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Understanding Ethics in User Research
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Today, we're going to talk about ethics in user research. Why do we need to consider ethics when performing interviews or surveys?
I think it's important to protect the privacy of the participants.
Exactly! We must ensure confidentiality. We also need informed consent. Who can tell me what informed consent means?
It means making sure participants know why we are collecting their data and that they agree to it.
Perfect! Remember the acronym I.C.E? It stands for Informed consent, Confidentiality, and Ethical considerations. These aspects guide our interactions with research participants.
So, what if someone wants to withdraw from the study?
Great question! Participants should know they can withdraw at any time without consequences. This is part of ethical practice.
To summarize, we must prioritize our participants' rights and make ethical considerations a core part of our research process.
Interview Coding Drill
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Now, let's move on to coding interviews. Coding helps us identify themes in qualitative data. Where do you think we might start?
We could read through the transcript and highlight key phrases.
Exactly! Once we've highlighted, we can create codes that summarize each theme. Can someone provide an example of a code?
If a user mentioned they find a feature difficult, we might code that as 'Usability Issue'.
Good job! Remember to look for patterns when you write these codes. This will help us later when we create affinity diagrams.
How do we create those diagrams?
Great question! Youโll organize your codes into groups of related themes on sticky notes. This visual representation helps us see connections between issues.
Redesigning Surveys
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Next up is our survey redesign exercise. Why is it important to critique surveys?
To make sure they're clear and unbiased.
Exactly! Letโs look at this example question: 'Do you think our app is good?' How would you rewrite that?
Maybe change it to 'How would you rate the app on a scale from 1 to 5?'
Yes! This is an example of a closed question giving clear options. Always strive for clarity and neutrality in your wording.
What about open-ended questions?
Open-ended questions are also vital to gain insights but should be used alongside closed questions for balanced data.
Remember, clarity and unbiased wording are key to obtaining valid data!
Empathy Mapping
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Lastly, we will build empathy maps for our personas. Who can tell me the purpose of an empathy map?
To understand user emotions and needs better!
Correct! We can organize our findings into four sections: Says, Thinks, Does, and Feels. Let's start with 'Says.' What do you think users might 'say'?
They might express frustrations about a feature.
Exactly! Capture direct quotes for this section. The next section, 'Thinks,' dives deeper into their beliefs. What would you write there?
Maybe they think the app should be more intuitive.
Fantastic! After we've completed all sections, weโll discuss the insights and key user needs they reveal.
Applying the 5 Whys Technique
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Now we'll apply the 5 Whys exercise to a common symptom. What problem do you frequently face in your life?
I often feel tired a lot.
Great choice! Letโs dig deeper using the 5 Whys. So, why do you feel tired?
Because I donโt sleep well.
Why donโt you sleep well?
I stay up late on my phone.
Why do you stay up late on your phone?
Because I want to watch videos.
Why do you feel the need to watch videos?
To relax after studying.
Finally, why do you feel you need to relax after studying?
Because I feel stressed.
Excellent work! You get to the root of stress and lack of sleep. This method can help uncover deeper issues that need addressing.
Introduction & Overview
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Quick Overview
Standard
The section presents a series of engaging exercises designed to reinforce the concepts learned about user research, personas, empathy mapping, and problem statements. Each activity encourages practical application and teamwork.
Detailed
Activities and Exercises
This section features a selection of activities aimed at solidifying the understanding of concepts related to user research and problem definition. The exercises are designed to be interactive, encouraging students to work collaboratively and to apply knowledge practically. The activities are categorized into different types to facilitate diverse learning methods.
Overview of Activities
- Ethics Role-Play: Simulate an interview situation focusing on ethical considerations such as informed consent and confidentiality, crucial for user research. This gives students a practical understanding of ethical standards in research.
- Interview Coding Drill: Engage with a transcript excerpt to practice thematic coding. Students will learn how to identify and categorize information effectively.
- Survey Redesign: Critique the structure and wording of a poorly designed survey, rewrite it according to established best practices, allowing them to apply learning on survey design.
- Empathy Mapping: In groups, students will create empathy maps for selected personas, promoting understanding of user needs and perspectives.
- 5 Whys Exercise: Students will examine a common symptom in their daily life to apply the 5 Whys technique, enhancing their problem-solving skills.
- OKR Planning: Draft Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) objectives for improving a feature in an educational app, fostering goal-setting skills crucial for project success.
Through these sessions, students will develop essential skills in user research methodologies, ethical considerations, and structured problem-solving.
Audio Book
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Ethics Role-Play
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- Ethics RoleโPlay: Simulate an interview, focusing on informed consent and confidentiality.
Detailed Explanation
This activity involves participants acting out an interview scenario. The main focus is on understanding the ethical principles of informed consent and confidentiality. Participants will take on roles as both the interviewer and the interviewee. The interviewer must explain the purpose of the interview and ensure that they have obtained permission to conduct it, emphasizing the right of the interviewee to withdraw at any time. This exercise helps students grasp the ethical considerations in user research.
Examples & Analogies
Think of this like a doctor explaining a procedure to a patient before getting their consent. Just as patients need to understand what is happening and have the choice to say no, interviewees also need to know what will happen during an interview and agree to participate.
Interview Coding Drill
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- Interview Coding Drill: Given a transcript excerpt, practice thematic coding and affinity mapping.
Detailed Explanation
In this exercise, students will receive a transcript from an interview that has already taken place. The task is to identify key themes and topics within the conversation. Thematic coding involves highlighting repeated ideas or subjects mentioned by the interviewee. Affinity mapping is then used to organize these themes visually, typically using sticky notes. This helps in recognizing patterns across multiple interviews and in synthesizing user insights.
