Exploring user experience (UX) research methods in health professions education

Researchers often design interventions or experiences to meet the needs of a specific user. However, the user's perspective is often excluded in the process, which can minimize effectiveness due to a lack of understanding about the user, their perspective, and/or their needs. User experience (UX) research methods offer an opportunity to capture additional information about the user that can inform the design of these solutions.

UX research became prominent during the 1990s to describe the complexity of human interactions with technological solutions. UX research methods emerged in other disciplines as strategies for describing user perspectives, needs, challenges, and potential impact of proposed solutions-these may be useful in health professions education research.

Those interested in UX research methods should define the user, establish focused research questions, and select applicable strategies cognizant of time and resource constraints. UX research often requires a clear outline of research activities, how they address the questions, and techniques to engage representative users for data collection. Researchers can optimize data collection by creating inclusive spaces that emphasize active listening. Researchers should compile insights regularly and remember UX research emphasizes an iterative approach to design.

UX research can support deeper insights into users, their perspectives, their needs, and offers opportunities to co-construct solutions with their experiences in mind. These methods may help educators design impactful experiences that better achieve targeted outcomes in collaboration with their users (e.g., learners, faculty, teams).