Design Research

Like Engineering, User Experience Design depends on research and testing, because even the most skilled designers cannot fully understand the thinking of real users.  Successful designs that enable users to achieve their goals quickly and efficiently place high emphasis on:

• Objectively identifying and supporting users’ Top Tasks, including top task optimized internal search
• Support for all key user groups, and for all key device types
• Basing design decisions on objective data and demonstrated principles.
• Evidence over Opinion

Benefits

• Design decisions are informed and based on the bahaviour of real users carrying out real tasks on your web site
• Development costs are reduced by eliminating user interface problems before they happen, providing a high return on investment, particularly when performed early in the design process, before coding begins.

What is design research?

Neo Insight, in collaboration with our partners, Customer Carewords, provides research support at every step along the way, including:

• Expert Usability reviews (using standard or customized heuristics)
• Information Architecture /Task Architecture Research and Design (Treejack, Card Sorting, Chalkmark, etc.  E.g. First-Click Test to find and solve 3 common usability problems)
• Prototype development and testing (Balsamiq, JustInMind, Axure, HTML, etc.)
• Comparative behavoural testing of design alternatives (A/B testing, Loop11 unmoderated testing, etc.)
• Top Task Management
• Usability Testing (Moderated or unmoderated, to inform changes yet to be made, or to evaluate the result of changes already made)
• Accessibility testing

What is the cost and timeframe?

• Anything from 2-3 weeks (Expert Usability Review) upwards, depending upon the needs of the project.   Contact us to discuss options.

When should I do design research?

• Research performed early in the design process, before coding begins, provides the highest return on investment
• Also appropriate before and after major redesign work as part of a continuous improvement program

Why Neo Insight

• Neo Insight has provided design research services to multiple levels of federal and local government; high-tech companies; medical and educational institutions, etc. since 2001.
• The leadership team have an average of over 20 years experience in user experience design and research
• We run dozens of projects every year, and study 500 or more individuals as they use web sites to accomplish their goals