As a UX researcher, you want to showcase your skills and experience in your portfolio. But how can you present user behavior data in a way that is clear, compelling, and relevant to your potential clients or employers? In this article, we will share some tips and examples on how to use different formats and tools to display your user behavior data in your portfolio.
Depending on the type and amount of user behavior data you have, you may want to use different formats to present it in your portfolio. For example, tables are useful for showing numerical data, such as metrics, ratings, or scores. They can help compare and contrast different user segments, features, or scenarios. However, charts are great for visualizing trends, patterns, or relationships in your user behavior data. Quotes are powerful for capturing the voice and emotions of your users. Images are effective for showing the context and environment of your users. Nevertheless, it's important to ensure clear labels, colors, filters, appropriate type and scale of charts, as well as selective usage of images with captions to convey your message without being misleading or confusing.
Also, interactive data boards immerse users in dynamic, engaging experiences, enabling direct interaction with information. These transform static presentations, facilitating real-time dataset exploration, fostering trust through transparent, nuanced data comprehension. Users navigate, filter, and validate information, building credibility. Through active engagement, trust grows, instilling confidence. Audiences align their understanding, drawing informed conclusions and establishing rapport with insights. This transcends passive consumption, encouraging exploration and validation, forging a robust connection between users and the presented data.
Once you have decided on the format of your user behavior data, you need to select the appropriate tools to create and display it in your portfolio. Google Sheets is a free and versatile tool for creating and sharing tables and charts; you can use it to import, organize, and analyze your user behavior data, and then generate various types of charts with customizable options. Datawrapper is an online tool for creating interactive and responsive charts and maps; you can upload, edit, and visualize your user behavior data, and then choose from a wide range of chart types and styles. Miro is an online tool for creating and collaborating on visual boards; it allows you to collect, organize, and synthesize your user behavior data, then create diagrams, mind maps, or storyboards. Lastly, Loom is an online tool for recording and sharing video messages; it enables you to explain, narrate, or demonstrate your user behavior data with annotations, emojis, or stickers. All of these tools enable you to embed content into your portfolio website or case study document.
Tableau emerges as an excellent tool, facilitating direct interrogation of your data without the necessity of coding skills. Its emphasis lies in comprehending the data's essence rather than coding intricacies, rendering it accessible to all. The dynamic graphs within Tableau empower audiences to delve into the data, exploring every data point and its origins. This capability fosters trust among the audience, stemming from a deeper understanding of the narrative being conveyed.
When crafting your portfolio, it is essential to align your user behavior data with your goals and objectives. Consider the purpose of the portfolio, who the audience is, and the message you want to convey. Are you showcasing skills, experience, or achievements? Is it for potential clients, employers, or stakeholders? Do you want to inform, persuade, or inspire? Select and present your user behavior data in a way that is relevant and meaningful to your audience. Show how the data supports research questions, hypotheses, or recommendations. Showcase how the data adds value to projects, products, or services. With this approach, you can ensure that your portfolio is impactful.
Besides showing your user behavior data, you also need to show your process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting it. You need to show how you planned, conducted, and reported your user research. You need to show how you used different methods, techniques, or frameworks to gather, organize, and synthesize your user behavior data. You need to show how you derived insights, findings, or implications from your user behavior data.
Showing your process can help you demonstrate your skills and expertise as a UX researcher. It can help you explain the rationale and context behind your user behavior data. It can help you showcase your creativity and innovation in using user behavior data. It can also help you avoid plagiarism and ethical issues in using user behavior data.
To present data in a case study, I recommend following these steps to ensure an effective mapping of user behavior: - Define the user challenge & and business goal that was identified before your solution was deployed. This will help you set the context and the scope of the case study. - Highlight the features and benefits of your solution. Describe the solution in brief that you provided to the user and how it addressed their problem and business goal. - Show a comparison of the data collected from the user before and after the deployment of the solution. This can be done by visualizations, session recording, verbatim, etc. - Summarise the insights, followed by design recommendations to be developed based on the conducted study.
Finally, you need to get feedback on your user behavior data presentation in your portfolio. Seeking opinions, suggestions, or critiques from different sources, such as your peers, mentors, and users, can help you improve your technical skills and knowledge, professional skills and growth, user-centric skills and empathy, respectively. The feedback can also help you enhance your data presentation, communication, storytelling, data literacy, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, it can help you validate the relevance, usefulness, usability of the data and understand its impact and value. Ultimately, getting feedback can help you learn from mistakes and successes while building confidence and credibility as a UX researcher.