3676 - User Research
Course Description
Understanding the target users’ behaviours, needs, motivations and challenges is essential to building an accurate picture of the context for your design, and therefore is a vital part of the overall design process. In this six-week online course, you’ll learn how to gain deeper insight into your users through research. You’ll learn how to conduct this research using common research methods – interviews, surveys, focus groups, contextual inquiries and others. You’ll also learn to synthesize the research data and use it to develop more empathy and more meaningful solutions for your users.
Within 4-6 weeks of successfully completing this course, you will receive your micro-credential indicating achievement of the outlined learning outcomes and competencies/skills. Micro-credentials are tamper proof, verifiable, blockchain-based and 100% digital. They can be shared on social media, including LinkedIn and Facebook, embedded in websites or downloaded as PDFs.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this micro course, you'll be able to:
- Understand how to prepare for and facilitate User Research studies
- Apply some of the most common User Research methods
- Understand the foundations of analyzing research data and articulating Insights
- Create research artifacts that build empathy, including Journey Maps
- Apply best practices for presenting research results to decision-makers
- Advocate for the value of User Research in the UX/Service Design Process
Competencies/skills developed in this micro course include:
- Research Planning & Facilitation
- Research Data Analysis
- Insights Development
- Stakeholder Communication
Notes
Eligible learners may apply to the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) for this micro-credential. You can find more information on our Financial Aid page.Prerequisites
3749A Introduction to Service Design I – Principles and Concepts and 3749B Introduction to Service Design II – Methodologies and Tools, or equivalent knowledge - if pursuing the Service Design program
3448A Introduction to User Experience (UX) Design - Part I and 3448B Introduction to User Experience (UX) Design - Part II, or equivalent knowledge - if pursuing the User Experience Design program
This course may be applied towards the SCS Certificate(s) in
- Service Design : Required Courses
- User Experience Design : Required Courses
Alyssa Hatfield is a design and strategy leader with over 10 years of experience in creating exceptional user experiences. Alyssa is currently a managing partner at the innovation consulting firm Brewer & Hatfield, where she advises corporate clients on how to get to deep customer insights and apply them to designing for the future. She is also an instructor in Advanced Product Design at Stanford University, the capstone class for the prestigious d.school program. Prior to Stanford, Alyssa was Director of Strategy and project manager at Jump Associates in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she led teams in using Design Thinking to unlock new growth opportunities for clients across tech, finance, retail, and healthcare. Alyssa holds a BS from Cornell University in Business & Hospitality Management.