User Research: A Creative Ride That Was Totally Worth It
- Radovan Tanáč
- Apr 13
- 2 min read
User Research
The last semester is definitely worth mentioning - it was not only intense, but also full of creativity, collaboration and real-world problem solving. As a team, we worked on designing an add-in for the EduPage app, but the part I want to highlight the most is what comes before all the designing starts - user research.
The course ISKM65 User Research, taught by Tereza Kosnarova Vernerova, was simply amazing. The fact that it was fully online didn’t take away from the energy at all - on the contrary, it was authentic, fun and most importantly, super practical.
What was the course about?
Every week, we moved forward step by step through the user research process. Thanks to a well-structured syllabus, we always knew what to expect and how to prepare:
Week 1 – Semester Kickoff 🎉
Week 2 – Introduction to User Research
Week 3 – Research Brief Preparation
Week 4 – Research Plan
Week 5 – Defining the Target Group
Week 6 - 7 – Recruitment (theory & practice)
Week 8 – In-Depth Interviews
Week 9 – Usability Testing
Week 10 – Interview & Testing Scripts
Week 11 – Research Execution (practice)
Week 12 – Research Analysis
Week 13 – Final Presentation of Findings
Why was it so great?
Every week required some prep work, but nothing ever felt like a boring “school assignment.” We worked on our own topics, which made it personal, meaningful and honestly – way more fun. That personal motivation made all the difference.
I personally chose a project connected to my thesis - User Testing of a Nonprofit Organization’s Website. The topic was something I truly cared about, which made the process even more engaging.
This course helped me build a solid foundation for research. We went from early ideation and creating a recruitment questionnaire, mapping out stakeholders, working with the UX Research Canvas, developing personas, using the Atomic UX Research Canvas and finally conducting actual user testing.
So, what’s the verdict?
If you think “research” is just boring data in spreadsheets - think again. This course showed me that research, when done right, is not only essential but also an exciting springboard into meaningful design.
If you ever get the chance - take this course. I couldn’t recommend it more. And a big shoutout to Tereza for her energy, humor, and brilliant course organization 🙌
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