user data and understanding user needs and preferences in human-centered design

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design with these activities:

Review 'The Design of Everyday Things'

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Reinforce understanding of core UX principles before diving into data gathering techniques.

View Things That Make Us Smart: Defending Human... on Amazon

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Read the book's key chapters.
Take notes on key concepts.
Relate concepts to personal experiences.

Review Basic Statistics Concepts

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Ensure a solid understanding of basic statistics to effectively analyze data gathered during the course.

Browse courses on Statistical Analysis

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Review descriptive statistics.
Review inferential statistics.
Practice interpreting statistical results.

Create a User Persona Example

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Solidify understanding of personas by creating a detailed example based on a hypothetical user.

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Choose a target user group.
Research user characteristics.
Develop a detailed persona profile.
Present the persona's needs and goals.

Four other activities

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Questionnaire Design Exercises

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Improve questionnaire design skills through targeted exercises focusing on question types and online controls.

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Design open-ended questions.
Design closed-ended questions.
Select appropriate online controls.
Refine questions for clarity.

Pilot User Interview Project

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Gain practical experience by conducting and analyzing a pilot user interview.

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Recruit a participant.
Develop an interview script.
Conduct the interview.
Analyze the interview data.
Summarize key findings.

Review 'Interviewing Users'

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Deepen understanding of user interview techniques for more effective data gathering.

View Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling... on Amazon

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Read the book's key chapters.
Take notes on key concepts.
Reflect on personal interviewing experiences.

Create a Data Visualization of User Feedback

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Practice visualizing user feedback data to identify patterns and insights.

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Interpret the visualization.
Gather user feedback data.
Choose a visualization tool.
Create a data visualization.

Career center

Learners who complete Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

User Experience Researcher

A User Experience Researcher focuses on understanding user behaviors, needs, and motivations through various research methods, making the design process user-centered. Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design is particularly relevant because it provides the concepts, tools, and techniques needed to deeply understand user populations. This role requires a holistic understanding of user experiences, going beyond basic functionality and usability, which is a major theme of this course. Furthermore, this course allows learners to apply a variety of research methods, such as interviews and questionnaires, to understand user needs which will enable the user experience researcher to gain insights into user mental models and expectations which is crucial when designing technology solutions.

See salaries and explore the career path for User Experience Researcher

User Researcher

A User Researcher investigates user needs and behaviors to inform the design and development of products and services. The course Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design provides a strong foundation for this role by offering critical knowledge and skills in understanding user populations. This course will help a user researcher better understand how to go beyond simply producing functional products and services and instead create solutions to maximize user experience. This course's focus on various data gathering methods such as interviews, questionnaires, and participatory design, as well as its emphasis on creating personas and scenarios, are invaluable for user research. The content aligns with the core tasks of a user researcher: to understand the user and advocate for them throughout the design process. Data collection is also a key component of this role.

See salaries and explore the career path for User Researcher

Usability Analyst

A Usability Analyst evaluates how easy and efficient a product or system is to use, focusing heavily on user interactions and workflows. This course will be helpful for a Usability Analyst as it covers core concepts like utility, usability, and user experience. It also focuses on the importance of understanding user needs and applying various data gathering techniques, such as questionnaires and interviews to assess user behaviors. The course provides a framework for understanding how to gather data beyond just directly asking users, which is critical for assessing usability and designing effective solutions. Learning about participatory design and how to create personas and scenarios further helps a Usability Analyst understand user needs.

See salaries and explore the career path for Usability Analyst

Human Factors Specialist

A Human Factors Specialist applies knowledge of human capabilities and limitations to the design of systems, products, and environments. This career requires a strong foundation in data gathering and analysis, which this course provides. A Human Factors Specialist strives to optimize human well-being and overall system performance; this course supports that goal by providing techniques for deeply understanding user needs beyond simple functionality and usability. This course covers the concept of user experience, which is fundamental to human factors work. Additionally, understanding data beyond directly asking users, as covered in this course, is critical for understanding how humans interact with systems.

See salaries and explore the career path for Human Factors Specialist

Interaction Designer

An Interaction Designer focuses on how users interact with a product or service, including the flow of actions and feedback. The course Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design helps build a foundation for this role by emphasizing user-centered design principles and techniques for understanding user needs. Specifically, learning how to use questionnaires, interviews, and participatory design as well as learning how to create personas and scenarios provides essential skills for an interaction designer. This course emphasizes that solutions must be designed to maximize the totality of the experience a user has with a solution, which aligns with interaction design principles.

