Think Like a UX Researcher: How to Observe Users, Influence Design, and Shape Business Strategy

by David Travis

Think Like a UX Researcher will challenge your preconceptions about user experience (UX) research and encourage you to think beyond the obvious. You’ll discover how to plan and conduct UX research, analyze data, persuade teams to take action on the results and build a career in UX. The book will help you take a more strategic view of product design so you can focus on optimizing the user’s experience. UX Researchers, Designers, Project Managers, Scrum Masters, Business Analysts and Marketing Managers will find tools, inspiration and ideas to rejuvenate their thinking, inspire their team and improve their craft.

 

Key Features

A dive-in-anywhere book that offers practical advice and topical examples. 


Thought triggers, exercises and scenarios to test your knowledge of UX research. 　 




Workshop ideas to build a development team’s UX maturity. 




War stories from seasoned researchers to show you how UX research methods can be tailored to your own organization.

Genres: Design, Research, Nonfiction, Business, Computer Science, Programming, Professional Development

306 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 10, 2019

Reviews

[Nhatlan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book about this topic I've ever read. Insightful, thought-provoking, practical and engaging. It's a great book for those who have been in the field for a while to thoroughly examine your own practice. It shifts the popular dichotomy of quantitative vs qualitative into attitudinal vs behavioural data, which helps you to evaluate the strength of evidence more critically.

Appreciate those questions that the author raises at the end of each chapter. Great materials for regular reflection.

[Lukas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not the best book to get into the UX research. Actually, it is not even a book, but a collection of standalone essays that you can read in no particular order. However, if you have some basics down already, it's packed with useful tips that are actionable. Also, at the end of every essay there are questions that you can think through to better understand the topic (or even bring them to your team and have a discussion together). Loved it!

[Olena Bulygina · Rating 5 out of 5]

100/10 я начала говорить цитатами оттуда и меня начали слушать все.

На автора недавно бурчало русскоговорящее профессиональное сообщество, после того как он в своём YouTube-канале сказал, что фокус-группы как метод не годятся для генеративных исследований.

Короче, это одна нормальная книга, я даже свой публичный более культурный отзыв перепечатывать сюда не буду.

[Joana Cerejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely amazing. So well organized and complex topics teased so clearly.

You can find a more extensive book review here -> https://www.jcerejo.com/cerejo-public...

[Tomi Ola · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great resource this book is! If there were a starter pack for a career in UX Research, this book would be a must-have. I am taking away so many pointers, especially on how to optimise my portfolio for better opportunities going forward. I'm really grateful to the authors for taking the time to put pen to paper on this relatively new but speedily growing field.

[Viktor Lototskyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely dense, practical and well-structured book on vast of subjects around UX.

[Khôi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful with clear content structural, just like a researcher, a must-read for any UX Research practitioner 👍

[Mitchell Wakefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Think Like a UX Researcher’ was an immensely enjoyable read. I felt like Travis and Hodgson did a fantastic job at articulating high-level management and team-building methods a user researcher needs, as well as unpacking the intricacies of the tactical and technical skills user researchers should be equipped with in their toolkit.

Each chapter is comprised of essay-style segments which makes for an enjoyable and easily digestible read, while still maintaining substance and actionable insights. With that said, there are chapters that I would have appreciated a bit more depth (particularly survey design, persuading managers that don’t see the point in doing research, and career tips).

I would highly recommend this book to junior researchers seeking to learn more about various research methods and approaches of the profession, as well as senior practitioners looking to brush up on tactics or seeking to introduce new research activities to their team.

[Gaby Prado · Rating 5 out of 5]

After all these years, comes on book on UX research that I cannot stop recommending.
Not only is super insighful, it is so easy to read, with gems like The Seven Deadly Sins of Research or equating researchers to Sherlock Holmes, without falling into "I'm so cool" not once.
Measured, clear, concise, down-to-earth, comprehensive.

I'd say it is a must for inexperienced and experienced researchers alike

I will review more in-depth once I've re-read it and taken notes, for there is so much packed in 300 pages that maybe I should get the Kindle edition and make my notes there for future reference

[thesovietark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could not put down! Jam packed with useful insights and timely nudges to transform your work/ideation written in such a way that it’s done before you even realized you started it but takeaways linger long after you’ve moved on. The best kind of teachable book. Cannot recommend highly enough. I hope I can find more books like this in my search to refine and sharpen my occupational and activist skills.

[Andrés Watanabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Llevo muchos años leyendo sobre UX Design, sus etapas y procesos, pero pocos de esos libros profundizan tanto en la etapa de investigación (UX Research) como este libro. Muy recomendado para todos los UXer que buscan adentrarse más en Research o ampliar sus conocimientos de esta rama.

El libro es como leer artículos de Medium sobre UX Reasearch, lo genial es que están organizados y conectados entre sí. Comienza tocando los puntos más básicos hasta los más complejos. Ya en la recta final, da consejos de cómo aplicar lo aprendido y crecer en el rubro. Por desgracias, debido a la pandemia COVID-19, muchos de los temas tocados ya no son tan aplicables y necesitan ser ajustados para la coyuntura actual, pero en esencia siguen teniendo relevancia y es un buen punto de partida para todos. Una de las cosas más interesantes del libro es que al finalizar cada lectura, el autor le pone retos al lector para evaluar lo aprendido y cómo lo aplicaría en su día laboral.

