What UX research methods can you use to evaluate the emotional impact of Engineering Design solutions?

1 Emotions and UX

Emotions are subjective and complex phenomena that influence how people perceive, interact, and remember their experiences with products or services. Emotions can affect user satisfaction, loyalty, trust, and advocacy. UX research is the practice of understanding the needs, behaviors, and emotions of users through various methods of data collection and analysis. UX research can help Engineering Designers create solutions that not only solve problems, but also elicit positive emotions and avoid negative ones.

2 Self-report methods

Self-report methods are techniques that ask users to express their emotions directly, either verbally or non-verbally. Surveys and questionnaires, for instance, are structured or semi-structured tools that ask users to rate or describe their emotions using scales, words, or images. The Likert scale, the Semantic Differential scale, and the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) are all examples of ways to measure the intensity and valence of emotions. Interviews and focus groups, on the other hand, are unstructured or semi-structured conversations that allow users to share their emotions in their own words. Questions can be posed to probe for details while body language and tone of voice can be observed. Lastly, diary studies are longitudinal studies in which users record their emotions over time using text, audio, video, or photos. Prompts or questions can be provided to guide users, or they can choose their own format and frequency.

3 Behavioral methods

Behavioral methods are techniques that observe or measure the actions and reactions of users, either directly or indirectly. For example, user testing is a process of evaluating a product or service by having users perform tasks and scenarios, while observing and recording their behavior, feedback, and emotions. Through analytics, quantitative data about the usage and performance of a product or service can be collected and analyzed. Additionally, sentiment analysis utilizes natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) to extract and classify the emotions from text or speech data. Such tools as IBM Watson, Google Cloud Natural Language, or Amazon Comprehend can be used to perform sentiment analysis.

4 Co-design methods

Co-design methods are techniques that involve users in the creative process of Engineering Design, either as collaborators or contributors. Workshops and brainstorming sessions can be used to generate ideas, share opinions, and provide feedback on Engineering Design solutions. Techniques such as affinity diagrams, storyboards, or personas can be used to facilitate the co-design process. Prototyping and testing activities allow users to experience, evaluate, and improve Engineering Design solutions using tools such as sketches, mockups, or wireframes to create low-fidelity prototypes, or tools such as Figma, Adobe XD, or InVision to create high-fidelity prototypes. Gamification and storytelling activities motivate users to express their emotions, preferences, and values through play and narrative. Techniques such as role-playing, scenarios, or challenges can gamify the co-design process while tools such as Twine, Ren'Py, or Unity can be used to create interactive stories.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?