Businesses create digital products to deliver desirable user experiences. Yet, many of these organizations fail to consider who their users are, what they need and want to accomplish, how users currently achieve their goals, and how users prefer to achieve these goals.
Without these insights, organizations risk wasting resources on products and services their target users do not actually need. Some leaders believe they can skip user involvement due to time or budget constraints.
But, this is a misconception.
You cannot assume you know what users need.
You must truly understand their thoughts and behaviors. Knowing your users’ context and expectations enables you to design better products and services while delivering solutions that genuinely satisfy user needs and desires. You can also enhance existing offerings, adapt to changing behaviors, and save money by getting the product’s design right the first time.
UX research can help you achieve all of these things.
What is UX Research?
UX Research or User Experience Research is the process of conducting primary (new) research and secondary reviews of existing research, to answer key questions about:
- What do users truly require from the product you are developing?
- How do users interface with similar products?
- If you have an existing product – are users happy with their experiences using it?
- What aspects of the product could be enhanced?
Researchers also perform field studies to observe real-world user behavior and analyze usage patterns of similar products across different industries.
UX research is a continual process and professional UX researchers do not limit themselves to only usability-related studies. They also investigate:
- Where and how do users engage with the product?
- How does the product fit within its market?
- What goals are users trying to achieve with the product and how can design help them achieve those goals more efficiently?
This approach encourages a 360-degree, never-ending focus on the user experience.
The Different Types of UX Research Methods
In the early stages of product development, UX research focuses on identifying critical product needs. As development progresses, researchers assess how well the product meets those needs. After launch, they keep uncovering new user behaviors or unexpected issues that inform future design iterations or new product designs.
That is how we get types of UX research methods. Have a look at the different types of UX research methods used throughout the various stages. You will have a clear understanding of how each method contributes to creating effective user experiences.
Generative vs. Evaluative UX Research
First off, we have generative and evaluative UX research. These UX research types are differentiated based on their goals, timing, methods, and data outcomes. Performing both types of UX research is vital for creating a digital product that consistently delivers positive experiences.
Generative UX Research
Generative UX research is conducted early in the design process before any design work begins. Its main goal is to uncover user needs, behaviors, and motivations toward the product that is set to be designed.
This type of research helps teams identify problems that users face with similar products. It helps them ‘generate’ ideas and potential solutions that address those problems. By gathering insights on what users want and need before any design/development work begins, organizations can create products that truly resonate with their target audience.
Common Methods
Several UX research methods fall under the ‘generative UX research’ umbrella:
- Field Studies Field studies involve observing users in their natural environments to understand real-world behaviors, workflows, and challenges. Researchers gain insights into environmental, social, and situational factors, revealing discrepancies between expected and actual product usage for improved user experience design.
- User Interviews are one-on-one discussions with target users. Researchers ask users open-ended questions about the product they are working on to gather qualitative insights about user experiences, motivations, and pain points. Interviews provide rich narratives that reveal users’ thoughts and feelings about the product.
- Focus Groups involve facilitating discussions among groups of users to explore their thoughts, feelings, and opinions about a product or concept. Group dynamics can spark conversations that reveal varying viewpoints and experiences, helping researchers understand different user segments
Outcomes
The data collected through generative research is primarily qualitative. Based on the data, UX researchers can develop
- User personas, i.e., fictional characters that represent different segments of the target audience
- Journey maps that visualize the steps users might take while interacting with the product
- Initial design concepts or prototypes
By employing these generative methods, organizations can kickstart their product design or development processes in a user-centric and evidence-based manner. For instance, the design research team at Dropbox employs generative research to explore users’ thinking styles, behaviors, and motives. This exploration helps them make informed decisions during the product development process.
Evaluative UX Research
Evaluative research takes place later in the design process, once a product or prototype has been developed. The focus here is on assessing the effectiveness and usability of the existing product or prototype. The aim is to collect data that can be used to improve the product’s design based on user feedback.