See salaries and explore the career path for Interaction Designer

UX Designer

A UX Designer focuses on creating user interfaces that are both functional and enjoyable to use. This course can be used to help a UX designer as it focuses on understanding user needs and expectations through a variety of data gathering techniques. By learning about utility, usability, and user experience, a UX designer can better understand what users need. This course goes beyond usability to focus on the totality of the user experience and can therefore provide the grounding needed to successfully create usable interfaces. This course teaches methods of data collection, such as questionnaires and interviews, which allow for a deeper understanding of user needs and requirements.

See salaries and explore the career path for UX Designer

Design Strategist

A Design Strategist develops and implements strategies to ensure a design is in alignment with larger business goals and user needs. This career makes use of user-centered design principles that are included in this course. Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design is particularly useful because it helps them better understand user populations. A Design Strategist will benefit from learning how to create user personas and scenarios as well as the importance of understanding the mental models of users and stakeholders. The course content is valuable because of the focus on total user experience, which allows the strategist to make decisions that are in keeping with the needs of the users.

See salaries and explore the career path for Design Strategist

Systems Analyst

A Systems Analyst researches and designs information systems to meet business and user needs. While this course does not focus on systems directly, it focuses on understanding user needs for any system. Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design will help a systems analyst by teaching how to gather user data through interviews and questionnaires. The course also emphasizes the importance of understanding the total experience of the user, and not just its functionality or usability. This course's focus on participatory design will be particularly useful in this role. Understanding the user's mental model is key in system design.

See salaries and explore the career path for Systems Analyst

Product Manager

A Product Manager guides the development of a product from conception to launch, aligning it with user needs and business goals. This course may be useful to a product manager because understanding user needs and requirements is central to this role. Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design can assist with this process by providing techniques to understand users. It emphasizes the importance of maximizing the total user experience, which is a key goal for a product manager. This course will help a product manager better understand how to gather data beyond direct questioning as well as how to understand the mental model of users and stakeholders through methods such as the development of personas and scenarios.

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Instructional Designer

An Instructional Designer creates learning experiences and materials that are effective and engaging for users. While different from technology design, this role still requires a deep understanding of user needs, this course can provide that foundation. Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design will be useful to an Instructional Designer because it teaches user experience concepts and provides techniques for understanding user expectations. An Instructional designer can use this course to better understand the needs of learners, develop user personas, and ultimately create better learning experiences. The techniques for gathering data from users, taught in this course, may also be valuable.

See salaries and explore the career path for Instructional Designer

Information Architect

An Information Architect organizes and structures information within a product or service to ensure it is accessible and easily understood by users. This course may be useful to an information architect because understanding user needs is a vital component of information architecture. Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design provides tools and techniques for understanding user mental models through various data gathering methods, such as the development of personas and scenarios. This will enable information architects to better understand the user's perspective and help them organize digital information in a way best suited to the end user. The course's emphasis on understanding the totality of the user experience will also be helpful in this field.

See salaries and explore the career path for Information Architect

Digital Strategist

A Digital Strategist develops and implements digital strategies to increase client engagement and achieve business objectives. This career benefits from a solid understanding of user needs and preferences, making Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design helpful. The methods taught in this course can assist a Digital Strategist in learning about users and their mental models. A digital strategist may find the course useful, because it covers the importance of understanding who a system is designed for and seeks to maximize the user experience. This course will help a Digital Strategist gain a more complete picture of stakeholders and users.

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Accessibility Specialist

An Accessibility Specialist ensures that products and services are usable by people with disabilities. This role may benefit from the methods taught in Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design. This course provides methods for understanding user needs through questionnaires, interviews, and participatory design. While the course does not explicitly focus on accessibility, the focus on gathering data on user needs will be helpful for understanding how to design solutions that are user-friendly for everyone. The methods taught in this course will enable a better understanding of the totality of the user experience.

See salaries and explore the career path for Accessibility Specialist

Business Analyst

A Business Analyst identifies business needs and recommends solutions to improve operations. This role does not primarily deal with designing technology, although the solutions they recommend may be technology-based. While not a direct fit, Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design may be useful to a Business Analyst as it provides methods for understanding user and stakeholder needs. The course emphasizes the importance of understanding the mental models of the users and stakeholders. This course teaches the importance of going beyond directly asking users and instead using various methods to truly understand them, such as through the use of interviews and questionnaires.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Market Research Analyst

A Market Research Analyst studies market conditions to examine the potential sales of a product or service. While this role is not directly related to designing user interfaces, Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design can be useful to better understand user preferences and needs. A market research analyst will learn techniques for data gathering beyond just observing user behavior, such as interviews and questionnaires. The course provides a better understanding of the mental models of target populations through the development of personas and scenarios. Understanding the totality of the user experience is also something that a market research analyst may find useful.

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Data Gathering for Human-Centered Design

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