Notes of Unconventional UX Researcher PDF
Notes of Unconventional UX Researcher PDF
Unconventional
UX Researcher
Compilation of articles on Design Thinking,
UX Research, and Systems Thinking written by
Indian UX Researcher Santhosh Gandhi.
SANTHOSH GANDHI
DEDICATION
Acknowledgments i
PART 2 - UX Researcher
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Design Thinking
1. Why Design Thinking is
Important?
People are not rational actors. Many of you know,
brands like Apple, Nike, or whatever, and people pay
more for those things. Why are they paying more for
that? It’s just that the value that’s being derived is not
on the quantitative column, But on the qualitative
column.
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In Nutshell, Design thinking brings together “what is
desirable from a human point of view with what is
technologically feasible and economically viable”
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Design Thinking
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Product builders will have strong system models but
typically have weak interaction models. For example,
Generally, Programmers know how exactly their
software applications work computationally but they
do not exactly understand how other people will use
and understand their software application. Vice versa
Users can develop very strong interaction models but
typically have weak system models. For example, a
person can be a great best PC game player but have
no idea how it computationally works and is made.
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2. How does Systems Thinking
help Design Thinking?
What is a System?
A system is a group of elements that are
interconnected and interact with each other in which
changing one part of the system affects other parts and
the whole system, with predictable patterns of
behavior.
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analysis. However, the fundamental principles and
practices of systems mapping are universal.
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So, when we say ‘everything is interconnected’ from
systems thinking perspective in understanding the
user. We not isolating the user from the context.
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In the same Marvel Universe,
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3. Why Understanding
Collective Intelligence is
important in the Design
Thinking Framework?
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Wisdom of the Crowds
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Some of the best-known internet-based Direct CI
applications, (often referred to as crowdsourcing)
including Wikipedia and Github, involve hundreds of
thousands of participants interacting, collaborating,
and learning with each other.
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So in spite of the existence/non-existence of
technologies, a particular community working
together will always have its own Collective
Intelligence (practices, workflows & beliefs) that
would be followed across that community. And it is
likely to be influenced by strong, authoritative
factors/players in that system.
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4. Futures Thinking and Design
Thinking (Future Proof)
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Examples of situations where Future Thinking will be
highly useful:
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Steps Involved in Futures Thinking
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change is increasing. Therefore, the risks and
opportunities that confront us justify expanded efforts
to lead, rather than be led by, the course of events.
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Design Thinking
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Movie Example for Futures Thinking:
In the Marvel movie series, Ironman understood the
context of one of the possible scenarios where he dies,
so he wanted to safeguard his teenage mentee
spiderman.
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5. Decision intelligence and
Design thinking
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It brings together the best of applied decision theory,
data science, social science, and managerial science
into a unified field that helps people use data to
improve their lives, their businesses, and the world
around them.
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Design Thinking
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One can also see decision intelligence as Managerial
Science augmented by applied decision science and
data science.
1. Managerial Science
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Design Thinking
2. Decision Science
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side have traditionally been referred to as the decision
sciences.
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Design Thinking
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behavioral decision theory, as well as parts of
operations research, microeconomics, statistical
inference, management control, cognitive and social
psychology, and computer science.
3. Data Science
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Why do we need decision Intelligence?
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perspective to understand this kind of
multidisciplinary field and its benefits.
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Machine Learning Models which are trained on
Customer Behaviour, Past Purchases, Browsing
History, and any other behavioral information about
consumers will be highly helpful in understanding
complex user problems and also useful in delivering
powerful User-Centric solutions.
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PART II
UX Researcher
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UX Researcher
1. Discovery Phase
2. Design Phase
3. Delivery Phase,
1. Discovery Phase
We basically do foundational research in this phase to
help with product strategy. By doing quantitative and
qualitative research, we can understand the needs,
goals, preferences, motivations, and behaviors of
different persons in the population sample.
Operationalization of qualitative concepts and
grouping, and sampling of quantitative data play a
major role here to give true Insight.
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2. Design Phase
In this phase, we do research to validate the design
decisions. It will be mostly qualitative. Like by showing
wireframes, design prototypes, and MVP to users and
collecting their opinions for validation & enhancing the
existing design system.
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3. Delivery Phase
In this phase, the product will be used by its target
users. So the team can get user activity data. and create
insights from it. Here it will be more quantitative. For
attitudinal Insights, we can use methods like usability
testing which will collect qualitative data.
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certain technology?`
● Clustering/Classification methods
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8. Being Freelance UX
Researcher
Based on my experience working as Freelance UX
Researcher, I have shared my pointers here.
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Impact of English
One of India’s British colonization effects is that India
has its own version of Indianized English called Indian
English (like British & American English). Despite
10% of Indians speaking English, at least half of
Indians can communicate through broken English.
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Robert Downey Jr and Kathrine Langford in a deleted scene from Avengers Endgame.
This scene shows Iron Man meeting his daughter
Morgan as a grown-up, after he just snapped half the
universe back to life, sacrificing his own life in the
process.
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UX Researcher
Hope you enjoyed this ride, Wish you All the best for
your UX Career!
THE END!
