gebruiksresearch

gebruiksresearch (usage research) is a field within user experience and human-centered design that studies how people use products, services, or systems to understand their needs, motivations, and context of use. The aim is to inform design decisions that improve usefulness, usability, accessibility, and adoption. Researchers employ a mix of qualitative methods—such as interviews, contextual inquiry, ethnographic observation, and usability testing—and quantitative methods—such as surveys, analytics, and controlled experiments—to uncover tasks, goals, pain points, and satisfaction drivers. Data are analyzed to produce outputs like user personas, task models, journey maps, and evidence-based design recommendations. It is typically integrated early in the product development lifecycle during discovery and ideation, and it also supports ongoing evaluation through prototype testing and post-launch studies. Ethical considerations include informed consent, privacy protection, data security, and minimizing intrusiveness in observation and data collection. Validity is enhanced through triangulation, representative sampling, and iterative study designs, though the field often prioritizes actionable insights over broad statistical generalizability. Applications span software and web products, consumer electronics, services, and public-sector initiatives, where understanding real-world use helps reduce usability risk, improve accessibility, and align offerings with user needs.