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Understanding User Needs
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 11 hours
  • Course by University of Michigan
  • Offered by

About

Designing effective interactive systems requires understanding the needs and capabilities of the people who will be using them. In this UX course we will focus on how to interact with users (or potential users) to understand what they need, what they currently do, what they love and hate, and examine human capabilities and behavior as they relate to UX design. Learners will be introduced to numerous techniques to gather data from and about users. This course is part of the User Experience (UX) Research and Design specialization offered on Coursera. What you'll learn: Find out what user needs assessments are, what qualitative research is, and how the two are related. Learn an end-to-end methodology for qualitative research that is suited for understanding user needs. The methodology includes knowledge of semi-structured interviews, in-situ observation, and affinity walls. Be exposed to good practices for conducting semi-structured interviews, in-situ observation, and affinity walls. Gain some experience with semi-structured interviews, in-situ observations, and affinity walls.

Modules

Getting Started

    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
Show info about module content

1 Discussions

  • Introduce Yourself

3 Readings

  • Welcome Announcement
  • Course Syllabus
  • Help Us Learn More About You!

Content

    • 3 Videos
Show info about module content

3 Videos

  • 1.1 Introduction to User Needs Assessment
  • 1.2 Overview of Qualitative Research
  • 1.3 User Needs Assessment Mini-Project

Quiz

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • User Needs Assessment and Qualitative Research

Student Activities

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 PeerReview
    • 2 Assignment
Show info about module content

2 Assignment

  • Learn to Grade: Decide on a Mini-Project
  • Peer Review 1 Self-Check

1 Peer Review

  • Decide on a Mini-Project

1 Readings

  • Mini-Project Assignment Handout

Discussion

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
Show info about module content

1 Discussions

  • Lesson 1

1 Readings

  • Stop! Did you score a 70% on your first peer assessment?

Content

    • 3 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

3 Videos

  • 2.1 Semi-Structured Interviews
  • 2.2 Components of an Interview Protocol
  • 2.3 Good Practices for Interview Protocols

1 Readings

  • Resource: Interview Protocol Template

Quiz

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Interview Protocols

Student Activities

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 PeerReview
    • 2 Assignment
Show info about module content

2 Assignment

  • Learn to Grade: Write an Interview Protocol
  • Peer Review 2 Self-Check

1 Peer Review

  • Write an Interview Protocol

1 Readings

  • Interview Protocol Assignment Handout

Discussion

    • 1 Discussion
Show info about module content

1 Discussions

  • Lesson 2

Content

    • 5 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

5 Videos

  • 3.1 Sample Interview
  • 3.2 Tips for Interviewing
  • 3.3 Observing Users
  • Sample Think-Aloud Protocol
  • 3.4 Extracting Data from Interview

1 Readings

  • A Quick Note on the Upcoming Lecture

Quiz

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Interviewing Tips

Student Activities

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 PeerReview
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Peer Review 3 Self-Check

1 Peer Review

  • Data Extraction Exercise

1 Readings

  • Interview and Data Extraction Assignment Handout

Discussion

    • 1 Discussion
Show info about module content

1 Discussions

  • Lesson 3

Content

    • 2 Videos
    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

2 Videos

  • 4.1 Analyzing Qualitative Data
  • 4.2 Affinity Walls

1 Readings

  • Affinity Wall Notes From the Previous Lecture

Quiz

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Affinity Walls

Student Activities

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 PeerReview
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Peer Review 4 Self-Check

1 Peer Review

  • Affinity Wall Report Submission

1 Readings

  • Affinity Wall Assignment Handout

Discussion

    • 1 Discussion
Show info about module content

1 Discussions

  • Lesson 4

Content

    • 2 Videos
Show info about module content

2 Videos

  • 5.1 Variations on User Needs Assessments
  • 5.2 Conclusion

Quiz

    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Whole Course

Discussion

    • 1 Discussion
Show info about module content

1 Discussions

  • Lesson 5

Student Activities

    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Readings

  • Post-Course Survey

Attributions

    • 2 Readings
Show info about module content

2 Readings

  • Attributions
  • Keep Learning with Michigan Online

Auto Summary

Discover how to design effective interactive systems by understanding user needs and behavior in this UX course on Coursera. Learn qualitative research methods like semi-structured interviews, in-situ observation, and affinity walls. Ideal for beginners in UX research, this foundation-level course spans 660 minutes and is part of the User Experience (UX) Research and Design specialization. Available with a Starter subscription.

Kentaro Toyama
Instructor

Kentaro Toyama