Examples & Analogies
Imagine sorting through a collection of colored beads. Each bead represents a different theme or idea from the interview. By categorizing and grouping similar colors together, you can see the bigger picture of what users are saying, much like sorting themes in a study.
Survey Redesign
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- Survey Redesign: Critique a poorly worded survey and rewrite it following best practices.
Detailed Explanation
This activity involves students analyzing an existing survey that has issues in its wording. The participants will identify confusing or biased questions and suggest improvements based on principles of clarity and neutrality. The exercise emphasizes the importance of designing surveys that are easy to understand and yield accurate data. By practicing this, students learn how to create effective surveys that gather valuable insights.
Examples & Analogies
Think of this as a cooking lesson where you taste a dish that is overly salty. You identify the problem and then adjust the recipe to create a more balanced flavor. Similarly, by critiquing a survey and refining the questions, you aim to improve the 'taste' of the data you collect.
Empathy Mapping
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- Empathy Mapping: Work in groups to build an empathy map for a chosen persona.
Detailed Explanation
During this exercise, students will collaborate to create an empathy map for a specific user persona. The map consists of different sections where students capture what the persona says, thinks, does, and feels about their experiences. This activity enhances understanding of user perspectives and helps to identify their needs and emotions. By visualizing user sentiments, students can better empathize with the persona and create solutions tailored to their needs.
Examples & Analogies
Consider this like preparing for an important interview where you try to understand the candidate's background and motivations. The empathy map allows you to gather a holistic view of the persona, much like preparing a comprehensive profile before meeting someone important.
5 Whys Exercise
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- 5 Whys Exercise: Identify a common symptom in daily life and apply the 5 Whys to find the root cause.
Detailed Explanation
In this activity, students will select a common problem they encounter in their daily lives and apply the 5 Whys technique to trace back to its root cause. This method involves asking 'Why?' repeatedly, up to five times, to peel away the layers and reach the fundamental issue. This exercise is valuable for developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, enabling students to approach complex issues systematically.
Examples & Analogies
Think about it like a puzzle; you start with the pieces scattered and ask questions to fit them together. If the final image isnโt what you expected, you keep asking why you didnโt get it right until the underlying reasons are clear, revealing what's missing in your approach.
OKR Planning
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- OKR Planning: Draft an OKR for improving an educational app feature and define three quantifiable key results.
Detailed Explanation
This activity involves students setting up objectives and key results (OKRs) for a feature in an educational app. An OKR is a goal-setting framework that consists of a clear objective aimed at improving user experience or engagement, paired with measurable key results that indicate success. Students will brainstorm relevant objectives and identify three specific, quantifiable outcomes that can be tracked to measure progress. This exercise emphasizes goal clarity and accountability in project management.
Examples & Analogies
Consider this like planning a sports season. The objective might be to win a championship (the overarching goal), and each game becomes a key result that contributes to that goal. Tracking wins, losses, and improvements makes it easier to see if the overall objective is on track, just as tracking OKRs does for project goals.
Definitions & Key Concepts
Learn essential terms and foundational ideas that form the basis of the topic.
Key Concepts
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Ethics in User Research: Adhering to ethical standards is vital in protecting participant rights.
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Thematic Coding: A systematic way to analyze qualitative data for recurring themes.
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Empathy Mapping: A visual representation to explore user perspectives and emotional responses.
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The 5 Whys: A technique used to identify the root cause of problems through inquiry.
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OKR (Objectives and Key Results): A goal-setting framework that tracks measurable outcomes.
Examples & Real-Life Applications
See how the concepts apply in real-world scenarios to understand their practical implications.
Examples
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When conducting a user interview, ensure that participants have signed an informed consent form to protect their confidentiality and understanding.
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In empathy mapping, a typical quote might be: 'I often forget to sync my data', demonstrating a user's pain point.
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An example of a crafted 5 Whys analysis might reveal that students don't use a feature because they find it too complex, which can lead to improving usability.
Memory Aids
Use mnemonics, acronyms, or visual cues to help remember key information more easily.
๐ต Rhymes Time
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In research, be fair, show that you care, with ethics in sight, keep users' rights tight.
๐ Fascinating Stories
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Once upon a time, a researcher named Ella ensured every participant knew the study's agenda, making sure they felt safe and secureโthis made her research more reliable and pure.
๐ง Other Memory Gems
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Remember the acronym I.C.E for ethical research: Informed consent, Confidentiality, and Ethical standards.
๐ฏ Super Acronyms
5 Whys
- find the Why
- dig deep for the Why
- keep asking why
- until you clarify!
Flash Cards
Review key concepts with flashcards.
Glossary of Terms
Review the Definitions for terms.
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Term: Informed Consent
Definition:
A process whereby research participants are fully informed about the research and voluntarily agree to participate.
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Term: Ethics
Definition:
Moral principles governing conduct, especially during research involving human participants.
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Term: Thematic Coding
Definition:
The process of identifying patterns or themes in qualitative data.
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Term: Empathy Map
Definition:
A visual tool used to articulate what a user says, thinks, feels, and does.
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Term: Affinity Diagram
Definition:
A technique for organizing ideas and data into meaningful clusters or themes.
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Term: 5 Whys
Definition:
A problem-solving technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem.
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Term: OKR
Definition:
Objectives and Key Results; a framework for defining measurable goals and tracking their outcomes.