Understanding User Needs

The University of Michigan focuses on learning what people need and what they currently do. Interview planning, observation and affinity analysis form a qualitative research process. It suits learners who want to gather evidence before deciding which interface or feature to build.

What you will learn

• Plan a qualitative user-needs assessment.
• Conduct structured observation and semi-structured interviews.
• Organize findings using affinity analysis.

Who this suits

Learners interested in UX research methods and evidence gathering before designing a product or service.

Before you enroll

Allow time to conduct research and revise the design, beyond watching the lessons. Obtain consent for interviews and usability sessions, protect participant information and distinguish observed evidence from your assumptions. A course certificate does not establish professional experience.

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Put it into practice

Draft an interview guide for a fictional booking service and practice grouping anonymized example observations without turning assumptions into findings.

Source and review

This overview is based on the provider's published information, checked on 12 October 2026. It is an editorial assessment, not a claim that we completed the resource. Time filters are approximate study ranges; projects and exercises can take longer.

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