Lo recomiendo también a UX Researcher experimentados porque las pautas que dan pueden ser muy reveladoras y cambiar ciertas perspectivas del rubro y el área. Además, los retos de cada lectura siento que podrían ser más aprovechados por alguien con más experiencia en el mercado que uno recién ingresando.

[Angie Helgeson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one took me off kilter and I'm not sure if it was due to the material or my own personal life becoming more hectic.

I loved the structure of this and the examples provided. I was able to skip sections I was well versed in, bookmark sections to recap later, and I found most if it was useful to for immediate practical use.

As the lone UX missionary at my org I need to conduct some studies on a design I've created and this will be my primary reference book. Itll help me from beginning to end and it's going to make a fantastic reference guide for my collection.

I used a lot of this instantly to generate some problem solving at work to great effect but I did struggle to read it cover to cover.

[Meagan Roach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book outlines a thorough methodology process for UX research. Not only does it provide a moral and ethical framework for "best practices" of human centered design, it works to continually emphasize the value of empirical data. A large part of understanding user motivation and behavior requires a strategic approach to evaluating large amounts of qualitative data. It is the UX researcher's job to develop the reflexive muscle memory on how to see particular patterns and audience segmentations in inherently abstract data. This book also provides information for long-term compilation and archive of research in a way that adheres with best privacy and security practices.

[Ian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very in-depth breakdown of best practices and approaches in UX research, roles, and strategies. Valuable insights using easy-to-understand examples and mathematical data.

Each chapter is a mini-essay and best-absorbed one at a time. At the end of each chapter, a list of questions encourages lesson application to a real-world setting. The only downside was not having these hypothetical questions addressed with hypothetical answers.

Regardless, this is one (of the few) ebooks on UX that I won't be deleting.

[Masha K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Перша книжка по ux, яку я не закинула.

Я би назвала цю книжку «хрестоматією ux», бо тут розглянуто все що стосується ux досліджень та кар’єри, хоч і поверхнево.

Проходила цю книжку паралельно із ux дослідженням по роботі і знаходила дуже багато корисного. Навіть колегам кидала скріншоти звідти для обґрунтування своєї позиції, чи з якимись гарними ідеями.

Раджу для всіх рівнів дизайнерів: Junior та Middle знайдут багато інсайтів, а Senior повторять матеріал.

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a budding UX researcher, I found this a great summary and introspective for all UXR aspects, being very easy to dive into. Note for a future iteration - it would be great to have an answer key in the back appendix for your thoughts on how to go about some of the questions that are at the end of each chapter.

[Benhur · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a student of UX Design currently doing my Masters and this has been the book that has taught me the most about Ux research. Every single detail including organisations and stakeholders are considered here and just blew my mind away. I feel so much ready for my first internship and I can’t wait to use these concepts. Definitely will be reading once more. 10/10 would recommend.

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Travis and Hodgson, thanks to their experience gathered over years, created a practical and well-structured book, full of great insights.
An immensely enjoyable read that I couldn't put down. It provides practical advice, topical examples, case studies, anecdotes, and even conversations.
I took note while reading the book, giving me inspiration and I will use it as a reference for my future projects.
I really appreciate the approach of the authors, who through examples explained very clearly some concepts that could be complex, making them easier to remember.
I was totally surprised by the Sherlock Homes essay in the first chapter, and I never lost my enthusiasm, until the end.

The book has 6 chapters and at the end of each we can find 5 questions and exercises that help us to think and reflect more on the topics and how we can apply them, it covers pretty much every aspect of the research process

"This book has been several years in the making...One benefit of this is that while writing the book we have been able to engage with other UX researchers to discover what works, what is confusing, and what content is missing from those earlier drafts."

As the authors tell us, regardless of the type or level of UX maturity the book is essential for everyone, whether UX or non-UX designer.

Personally, I benefit a lot from this book, I'm constantly opening it and using it to bring more value to my work, it's my precious toolkit.
This book is an exceptional resource, it makes me even more passionate about UX.
To anyone in the field, I would highly recommend this book.

[Gemma Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers brilliant insight into the world of UX research. I learnt a lot from it…my copy is covered in notes and sticky tabs to come back to. Presented in easy-to-read essays, it covers everything from personas to journey mapping. I think all UX professionals would find this useful, not just researchers.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love there there were so many practical applications to UX research that I could use. Even after working in this field for 2 years, many pieces of advice were new and easy to implement. Excited to apply these recommendations into my practice!

[Geoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better, more complete yet practical UX research-specific books I’ve come across.

[Olga Tsyba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book for all who are interested in user research.

[Charissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even for a practitioner, I gleaned new perspectives, frameworks and reminders to hone my craft. Very lucid read!

[Jonathan Patrowicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most helpful UX Research book I've read.

[Wouter Droogmans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative, practical book!

[Autumn Kotsiuba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some good, practical advice.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of great recommendations for best practices in UX

[Kirsten Gesenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Work book. But hugely informative.

[Alex Y. Shutov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of essays on user research methods and principles.

[Bojan Avramovic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Potpuno bespotrebno predugacko. Pojedina poglavlja su totalno beskorisna I dosadna