The reported failure rate of new product introductions is 50%, and this rate hasn’t changed in 40 years! The main cause is ignoring the first step in the Design Thinking process-- user research, and testing, so you get a deep understanding of who your target customers are and what they want.. This book outlines the fundamentals of user research and testing to help designers, product teams, and marketers understand the value of the first stage of design thinking and how to implement it in new products.  User Experience Research eliminates guesswork about what the target audience actually wants—so designers, marketers, and product teams can uncover big ideas, create category-leading products and experiences, revitalize brands, and grow usage and adoption. The book’s research methods ensure your findings are actionable and will help align many functions in your organization around your customer.

MARTY GAGE & SPENCER MURRELL: Marty, a human factors psychologist and Spencer, an industrial designer, have partnered together over the last thirty years to develop a method to understand people’s dreams for the future and translate those insights into actionable and inspirational design criteria. The Ideal Experience method has proven success with Fortune 500 clients in medical products, consumer packaged goods, automotive, consumer electronics, retail, financial services, and business products and services. This book is their legacy to the profession.

Introduction

The Design Thinking Process 10

The Six Key Principles for Successful User Research 12

How to Use This Book 14

1 Making Experiences Actionable

A User-Driven Perspective on Design Thinking 18

Defining Value: What People Really Want 20

Ideal Experience Research 22

2 Choosing a Research Approach

Define Your Research Objectives 40

Select a Research Approach 44

Consider the End Deliverable 52

3 Finding Your Target User

Identify Participation Criteria 62

Create a Screener 64

Find Your Participants 68

4 Having Effective Conversations

Formulate Your Questions 76

Create a Discussion Guide 80

Conduct Interviews 84

5 Capturing Clear Data

Structure Your Data 98

Use a Spreadsheet Tool 104

Take Good Notes 106

6 Describing Experiences With Stimuli

Understand the Applications of Collaging 114

Prepare Collage Exercises 118

Conduct Collage Exercises 142

7 Understanding the Situations Of Use

Approaches to Contextual Inquiry 160

Know Your Documentation Options 164

Conduct an Efficient & Effective Inquiry 170

8 Conducting Research

Prepare for the Study 182

Finalize Your Setup 184

Solidify the Approach 188

9 Finding the Big Ideas

Code the Data 196

Identify Themes 206

Synthesize Themes 216

10 Telling the Story of the Future

Model Experiences 228

Design Sourcebooks 236

Create Storyboards 244

Appendix 252

Index 260