A collection of free-as-in-freedom resources for user research.
Each resource has a brief description, a source and the license. However, to be sure you should look up the license on the source (this is what matters).
User Research Templates and Examples
Idno User Research
A nice collection of possible questions, guidelines and pretext.
Source: https://github.com/idno/User-Research
License:CC0
Usability.gov Templates
Lots of templates like reports, release forms, screeners…
License: Public Domain
Source: http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/resources/templates.html
Questionnaires
System Usability Scale
The System Usability Scale (SUS) is a well evaluated, time proven and easy-to-use short questionnaire to determine the usability of a product and to compare it to other designs.
License: Public Domain
Source English: http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/system-usability-scale.html
Source German: https://experience.sap.com/skillup/system-usability-scale-jetzt-auch-auf-deutsch/
Applications
- For remote qualitative interviews, use jit.si – open source videochat and screensharing in your browser
- Qualitative Research data can be analyzed well in a Wordprocessor, like Libreoffice Writer.
- Statistics can be done well in R/RStudio. The not-programming-inclined will be happy with the easy-to-use JASP (more Bayesian), Jamovi (more classic stats) or just Libreoffice calc.
General Resources with section(s) on User Research
Usability in Free Software
A guide to improving the usability of (open source) software – including sections or recruiting and research. Superpower: Can add a 5th essential freedom to Open source software: »The freedom to use the program effectively, efficiently and satisfactorily«
License: Creative Commons BY-SA
Source: http://jancborchardt.net/usability-in-free-software#Participants
User Need Research/Ethnography
Beginners Guide to finding User’s needs
Disclaimer: I wrote this, so I am not impartial here. I hope it helps along nevertheless :)
A Beginner’s Guide to Finding User Needs is a book (~100p equivalent) on how to interview and observe future users, how to analyze data and how to report it.
License: Creative Commons By
Source: read online at http://jdittrich.github.io/userNeedResearchBook/ or get ebook and templates at http://urbook.fordes.de/
How to do a research interview
Since conducting research interviews relies on the »right« behavior, a video is a great way to learn how to do it. This video shows what to avoid and how it can be done better.
Duration: 18min
License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t-_hYjAKww
Steve Portigal on Analyzing Interviews
License: CC BY SA 3 or any later version.
Source: https://air.mozilla.org/rethink-your-research-approach-synthesize-your-findings-faster/
The Challenges of Small Business Owners
A visual summary of an ethnographic research, showing participants, their statements and observations. Nice example of what an ethnographic research can deal with and which data matters.
Duration: 9min
License: Creative Commons BY 3.0
Source: https://vimeo.com/66064252
Nookie tour - Commonwealth July 2013
An interview/observation of a man walking us through a shell construction which is going to be his house while describing how he wants it to be like when its finished. This too is a nice example of what an ethnographic research can deal with and which data matters.
Duration: 9min
License: Creative Commons BY 3.0
Source: https://vimeo.com/70890195
What is it like to be 16?
Duration: 4min
License: Creative Commons 3 BY
Source: https://vimeo.com/27214053
How do people choose the meat they buy?
A presentation of in-context research.
Duration: 3:30
Source: https://vimeo.com/86436452
The Craft of Surgery
A tailor and a surgeon talk about the similarities of surgery and tailoring.
Duration: 15min
Source: https://vimeo.com/49911298
Recycled emotions
I included this video to show an example for an creative approach in interviewing. The participants get emotions, written on little balls. They sort them into bins: recycle (experience again or think about them further) and »throw away«. For a research project, it would be interesting to ask people why they decided how they did and which experiences they had in regards to this emotion etc.
Duration: 2:30
Source: https://vimeo.com/112800110