Practica
Qualitative User Research
Learn how to conduct user interviews and on-site observations to guide your design process.
In this course, you'll equip yourself with the knowledge and confidence to take on research for human-centered design projects. In addition to practical tools and methods, we’ll explore thorny issues related to ethics and data privacy, helping you to build a robust research practice informed by respect and reciprocity.
course outcomes
Create a research scope for a human-centered design project.
Plan and carry out ethical in-depth user interviews and observations.
Navigate complexity related to privacy, transparency, and user data in the research process.
Translate findings into user insights that can guide an HCD process.
Tell the story of your research.
What you'll learn
What to expect+
Course overview
Preparing to learn
Getting started checklist
Intro to user research+
Why we research
Guiding principles
User research in HCD
A brief overview of methods
Ethics in user research
Finding your focus+
- Framing and scoping your research
Building a research plan+
Research plan framework
Research plan examples
Recruiting Participants+
Getting specific
Recruiting outreach methods
Recruiting with community partners
Ethics spotlight
Interviewing+
Structuring an interview
Interview guides
Writing and asking questions
Team roles
Notetaking
Ethics spotlight
Observation+
Where and how to pay attention
Ethics spotlight
Demonstration video
Downloading data+
Preparing to download
Download activities
Demonstration video
Synthesis+
Why data alone isn’t enough
Thematic grouping
Journey mapping
Crafting insight statements
Ethics spotlight
Telling the story+
Why we need stories
What makes a compelling story
Framework for research storytelling
Choosing a format
Managing user data+
Protecting PII
Getting informed consent
Keeping only the data you need
Restricting access to sensitive data
Wrapping up+
Research prep checklist
Compile your research kit
Templates and tools
Enroll as a team
Learning is better as a team sport. Practica supports collaborative learning through paid cohorts—group learning experiences facilitated by Civilla staff. Together with your colleagues, you’ll participate in workshops, be guided through one or more Practica courses, get coaching from Civilla design experts, and make significant progress applying HCD to priority projects.
