An example linked above of a career starting job, offered by the BBC. This the role of a researcher, whose job is "collecting, managing, analysing and visualizing data, multiplatform media production experience and/or basic knowledge of coding would therefore also be useful additions." This would be aptly described as a 'foot-in-the-door' job, a way of starting out in the industry.
RESEARCH TECHNIQUES
Using this link, these are the following research techniques.
Observation: this technique focuses on seeing what the users actually do as opposed to what they say they do.
Site visit / Field research: this refers to research conducted outside a traditional lab setting, in a user's natural work environment. It involves visiting the site where the product is used and observing the usage in action. It can reveal interesting insights on environmental circumstances affecting the usage of the product, and supplementary tools and work-arounds used along with the product.
Contextual inquiry: the contextual inquiry research technique combines observation with interview-style question and response. Participants get to explain their actions or "think aloud" as they work through a task or activity.
Survey / Questionnaire: useful to gather information on the profile of the user, his or her job responsibilities and opinion of the current version of product (if available) or similar product (if this is a new release). It is easy to collect both quantitative and qualitative information using surveys. Surveys may be online or face-to-face. Online surveys may be conducted using tools such as SurveyMonkey. Face-to-face surveys may be conducted in combination with observational techniques such as site visits or in a usability lab.
It is important to know how to ask the right questions the right way to get quality input for design. This means not asking leading or confusing questions.
Focus groups: a qualitative research technique where a group of individuals are asked their opinions, perceptions, beliefs, attitudes or practices regarding a product, service or concept. It is important to pay attention to group dynamics when conducting a focus group since the loudest voice may dominate the conversation and drown out other opinions.
Interviews: a "guided conversation where one person seeks information from the other." An interview may be conducted in conjunction with other requirements-gathering activity such as a site visit, or as a solo activity. There are various types of interview you can choose from based on your project needs and constraints.
Interviews may be conducted remotely (via the phone), or face to face. A structured interview is one where the list of questions is prepared in advance and the researcher tries to solicit answers from all participants. A non-directed interview is one where the interviewer primarlity listens to the subject and provides minimal input or direction.
Diary studies: involves asking the test participants to record and report their experiences related to a particular subject over a period of time. Depending on the type of study, participants may use paper diaries, emails, twitter or a combination. Such studies can be flexible and easy to execute. They are particularly appropriate for understanding mobile device usage since it allows the user to provide their input on-the-go. Like most research methods, diary studies need to be well designed and have a focus to be effective. A poorly designed study may yield a lot of data that may be difficult to sift through to create meaning.
Brainstorming: a tool for creative problem solving, wherein a group of people come together to contribute ideas spontaneously. It is particularly useful when you want to break out of stale, established patterns of thinking, so that you can develop new ways of looking at things. When a interdisciplinary product team brainstorms to come to a common vision of the solution, it helps get buy-in for the chosen solution.
Gamestorming: as the name suggests, refers to the use of games for brainstorming. The term Innovation Games also refers to this technique. Presenting the problem in a game format suspends some of the normal protocols of life and frees the participants to think creatively to solve problems. For example, if the goal is to prioritize a list of features in a product, gamestorming may involve giving each participants a limited set of resources and allowing them to buy / bet on features to see which ones come out on top.
Web Analytics: refers to gathering and analyzing usage data to gain insights into consumer actions and attitudes. Tools such as Google Web Analytics and Omniture have made it possible for companies to adopt a real data driven approach to understanding usage patterns to optimize the experience for the user. In the case of gamification, it is very useful to know the impact on player behavior to adjust and optimize the strategy as needed.
A / B Testing: an experimental approach to user experience design. It presents two versions of a website (Option A and Option B) to the user, and analyzes users' behavior. Typically, it tries to track the effect of the differences of the two options against a desired goal. For example, if a website is trying to increase click through rate, they may present a version to one set of online users, and a different version to another. They could analyze if these differences have any impact on the metric they care about.
Primary Sources: provides direct or firsthand evidence about an event, object, person, or work of art. Primary sources include historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts, results of experiments, statistical data, pieces of creative writing, audio and video recordings, speeches, and art objects. Interviews, surveys, fieldwork, and Internet communications via email, blogs, listservs, and newsgroups are also primary sources. In the natural and social sciences, primary sources are often empirical studies—research where an experiment was performed or a direct observation was made. The results of empirical studies are typically found in scholarly articles or papers delivered at conferences.
Secondary Sources: describe, discuss, interpret, comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources. Secondary source materials can be articles in newspapers or popular magazines, book or movie reviews, or articles found in scholarly journals that discuss or evaluate someone else's original research.
AUDIENCE RESEARCH
BARB is a website used to track audience viewing. With this, we can complete our task in researching and creating a children's TV program.
One idea we have on our children's TV program is based on college life and educating children on the whole concept and struggles one would face. While this would no doubt attract a teenage audience (those who would relate to college more), we also hope to give a perspective on college life towards those growing up and looking forward to college, and perhaps reassure younger demographics.
Another idea we had was a Gogglebox-styled program where we sit down our target audience (children) with their parents to watch TV shows that either the parents or children watch or had watched. This way, we would see both demographic's reactions and analysis their preferences.
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