Welcome to the
User Research Center

What We Do

The User Research Center (URC) at Harvard Library is Harvard's premier lab for user-centered design, digital accessibility, and testing. We work remotely to conduct user testing and accessibility testing for Harvard websites and systems.

Work with us to:

  • Recruit students from our participant pool for remote or in-person user testing. We have a participant pool with over 1300 undergraduate and graduate students from across Harvard.
  • Get advice from experts on best practices in user experience (UX).
  • Consult with experts on usability and digital accessibility projects.
  • Attend learning opportunities like workshops and presentations.

Expertise in UX & Accessibility Tools & Technology

Our staff can advise on how to:

  • Use Zoom for remote user research like interviews, usability testing, and focus groups.
  • Test for accessibility with screen readers like JAWS, VoiceOver, and NVDA.
  • Choose the right UX tools like Miro, Marvel, and Sketch. 
  • Create effective surveys in Qualtrics.

Collaborators

We work closely with teams from Harvard Web Publishing and Digital Accessibility Services.

Facilities & Technology

The URC is located in Lamont Library A-10, just one floor down from the Lamont Cafe. View detailed directions for finding the space. We provide the space and tools for you to test the user experience of your digital products.

Due to COVID-19, the lab space is closed but we are working remotely to support user research needs at Harvard.

Upcoming Events

2022 Jun 07

URC Brown Bag Series: Remote Journey Map Co-creation

12:00pm

Location: 

Virtual - Zoom (Registration Required)

Description: Adapting a journey map exercise to an online activity may feel daunting, but the process and results can yield a treasure trove of actionable insights. In this presentation, we’ll share the experience of conducting a journey mapping exercise with college students online during the pandemic. You’ll learn how we developed our streamlined journey map template and how we used it during the session to capture the participant’s process, tools, and perceived level of effort with completing course assignments. We’ll discuss techniques for making the session as...

Read more about URC Brown Bag Series: Remote Journey Map Co-creation