IB Design Technology Topic A2.1: User-centred Research Methods Key Definitions

Statistical data that groups users based on characteristics such as age, gender, income, education, and occupation, often used to identify and understand target audiences in design.

Empathy means seeing through the user’s eyes, understanding their frustrations, preferences, and behaviours.

A first-hand observation of users conducted in their real environment.

Journey mapping is a visual representation of the steps a user takes to complete a task or interact with a product, showing their actions, emotions, and pain points along the way.

A multidisciplinary team is made up of members from different fields, each contributing their expert knowledge to improve the design process.

A persona is a fictional but realistic profile of the target user, based on real data and insights gathered from user research. It represents their goals, needs, behaviours, and limitations to help guide design decisions.

A general assumption about how most users in a given culture or population behave or expect a product to function.

A scenario is a short, realistic story that describes how a user (often represented by a persona) interacts with a product in a specific context to achieve a goal.

Task analysis is the process of observing and studying a user as they perform a task, to understand how they interact with a product or system. The goal is to identify steps, challenges, and opportunities for improvement in the user experience.

A research activity where the user is observed interacting with a product or
completing a task to find pain points in the process or interaction.

User-Centred Design (UCD) is an approach that focuses on understanding the needs, wants, and limitations of the end-user at every stage of the design process, ensuring the final product is functional, accessible, and meaningful.