INST710

User Experience Research Methods

Students will learn to conduct user research in industry and to provide foundational knowledge needed for academic research. It examines the theoretical and epistemological differences between research paradigms and provides an overview of qualitative, quantitative and mixed-method approaches. It overviews user-centered design (UCD) methods, and uses Contextual Inquiry/Contextual Design as the backbone for a research project, incorporating related formative UCD methods and techniques. It is a project-based course, where students conduct a semester-long project to prepare them for the HCIM Capstone as well as other types of formative user research.