Learn about the importance of user research within a business environment

Knowing your user is paramount to successfully delivering products and services. It should flow through a project and be front and centre of every step of your business.

This three-week, practical course will take you through an entire user research project journey, from the start to the finish, looking at the key stages, tools and actions required to do the job.

Discover the importance of user research within a business

Under the guidance of an instructor and people working within the user research fields, you’ll explore the concept of user research, discovering what, why and when it should be used. You’ll also identify and experiment with briefs, identifying stakeholders and framing the context at the start of a project.

You’ll then get to grips with planning a user research project, assessing participants, triangulation and research methods, assumptions, constraints, reflections and deliverables.

Demonstrate how to carry out user research methods

You’ll then assess bias and discover how to carry out user research methods. You’ll review your materials, explore online and offline techniques, evaluate the best tools in which to analyse your findings and develop the skills in working out how to tackle complications.

You’ll then interpret data you’ve collated, looking at themes, insights, affinities and clusters, and will produce your final report of your user research plan.

Learn from user research experts at This is Milk

You’ll be under the guidance of the team at This is Milk, an award-winning business transformation consultancy created in response to the need for agile expert support and training.

Their bespoke services and expertise help to predict, understand and implement the changes required to successfully compete an ever-changing digital environment.

What topics will you cover?

This course covers the following subjects:

What is user research and when should it be used?
A follow-along guide to completing a user research project
Listen to professionals doing the job right now, and learn from their experiences
Understand the importance of the ‘user’ in your entire project/business/organisation
Reflect and self-evaluate your understanding, skills and experiences in user research and use this to improve

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and learn at your own pace. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

Available now

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

Explore User Research, discovering what, why and when it should be used
Identify and experiment with briefs, identifying stakeholders and framing the context at the start of a project
Demonstrate how to plan a User Research project by assessing participants, triangulation, research methods, assumptions, constraints, reflections and deliverables
Produce a plan
Assess Bias and demonstrate how to carry out User Research
Review your materials, explore online/offline techniques, evaluate the best tools, develop skills in how to tackle complications and data management
Interpret data with Synthesis & Analysis, looking at themes, insights, affinities and clusters
Produce your final report and convey findings back to stakeholders, embed findings into wider project and evaluate next steps/self-evaluation

Who is the course for?

This course is suitable for anyone working on projects that has a user somewhere in the journey.

It will be particularly beneficial for those working in business analysis, digital strategy, service design, data and change management, product or project management and ux design.

Who will you learn with?

Al Morris

Who developed the course?

This is Milk

This is Milk is an award-winning business transformation consultancy based in Glasgow, Scotland created in response to the need for agile expert support and training, working collaboratively to navigate strategic operational change globally.

BIMA

BIMA is the voice of digital and tech. We represent a community of businesses, charities and academia across the UK. We drive innovation through knowledge sharing, showcasing best practice and developing talent. And we give our members the chance to have their voices heard and to make a difference.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps, but you can complete them as quickly or slowly as you like
Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

Want to know more about learning on FutureLearn? Using FutureLearn

Join this course

Start this couse for free, upgrade for extra benefits, or buy Unlimited to access this course and hundreds of other short courses for a year.

Free

Join free and you will get:

Access to this course for 4 weeks

Upgrade

$64

Upgrade this course and you will get:

Access to this course for as long as it’s on FutureLearn
A print and digital Certificate of Achievement once you’re eligible

Join and upgrade

Unlimited

$279.99 for one year

Buy Unlimited and you will get:

Access to this course, and hundreds of other FutureLearn short courses and tests for a year
A printable digital Certificate of Achievement on all short courses once you’re eligible
The freedom to keep access to any course you've achieved a digital Certificate of Achievement on, for as long as the course exists on FutureLearn
The flexibility to complete your choice of short courses in your own time within the year