User Research and Analysis Flashcards

A researcher notices that participants behave differently when they know they are being observed during usability testing. This phenomenon is known as:

Answer: The Hawthorne effect

The Hawthorne effect describes how people modify their behavior when aware of being watched, potentially skewing research results.

Which sampling method is most appropriate when the goal is to ensure all key user segments (novice, intermediate, expert) are represented in a small usability study?

Answer: Stratified sampling

Stratified sampling divides the population into subgroups and samples from each, ensuring all key segments are represented.

A persona that is based entirely on team assumptions without supporting research data is called a:

Answer: Proto-persona

Proto-personas (or provisional personas) are assumption-based placeholders created before research data is available.

In tree testing, a task is considered successfully completed when:

Answer: The user selects the correct destination node

Tree testing measures whether users correctly identify the destination node in the hierarchy for a given task.

Which research method is best suited for exploring why users abandon a multi-step online form?

Answer: Analytics funnel analysis combined with exit interviews

Combining funnel analytics to locate the drop-off point with exit interviews to understand the 'why' gives the most complete picture.

A UX researcher wants to measure how efficiently users complete tasks over multiple sessions as they gain experience. This is a measure of:

Answer: Learnability

Learnability measures how quickly users improve their efficiency and effectiveness with a system over repeated use.

When conducting remote unmoderated usability testing, which is the most significant limitation compared to moderated sessions?

Answer: Inability to probe or follow up on unexpected behavior

Without a moderator present, researchers cannot ask follow-up questions when participants do something unexpected or confusing.