Do I need to take the course in a certain order?

This is the fourth of seven courses in the Google UX Design Certificate. We highly recommend completing the seven courses in this certificate program in the order presented, because the content and applications in each course build on information presented and practiced in earlier courses.

What will I get if I subscribe to this Certificate?

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Certificate, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.

Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts

This course is part of Google UX Design Professional Certificate

Instructor: Google Career Certificates

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4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

6,036 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

4 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

6,036 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

What you'll learn

Plan and conduct moderated and unmoderated usability studies.
Synthesize observations from usability studies and come up with insights.
Share research methodology and insights using persuasive presentation skills.
Modify low-fidelity designs based on research insights.

Skills you'll gain

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Assessments

19 assignments¹

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Taught in English

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Build your Design and Product expertise

This course is part of the Google UX Design Professional Certificate

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate from Google

There are 4 modules in this course

Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts is the fourth course in a certificate program that will equip you with the skills you need to apply to entry-level jobs in user experience (UX) design. In this course, you will learn how to plan and conduct a usability study to gather feedback about designs. Then, you will modify your low-fidelity designs based on insights from your research.

Current UX designers and researchers at Google will serve as your instructors, and you will complete hands-on activities that simulate real-world UX design scenarios. Learners who complete the courses in this certificate program should be equipped to apply for entry-level jobs as UX designers. By the end of this course, you will be able to: - Plan a UX research study, including the project background, research goals, research questions, Key Performance Indicators, methodology, participants, and script. - Explain the importance of respecting privacy and user data. - Conduct a moderated and unmoderated usability study. - Take notes during a usability study. - Create affinity diagrams to group and analyze data. - Synthesize observations from research and come up with insights. - Develop persuasive presentation skills to share research insights. - Modify low-fidelity designs based on research insights. - Continue to design a mobile app to include in your professional portfolio. To be successful in this course, you should complete the previous three courses in the certificate program. Or, you need to have an ability to conduct user research to inform the creation of empathy maps, personas, user stories, user journey maps, problem statements, and value propositions; as well as an ability to create wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes on paper and in Figma.

Learn how to plan a UX research study! There are seven elements that your plan should include: the project background, research goals, research questions, key performance indicators, methodology, participants, and the script or questions you’ll ask participants. You'll explore each of these elements in detail, and you'll create your own research plan to test the designs you developed in the previous course of the certificate program. You'll also learn how to respect user privacy and data when conducting UX research.

What's included

14 videos15 readings4 assignments1 plugin

14 videos Total 58 minutes

Introduction to Course 4: Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts 2 minutes
Samar - Working as a self- taught UX Researcher 5 minutes
Jason - My journey to UX 5 minutes
Understand the UX research process 4 minutes
Get to know the seven elements of a research plan 6 minutes
Start building a research plan: project background, research goals, and research questions 7 minutes
Continue building a research plan: KPIs 4 minutes
Continue building a research plan: Methodology 2 minutes
Continue building a research plan: Participants 4 minutes
Finish building a research plan: Script 6 minutes
Make privacy a part of UX practices 5 minutes
Understand privacy issues 4 minutes
Vanessa - Ethics, privacy, and data in the real world 4 minutes
Wrap-up: Planning UX research studies 1 minute

15 readings Total 86 minutes

Welcome to Course 4 8 minutes
Helpful resources and tips 4 minutes
Research is Part of the Test Phase 4 minutes
Language and communication in UX research 8 minutes
UX research plan template 4 minutes
Example research plan: Project background, research goals, and research questions 4 minutes
Learn more about KPIs 8 minutes
Example research plan: KPIs 4 minutes
Learn more about methodology 8 minutes
Recruit a diverse participant pool 8 minutes
Example research plan: Methodology and participants 4 minutes
Assistive technology for participants with disabilities 8 minutes
Example research plan: Script 4 minutes
Example UX research plans 8 minutes
Glossary terms from course 4, module 1 2 minutes

4 assignments Total 82 minutes

Module 1 Challenge 60 minutes
Test your knowledge on UX research plans 8 minutes
Test your knowledge on UX research participants and scripts 6 minutes
Test your knowledge on user data and privacy 8 minutes

1 plugin Total 30 minutes

Identify stages of UX research 30 minutes

Conducting research with participants to get feedback about your designs is critical. In this part of the course, you'll conduct a usability study, which is a research method that assesses how easy it is for participants to complete core tasks in a design. You'll also explore how to reduce bias and be inclusive when conducting usability studies. And, you'll take notes while observing participants in a usability study.

What's included

18 videos6 readings6 assignments

18 videos Total 68 minutes

Welcome to module 2 1 minute
Introduction to usability studies 4 minutes
Conduct moderated and unmoderated usability studies 5 minutes
Introduction to a mock unmoderated usability study 1 minute
Participant A - Mock usability study 6 minutes
Participant B - Mock usability study 4 minutes
Participant C - Mock usability study 5 minutes
Participant D - Mock usability study 5 minutes
Participant E - Mock usability study 3 minutes
Explore usability study best practices: Before the study begins 5 minutes
Explore usability study best practices: During the study 2 minutes
Deana - My job as a UX researcher 3 minutes
Identify biases when interviewing usability study participants 4 minutes
Reduce bias in interviews 5 minutes
Introduction to note-taking methods during usability studies 6 minutes
Use a spreadsheet to take notes 7 minutes
Chikezie - My journey to UX 2 minutes
Wrap-up: Conducting research with usability studies 1 minute

6 readings Total 42 minutes

Learn more about usability studies 8 minutes
Explore the advantages and disadvantages of usability studies 8 minutes
Learn more about usability study best practices 8 minutes
Learn more about reducing bias in interviews 8 minutes
Review: Take notes during a mock usability study for the Gmail labels feature 8 minutes
Glossary terms from course 4, module 2 2 minutes

6 assignments Total 94 minutes

Module 2 Challenge 60 minutes
Test your knowledge on the importance of usability studies 6 minutes
Test your knowledge on usability study best practices 6 minutes
Test your knowledge on potential biases during interview moderation 6 minutes
Self-Reflection: Reduce bias in your interviews 10 minutes
Test your knowledge on bias during interviews 6 minutes

After you conduct a usability study, you'll have a ton of feedback from participants. In this part of the course, you'll analyze and synthesize all of the feedback from your research. You'll gather data and observations in one place, organize the data using an affinity diagram, find themes, and come up with actionable insights.

