| Unit name | In The Wild: Understanding your users |
|---|---|
| Unit code | INOVM0006 |
| Credit points | 10 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Cater |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Centre for Innovation |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Whether it is new software, wearable device for monitoring your health, solar battery for developing countries, refrigerator or service to improve neighbourhood recycling, your users will expect your product or service to meet their needs and be easy to use. This unit will equip students with a toolkit of user research methods, and give them practical experience in conducting them, in order for them to understand their target users better and test their creative ideas “in the wild”. It aims to give students an understanding of important market place advantage and prevent them from wasting time, money and effort in designing the wrong product or solution. We will explore how and where to conduct user research through a variety of different methodologies, look at how others have produced theories to fit behavioural observations, recognise factors that limit the use of user research methods, and how to carry out analysis of data captured from user research.
This unit will require the students to explore a new product or service concept in the wild with real world users to test the market with an idea. Students will define target audiences clearly, carry out a range of appropriate user research methodologies and understand how to refine their ideas based on the results from user research.
On successful completion of this unit students will be able to:
1) Identify, plan, and conduct a variety of appropriate user research methods– this could include surveys, focus groups, interviews, ethnographic and observational studies.
2) Carry out ethical user research with minimal bias.
3) Capture, analyse the quantitative and qualitative results achieved through user research.
4) Draw appropriate conclusions from the findings to inform ideas, future designs, prototypes etc.
5) Reflect critically on their group work and on the process of user research.
Lectures, workshops and studio based learning.
100% coursework
Primary User Research Portfolio: Through the teaching block students will be required to present at key milestones in their project their strategy for ethical approval, user engagement, conducting a variety of user research methods and report on their analysis. Students will be assessed on their ability to design, carry out and analyse data ethically from appropriate user research so as to gain clear feedback on how to refine and develop ideas further. For each primary user research method undertaken students will be expected to reflect on their process. ILO 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. INOVM0006).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
