James Lang - Researching UX: User Research

by James Lang and Emma Howell

Copyright 2017 SitePoint Pty. Ltd.

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ISBN 978-0-9953826-3-3 (print)

ISBN 978-0-9953827-9-4 (ebook)
Printed and bound in the United States of America

James has worked in research for 20 years, for organizations including Google, British Airways, the BBC, eBay and the Alzheimers Society. He is currently Head of Research at cxpartners.

Emma Howell is a User Experience Consultant at cxpartners. She has been a research specialist for 10 years, beginning her career in academia before moving into UX. Emma loves designing products and services that are intuitive and enjoyable to use.

SitePoint specializes in publishing fun, practical, and easy-to-understand content for web professionals. Visit http://www.sitepoint.com/ to access our blogs, books, newsletters, articles, and community forums. Youll find a stack of information on JavaScript, PHP, Ruby, mobile development, design, and more.

James: To my mum and dad, Sally and Joseph, for giving me their curiosity, patience and kindness.

Emma: For raising an analytical and inquisitive creature, my fabulous parents Pauline and Leigh. My gyaldem: twerking and tequila makes deadlines feel less painful. Laura-Lea: youve been amazingly encouraging and patient. Thank you.

I was on stage at UX Manchester and I made a flippant comment about how all focus groups were a waste of time when it came to researching the user experience. When questions came at the end of my talk, a hand shot up. I dont agree with your comment about focus groups. They have their uses. All research methods have their strengths and weaknesses. That hand belonged to James Lang. He came and found me afterwards and we debated the merits of user research methods. At the end of the conversation, I asked if he was looking for a job.

Emma brings 10 years of formal research experience in psychology, cognition, medicine, biology and, of course, user experience. Emma and James are two of the best researchers Ive ever worked with. Ive learned so much from working with them on many UX research projects over the years.

This book represents Emma and Jamess many years of research experience. Their practical advice on how to run an insightful, successful research project is the key to making your digital products even better.