What's included

8 videos5 readings3 assignments

8 videos Total 23 minutes

From observations to insights 2 minutes
Case study: Improving design at Google 4 minutes
Developing insights 3 minutes
Gather and organize data 4 minutes
Patterns and themes in research data 3 minutes
Qualities of strong insights 4 minutes
Utkarsh - Develop insights from usability studies 3 minutes
Wrap-up: Analyzing and synthesizing research results 1 minute

5 readings Total 20 minutes

Learn more about creating affinity diagrams 8 minutes
Review: Create an affinity diagram for the Gmail labels feature project 2 minutes
Review: Identify patterns and themes for the Gmail labels feature project 4 minutes
Review: Form insights from data for the Gmail labels feature project 4 minutes
Glossary terms from course 4, module 3 2 minutes

3 assignments Total 68 minutes

Module 3 Challenge 60 minutes
Test your knowledge on synthesizing data into insights 4 minutes
Test your knowledge on strong insights 4 minutes

It's time to let your hard work shine in the spotlight! You’re ready to share and promote the insights from your research. In this part of the course, you’ll learn techniques for presenting insights to various audiences, and you'll improve your presentation skills to grab your audience's attention. In addition, you'll iterate on your designs, which means making revisions to create new-and-improved designs, based on insights from your research.

What's included

9 videos10 readings6 assignments1 plugin

9 videos Total 30 minutes

Organize insights for sharing 1 minute
Choose a format for sharing insights 2 minutes
Create a strong presentation 9 minutes
Presentation tips 3 minutes
Heather - Deliver research insights 3 minutes
Modify low-fidelity designs based on insights 6 minutes
How to make research-based design changes 3 minutes
Wrap-up: Sharing research insights for better designs 1 minute
Congratulations on completing Course 4: Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts 1 minute

10 readings Total 64 minutes

Tips for creating a strong presentation 8 minutes
Overcome stage fright 8 minutes
Tips for giving an effective presentation 8 minutes
Examples of great public speakers 8 minutes
Glossary terms from course 4, module 4 4 minutes
Portfolio project guide for testing prototypes 10 minutes
Review: How to create and deliver a presentation for your portfolio project research 10 minutes
Reflect and connect with your peers 4 minutes
Course 4 glossary 2 minutes
Start the next course 2 minutes

6 assignments Total 186 minutes

Module 4 Challenge 60 minutes
Test your knowledge on presenting research insights 6 minutes
Activity: Build a research plan for your portfolio project 30 minutes
Activity: Conduct a usability study for your portfolio project 30 minutes
Activity: Turn observations into insights for your portfolio project 30 minutes
Activity: Update your portfolio project research presentation 30 minutes

1 plugin Total 30 minutes

Present research findings 30 minutes

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Reviewed on Feb 6, 2022

The course gives you best practices while doing UX research. With the usability study templates, you are able to summarise all of the participants' key insights and recommendations.

Reviewed on Oct 27, 2022

This course has so many interesting topics which help me to polish my skills as a UX designer and make me feel like a good UX designer. Thanks for providing me with such descriptive topics.

Reviewed on Jan 12, 2024

I learned a lot of new skills that will affect my designing career, and I will definitely move to next course until I finish all the courses and get the google professional certificate

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Frequently asked questions

User experience (UX) designers focus on the experience that users have while using products like websites, apps, and physical objects. UX designers make those everyday interactions useful, enjoyable, and accessible. The role of an entry-level UX designer might include coming up with ideas to address user problems, conducting research with users, and designing wireframes, mockups, and prototypes.

If you enjoy talking to and empathizing with people, drawing, thinking creatively, or paying attention to details, a job as a UX designer might be a good fit for you!

This course is the fourth of seven courses that will equip you with the skills you need to apply to entry-level jobs in user experience design. We recommend that you complete the first course of the Google UX Design Certificate (Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design), the second course (Start the UX Design Process: Empathize, Define, and Ideate), and the third course (Build Wireframes and Low-Fidelity Prototypes) before completing this fourth course of the program.

Alternatively, you should have experience conducting user research in order to empathize with user needs and determine specific user pain points. You also need to have the ability to create personas, user stories, and user journey maps, as well as draft problem statements and value propositions. You need to know how to create wireframes and low-fidelity prototypes on paper and in the design tool Figma. If you are unfamiliar with any of these topics, they are covered in earlier courses of the Google UX Design Certificate.

Figma and Adobe XD are the design tools taught in this certificate program. Spreadsheets, word processing applications, and presentation applications will also be used. Throughout the program, you will create a professional portfolio, using the platform of your choice, to showcase your UX design work.

One of the most exciting parts about joining the field of user experience is the large number of job opportunities available. Nearly every company needs UX designers to help create their digital and physical products. While the need for UX designers continues to grow, there is currently a shortage of UX design professionals to fill those roles.

A career in UX design allows you the opportunity to work as a generalist, finding a role as a UX designer, UI designer, or UX researcher, or as a specialist, like a visual designer or interaction designer. Upon completion of this certificate program, you will be able to search for jobs with all of these titles, and find the role that best suits you.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.