Our approach to usability and user research for edtech

User research is about gathering qualitative and quantitative data from your typical users and gleaning insights from a set of research questions aligned to your goals and interests. As a research organization with deep expertise across a range of methodologies ranging from cognitive science to design research to cultural studies, our focus is on designing bespoke, often mixed methods, user studies unique to a client’s needs. We conduct ethical and rigorous investigations of the behaviors, needs, motivation, preferences, habits, and cultures of learners and educators in particular contexts. Our goal is to provide trustworthy, actionable, and uncommon results that lead to more resonant experiences, products, and content.

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Our usability and user research services

Below are some of the methods we use to gather data. The suite of methods will depend on the research questions, which will be determined during initial meetings and communication between WestEd and the client.

Focus Group

User Survey

User Interview

Prototype & Concept Feedback

Diary Study

Card Sort

Tree Testing

Task Analysis

Subject Matter Expert Interview

Usability Study

Personas

Journey Maps

After studies are completed, we can apply both quantitative and qualitative analysis to the data ranging from statistical analysis to thematic analysis. This will depend on what works best to interpret data and present findings.

Interested in usability or user research?