User Experience

As defined by ISO 9241-210, user experience (UX) focuses on “all aspects of the user’s experience when interacting with the product, service, environment or facility” (ISO 9241-210).

Although user experience can capture aspects of ease of use and functionality (i.e., usability), it embodies the user's overall experience and behaviors with a product or system. Often times, measures of user experience record how a person feels about a product (e.g., pleasurable or not pleasurable). This includes things like motivations, preferences, and emotions before, during, and after interacting with a product. Additionally, UX should be viewed as a dynamic process that may change over the course of time and after continued interactions.

Traditional HF methods can be used to evaluate user experience:

Interviews can directly target UX responses through unstructured or structured designs.

• Unstructured: questions are within context of task but there is no use of standardized questions

• Structured: use of previously formed questions, making it easier to replicate

Think-alouds are especially useful in recording UX responses while the user is interacting with the system. The user is given a chance to describe their thoughts through each task step.

Subjective ratings can be beneficial for obtaining quick responses from the participant. For instance, a questionnaire may collect ratings on participant reactions to the visual appeal of an interface/product.

• The Affect grid collects emotional responses by asking participants to rate arousal and pleasantness on a grid.

For a detailed list of UX methods check out this website.