Common Methods
Here are some common methods in evaluative UX research:
- Usability Testing involves observing users as they interact with a product or prototype. Researchers watch how users navigate the interface, complete tasks, and express their thoughts during the process. By observing users, researchers can identify specific problems like confusing navigation, unclear instructions, etc.) that hinder user experience. UX researchers can measure how effectively users complete the major tasks in the product.
- A/B Testing involves comparing two versions of a product/prototype (Version A +Version B) to determine which one performs better in terms of user interaction and engagement. By analyzing user behavior across both versions, researchers can gather quantitative data on KPIs like click-through rates, conversion rates, or time spent on tasks. A/B testing helps identify which design elements or features resonate more with users.
- Tree Testing evaluates the structure and hierarchy of a website or app. UX researchers ask users to find specific information within its navigation system. This method reveals how easily users can locate information based on the site’s structure. It highlights areas where users struggle to find content. UX researchers gain insights into how well the navigation aligns with user expectations and mental models. It enables navigational design adjustments to improve usability.
Outcomes
Evaluative research can yield both qualitative and quantitative data. Based on this combination of data types, UX researchers can create:
- Usability reports outlining all identified issues, user feedback, and recommendations for improvements.
- Performance metrics, i.e., numerical data points that measure how well users interact with a product.
- Specific recommendations to enhance the product’s UX
Google frequently uses evaluative research, such as usability testing, to ensure its products like Google Search, Gmail, and Google Maps meet user needs. Again, Airbnb employs evaluative UX research to test how users interact with their platform, ensuring seamless booking experiences.
Qualitative vs Quantitative UX Research
Another major point of distinction that separates the two types of UX research methods is the nature of the data that’s collected – qualitative and quantitative data. Combining both qualitative and quantitative data enhances UX research findings. It makes UX research data more comprehensive and actionable.
Qualitative UX Research
Qualitative data explains why people are doing what they do; it delves into user motivations, attitudes, and feelings, providing context to the numbers. This method explores the nuances of user interactions with a design, focusing on the what, why, and how of user experiences.
- It helps identify problems and potential solutions through direct engagement with users
- UX researchers usually conduct moderated sessions with users, either individually or in small groups, to gather feedback
- The quality of qualitative insights heavily relies on the researcher’s experience and ability to facilitate discussions
- It can involve as less as 5-8 participants (although more is better) and is relatively cheap to perform
Common Methods
The common methods of this research include:
- Interviews, one-on-one discussions that explore user experiences in depth
- Open-question surveys that allow users to express their thoughts freely
- Focus group discussions that facilitate a range of perspectives on a product or concept
Outcomes
Qualitative UX research helps us to:
- Discover what users like or dislike about the product.
- Identify challenges or frustrations users face.
- Find ways to make the product easier and more enjoyable to use.
Slack conducted in-depth interviews and usability tests to understand user needs and pain points, leading to design improvements that enhanced user engagement and satisfaction.
Quantitative UX Research
Quantitative research evaluates a design’s performance using measurable numerical data. Quantitative data tells us what people are doing; it focuses on numerical metrics and statistical analysis and allows researchers to measure user behavior at scale.
- Quantitative research evaluates a design’s performance using measurable numerical data
- This method provides a clear picture of how users interact with a product
- Quantitative UX research assesses usability through metrics such as task completion rates, error counts, time on task, and satisfaction ratings.
- To ensure reliability, quantitative studies typically require at least 30 participants
- This type of research can be more expensive and is often conducted later in the design process when prototypes are available
Common Methods
Common procedures include:
- A/B testing
- Tree testing
- Usability testing
- Heatmap analysis to visualize where users click or hover on an app/web page to understand interaction patterns
Outcomes
Through this type of research, we can:
- Understand how many users face specific problems.
- Measure how well the product meets user goals.
- Track trends to see if changes improve the experience.
In the development of the mobile game Somyeol, a large-scale quantitative analysis of gameplay data from over 117,000 users was conducted. This research provided insights into user behavior, informing design enhancements to improve the gaming experience.
Conclusion
UX research is a never-ending quest to understand users. Leading providers of user experience research services combine all of the methods we listed above to obtain as many insights about users, as possible. This integration is why UX research is considered a unified discipline, despite the specialization of researchers in various methods.