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Sources & References
1. Interview of Nathan Shedoff (Chair of the MBA
in Design Strategy at California College of the
Arts)
2. Tools for Systems Thinkers: The 6 Fundamental
Concepts of Systems Thinking
(https://medium.com/disruptive-design/tools-for
-systems-thinkers-the-6-fundamental-concepts-o
f-systems-thinking-379cdac3dc6a)
3. Futures Thinking and Design Thinking Simply
Explained!
(https://isanthoshgandhi.medium.com/future-thi
nking-and-design-thinking-simply-explained-d6
5716d67651)
4. Systems theory
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_theory)
5. Traffic Violations
(https://www.santhoshgandhi.com/post/reducing
-traffic-violations-in-chennai-city-using-design-t
hinking-and-systems-thinking)
6. Systems Thinking — What is it all
about?(https://medium.com/systemic-design-gro
up/systems-thinking-what-is-it-all-about-1e5135
de97b3)
7. The Fourth Way: Design Thinking Meets
Futures Thinking
(https://medium.com/@anna.roumiantseva/the-f
ourth-way-design-thinking-meets-futures-thinki
ng-85793ae3aa1e)
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8. IDEOU Design Thinking Process
(https://www.ideou.com/pages/design-thinking)
9. The Real Wisdom of the Crowds
(https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/ar
ticle/the-real-wisdom-of-the-crowds)
10. Collective Intelligence and Design Thinking
(https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download
?doi=10.1.1.717.5878&rep=rep1&type=pdf)
11. Universal Principles of Design
(https://g.co/kgs/3fXgxK)
12. Design principle: Collective intelligence
(https://uxplanet.org/design-principle-collective-
intelligence-6e15a8c32007)
13. Institute for the Future (https://www.iftf.org)
14. The Fourth Way: Design Thinking Meets
Futures Thinking
(https://medium.com/@anna.roumiantseva/the-f
ourth-way-design-thinking-meets-futures-thinki
ng-85793ae3aa1e)
15. “Introduction to Decision Intelligence” by
Cassie Kozyrkov.
(https://towardsdatascience.com/introduction-to-
decision-intelligence-5d147ddab767)
16. What is Decision Science?
(https://chds.hsph.harvard.edu/approaches/what-
is-decision-science/#:~:text=Decision%20Scien
ce%20is%20the%20collection,the%20individua
l%20and%20population%20levels.)
17. The First Thing Great Decision Makers Do ?
(https://hbr.org/2019/06/the-first-thing-great-dec
ision-makers-do)
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18. Management Science
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_scie
nce)
19. Why Decision Science Is Probably More
Important To Your Organization Than Data
Science?
(https://comprehension360.corsairs.network/wh
y-decision-science-is-probably-more-important-
to-your-organization-than-data-science-15c1890
df2e4)
20. Artificial Intelligence: Do stupid things faster
with more energy!
(https://towardsdatascience.com/artificial-intelli
gence-do-stupid-things-faster-with-more-energy
-379aa6bac220)
21. Introduction to Decision Intelligence —
Benefits of AI-Driven Decision-Making
(https://www.infopulse.com/blog/introduction-d
ecision-intelligence)
22. Managerial Science Image
(http://www.dspmuranchi.ac.in/pdf/Blog/operati
onresearchanditsapplication-160428055312%20
12.pdf)
23. Mixed-Method UX Research Simply Explained!
(https://isanthoshgandhi.medium.com/mixed-me
thod-ux-research-simply-explained-c18a73d3cc
4b)
24. UX Research Cheat Sheet
(https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-research-
cheat-sheet/)
25. Interaction Design Foundation
(https://www.interaction-design.org/)
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26. Clustering Algorithms and Classification
Techniques for More Precise Results
(https://lucidworks.com/ai-powered-search/clust
ering-algorithm/#:~:text=Clustering%20and%20
classification%20are%20machine,topic%2C%2
0team%2C%20or%20office.)
27. Funnel analysis
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funnel_analysis)
28. Difference Between Classification and
Clustering
(https://techdifferences.com/difference-between-
classification-and-clustering.html)
29. Sentiment Analysis: Concept, Analysis, and
Applications(https://towardsdatascience.com/se
ntiment-analysis-concept-analysis-and-applicati
ons-6c94d6f58c17)
30. How to conduct A/B Testing?
31. (https://towardsdatascience.com/how-to-conduct
-a-b-testing-3076074a8458)
32. FC Producers Adda 2021 | Karan Johar, Zoya
Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Nikkhil Advani, Sameer
Nair
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNmswr82
2_4&t=704s)
33. Avengers Endgame deleted scene shows Iron
Man meeting his daughter after death.
(https://www.hindustantimes.com/hollywood/av
engers-endgame-deleted-scene-shows-iron-man-
meet-his-daughter-after-death-watch-here/story-
rQPdMXekP1Bh04p2hrDBeL.html#:~:text=The
%20scene%20was%20removed%20as,into%20
%5Bin%20Infinity%20War%5D)
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Social Media:
● LinkedIn
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/isanthoshgandhi/)
● Twitter:
( https://www.twitter.com/isanthoshgandhi/)
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