online short course
Empathy in Action: User Research in Agile Environments
Capture meaningful user insights and turn them into impactful, user-centred solutions.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Duration
4 hours
Language
English
Accredited
Yes
About the course
Great products and services start with a real understanding of the people using them. This self-paced course gives you the skills to plan, run and analyse user research in agile environments, and translate what you find into work that genuinely serves users.
You’ll cover the fundamentals of user-centred design, from planning research and choosing the right methods, through to advanced techniques like analysing user data, developing personas and designing dual-track agile development projects. By the end, you’ll have a practical understanding of what it takes to put the user at the centre of your work, and the confidence to do it.
You’ll learn through interactive lessons, case studies, videos and discussion spaces, with quizzes along the way to test your thinking. On completion, you’ll earn a certificate endorsed by the Agile Business Consortium to add to your professional portfolio.
Learning outcomes
Understand the value of user research
Recognize the impact good user research has on product and service outcomes, and how to apply an agile mindset to the work.
Plan empathetic and ethical research
Design user research initiatives that put empathy and ethics at the centre of the approach.
Choose the right methods for the job
Apply a range of user research methods to understand user needs in different contexts.
Turn data into insight
Translate research findings into actionable insights that inform real decisions and drive better outcomes.
Who is it for?
- Aspiring or experienced product managers
- Aspiring or experienced project managers
- Business analysts
- Team members looking to learn more about user research or collaborate with researchers
Curriculum
1.01 Welcome to the course
1.02 How to navigate this course
1.03 Activities and quizzes
1.04 Types of discussion
1.05 Further reading and references
1.06 Your dashboard
1.07 Gaining your certificate
1.08 Getting help
1.09 Please introduce yourself
1.10 Let’s get started!
2.01 Introduction to user research
2.02 Overview of user research
2.03 The challenges and benefits of user research
2.04 When to conduct user research
2.05 Involving stakeholders in user research
2.06 How to involve stakeholders in user research initiatives
2.07 Who is responsible for user research
2.08 Case Study: Microsoft Teams – Enhancing remote work tools
2.09 The agile mindset in user research
2.10 Adopting an agile mindset
2.11 Key takeaways
2.12 Progress check
2.13 What is coming up next?
3.01 Introducing the fundamentals of conducting user research
3.02 Qualitative and quantitative research
3.03 Building a user research plan
3.04 Recruiting participants for user research
3.05 Case Study: GDS (Government Digital Service)
3.06 Ethics and empathy in user research
3.07 Key takeaways
3.08 Progress check
3.09 What’s coming up next?
4.01 Introducing user research methods
4.02 Surveys
4.03 Planning and conducting user interviews
4.04 Users in their environments
4.05 Case study: City library
4.06 Prototyping for user feedback
4.07 Case Study: The Palm Pilot
4.09 Key takeaways
4.10 Progress check
4.11 What’s coming up next?
5.01 Introducing making user research matter
5.02 Analysing and synthesising data
5.03 Visualising insights from user research
5.04 Developing personas from user research
5.05 Sharing insights with agile teams
5.06 From insights to action with user stories
5.07 Key takeways
5.08 Progress check
5.09 What’s coming up next?
6.01 Introducing making user research a success in agile teams
6.02 Continuous user research
6.03 Implementing continuous user research
6.04 Focused user feedback methods
6.05 Gathering user feedback online
6.06 Dual track agile development
6.07 Expert tips on user research
6.08 Key takeaways
6.09 Progress check
6.10 What’s coming up next?
7.01 Course Summary
7.02 About the End-of-Course Quiz
7.03 End-of-Course Quiz
7.04 Thank you for taking this course!
7.05 End of Course Survey
7.06 Congratulations
Professional accreditation
Upon successful completion, you’ll receive a digital certificate from the Agile Business Consortium, globally recognized by employers and professional bodies. This course awards 8 CPD points.
Access all 15+ courses for just £165/year
Enjoy unlimited access to CPD-certified content, join exclusive monthly networking events, and benefit from a premium library of resources and practical templates.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Our online courses are part of Individual Membership, so you’ll need to be a member to access them. Membership gives you the full library of courses alongside resources, events and our communities, all for £165 a year. You can become a member and start learning straight away.
The course is self-paced, so you can work through it whenever suits you and take as long as you need. Your access continues for as long as your membership is active, so there’s no pressure to finish by a set date.
No. Our courses are designed to be accessible whatever your background. Each course has a difficulty level (Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced) so you can choose what’s right for you, but there are no formal prerequisites to enrol.
Yes. On completing the course, you’ll earn a certificate endorsed by the Agile Business Consortium to add to your professional portfolio and share with your network or employer.
Each course is fully online and self-paced, made up of a mix of video lessons, practical activities, case studies and quizzes. You can learn at your own pace, on any device, wherever you are.