The complete research craft collection from Google UX Certificate Course 2 (Empathize/Define) + Course 4 (Conduct UX Research). Covers 5-step interview SOP + 5 traits of research objectives/participants/questions + empathy map (Says/Thinks/Does/Feels) + persona vs user profile + problem statement (formula + 5W1H) + hypothesis statement (if-then / we believe) + 4-step value proposition + human factors engineering (WWI/WWII history) + design psychology (color/Von Restorff/serial position/Hick's Law/mental model/feedback loop + ethics) + 7 elements of a research plan + usability study (pros and cons of moderated vs unmoderated + best practices before/during/after + note-taking methods) + moderator/participant bias + affinity diagram analysis + patterns → themes + 5 criteria for strong insights + 7 presentation tips. Targeted at PMs, cross-referenced with Yitang research/user interview methodology.
A curated knowledge base of 22 essential pieces from Nielsen Norman Group on usability testing and usability heuristics, organized around two core axes: ① The 10 usability heuristics proposed by Jakob Nielsen in 1994 (used for design self-checks and heuristic evaluations): Visibility of System Status / Match Between System and the Real World / User Control and Freedom / Consistency and Standards (including internal + external consistency · Jakob's Law) / Error Prevention (prioritize high-risk scenarios) / Recognition Rather than Recall / Flexibility and Efficiency of Use (accelerators) / Aesthetic and Minimalist Design (signal-to-noise ratio) / Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors / Help and Documentation — each entry includes core principles, do/don't guidance, and counterexamples, plus application notes for complex enterprise applications (ArcMap/Power BI/Salesforce/Revit/Solidworks/Jitterbit); User Delight is built on a four-level pyramid (Aarron Walter) of functionality-reliability-usability-delight, covering surface delight vs deep delight plus the negativity bias effect. ② Usability testing methods: the golden rule that 5 users uncover 85% of problems and its exceptions (quantitative studies ≥20 users · card sorting ≥15 users · eye tracking 39 users · agile 2–3 users · empirical evidence from 83 studies), participant recruitment ($171 per participant · agency vs internal recruitment · incentives · 11% no-show rate · survey of 201 people), 7 steps for moderated remote testing, three techniques for task scenarios (realistic/actionable/no leading hints), Stepped Tasks research for discoverability and findability, Attitudinal vs Behavioral research, 4-step qualitative data analysis method (collect/examine/understand/validate), large measurement error in small samples (true value + measurement error · confidence intervals · statistical significance · do not report raw numbers alone), competitive usability evaluation (select 2–4 competitors · expert review vs user testing). Intended audience: product managers; terms are explained in industry language, with decision-oriented guidance.
