Stalking Your Users: How to Conduct User Research in the Real World
As part of the Webstock Master Class series of workshops, Alex Wright will be presenting a workshop on 'Stalking Your Users: How to Conduct User Research in the Real World' on Wednesday 19 August.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 19 August | Stalking your users - Master class workshop |
The cost of this workshop is $695 (inc GST). This includes lunch, morning and afternoon teas.
About Alex
Alex Wright is the Director of User Experience and Product Research at The New York Times and the author of Glut: Mastering Information
Through the Ages, hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "a penetrating
and highly entertaining meditation on our information age and its historical
roots."
Alex has led research and design projects for IBM, Microsoft, The Long Now Foundation, Harvard University, the Internet Archive, and Yahoo!, among others. His work has won numerous industry awards, including a Webby, Cool Site of the Year, the PRSA Silver Anvil and an American Graphic Design Award.
Alex's writing has appeared in The New York Times, Salon.com, The Christian Science Monitor, The Believer, Harvard Magazine, Utne Reader, Yankee, Think, Interactions, Boxes and Arrows, New Architect, WebTechniques, Boston Business, Design Times and Library Journal, among others.
A popular speaker and lecturer, Alex has presented at The Long Now Foundation, Gartner Group, UC-Berkeley, the Institute of Design-Chicago, Seybold, the ASIS&T Information Architecture Summit, CMP Web conferences, Association of Internet Professionals, Creating for the Web, and numerous IBM conferences.
Alex holds a B.A. in English and American Literature from Brown University and an M.S. in Library and Information Science from Simmons College. He has also completed graduate coursework in journalism at Harvard, and in usability engineering at UC-Berkeley.
Alex grew up in Richmond, Virginia and Sussex, England. He currently lives in New York City.
Stalking your users
In recent years, many Web designers have embraced the principles of user-centered design, and usability testing has taken its place as part of many designers' standard toolkit. While usability testing has its place, however, it isn't always enough to ensure success in the marketplace. In this workshop, Alex Wright will introduce participants to a wider range of research methods - both qualitative and quantitative - that can help participants make better design and development decisions.
Who It's For
This workshop is intended for anyone involved with building Web sites or Web-based applications. It will be particularly valuable for people who get involved with the "front end" of product design: information architects, designers, graphic designers, product managers, and anyone else interested in learning how to apply research methods to build better products.
What They'll Learn
Participants will gain exposure to a range of research methods that can be applied at every stage in the product development process. These will range from early-stage, strategic research methods that can help shape the vision of a product, to later-stage research methods intended to support ongoing optimization. Through a mix of lectures and hands-on exercises, the workshop will focus on the following topics:
Field Studies
Learn how to conduct field studies using ethnographic techniques such as diary studies, in-depth personal interviews and observational field work to develop deep insights into user behaviors and attitudes.
Participatory Design
Learn how to invite users directly into the design process through techniques like card sorting and collaborative sketching to turn your users into "co-designers."
Quantitative Research
Learn how to make effective use of quantitative tools like online surveys, A/B testing and Web analytics to bolster your research with the power of numbers.
Analysis
Learn how to bring it all together, translating research findings into concrete design and development decisions through powerful methods like KJ analysis.
What To Bring
Please bring a pen and plenty of paper. A computer is not required, although participants are welcome to bring their laptops.
Other events you may be interested in
- Bek Hodgson will also be presenting a workshop on 'Entrepreneurial Design' on Tuesday 18 August.
There is a discount of $50 per workshop for attending both workshops. - Both Alex and Bek are judges for the ONYA web awards and will be attending the awards ceremony on Thursday 20 August.