top of page
What We Do
The Research in User eXperience (RUX) lab investigates issues related to user experience and usability of software, innovative products, and processes. We conduct research and provide consulting services to industry.
See the summary below and explore our research and services.
What do your users think about your product?
Methods Used by RUX
Understanding your users
You can improve the quality of your product by designing it with your users in mind.
HOW are your users going to interact with your product?
WHERE is your product going to be used?
WHO is using your product?
WHAT are their expectations?
surveys & questionnaires
The first step to understanding your users is to query their background, habits, and attitudes.Â
We use surveys to learn about user perceptions and to gather feedback on product design.
Your Users
-
Who are they?
-
What are their characteristics & background?
-
What tasks to they do?
-
What are their likes/dislikes
interviews & focus groups
Interviews are a flexible method to gather insights into what users are thinking and tend to reveal a "deeper dive" into their perceptions whether they are conducted face-to-face or via technology.
interviews
Focus groups
Discussions with a group of users to learn their opinions are done with focus groups. The power of a focus group is the group dynamic that evolves in which users are more likely to share experiences, perceptions, and needs
Card sorting
Card sorts identify common clustering of information as well as difficult items to categorize.
Breakfast
Lunch & Dinner
Dessert
This method can tailor a product or service to reflect the mental model of a target audience and help them achieve their goals with an intuitive interface.
Knowing how users categorize items or relate to concepts also helps in the structuring of information and can be used to organize navigation and menus.
Expert/heuristic review
Experts from the lab will evaluate website/product usability using our own set of heuristics and checklists, customized to the product domain.
This provides an overview of potential product pitfalls as well as areas of delight to prospective users.
This activity, when coupled with usability testing, provides a comprehensive review of usability from both the expert and end user perspective./product usability using our own set of heuristics and checklists, customized to the product domain.
usability testing
Usability testing allows us to examine the product's ease-of-use from the users' perspective.
​
We assess the following to make design recommendations:
-
Success
-
Time to complete tasks
-
Efficiency (clicks/taps/keystrokes)
-
User Perceptions
-
Intent to Use & Recommend
eye tracking
Examining WHERE users look on a web page, product, or system helps designers understand user expectations and the impact of color, layout, and imagery on user search strategies.
Using the Tobii X2 eye tracker, we gather data regarding the number of fixations, fixation duration, and order of fixations by Area of Interest. We also have the Tobii Glasses 2 which allows us to understand eye movements in mobile product environments.
Competitive product analysis
Knowing where your product stands against your competitors is critical. We ask users to compare and contrast products to one another in a systematic and empirical manner.
In addition to usability testing metrics, we gather user input on preference, delights, and frustrations with all products.
Note:
Sometimes it is more important to know what features do not work for a product than those that do.
OUt-of-box Experience
(OOBE)
First impressions are lasting impressions, which is why the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) is important.
We track users' experiences from receiving and unboxing a product to the point where they start to use it.
We identify roadblocks, common questions, and usability issues encountered through the process.
Optimizing the OOBE can increase sales, user satisfaction, and customer loyalty.
bottom of page