UX research is an essential tool that enables teams to deeply understand the needs of product users, including their feelings, emotions, and what motivates their purchases. This type of research supports informed decision-making and reduces the risks associated with making invalid assumptions. For example, a product manager might decide not to allocate resources to a feature that may not be needed.
This article outlines why UX research is crucial, its role in product development, and how to conduct it effectively.
Why Conduct UX Research?
"Walk a mile in the user's shoes" is more than just a saying in UX; it emphasizes empathy, a foundational principle in design. Creating a product without really understanding what users see, feel, and experience is a frequent mistake made by startups. They often carry out brilliant ideas without much research, leading to products with a low market-fit.
The objective of UX analysis is to identify and address hurdles and shortcomings. This involves aligning the product's functionality with user expectations, reducing cognitive load, and simplifying the journey towards achieving goals. These adjustments significantly improve a product’s economic indicators.
Users typically want three things:
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Utility: The product should be useful.
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Convenience: The product should be easy to use.
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Engagement: The product should be able to catch and hold user attention.
Effective UX influences nearly all product metrics:
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Conversion Rates: The percentage of users who complete a desired action.
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Average Transaction Size: The average amount spent per transaction.
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Retention: How often users return to the product.
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Average Number of Transactions: The average number of purchases per customer over a period of time ( month, quarter, year).
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Virality: How likely users are to share information about the product.
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User Acquisition: The effort and cost involved in attracting new users.
To enhance UX, researchers collect and organize data, test hypotheses, and identify opportunities for product growth. This analytical approach aids in making well-grounded business decisions.
Research Methods Vary Depending on the Focus Area:
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Product Discovery: Researchers explore users' needs and expectations, searching for ideas for new products or features.
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UX Testing: Designers and analysts evaluate the existing interface to determine whether it solves the users' problems.
Types of UX Research
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Qualitative Research: This dives into understanding the "Why?" and "How?" behind user choices, helping to uncover the motives behind various user choices. Techniques include interviews, usability tests, card sorting, observations, diary studies, feedback analysis, and projective methods.
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Quantitative Research: This type addresses statistical queries such as "How often?" and "How much?" and measures product metrics. Techniques include surveys, large-scale usability tests, and statistical observations.
UX Research in the HADI Cycle
The choice of UX research method will depend on the stage of product development and the specific objectives for that phase.
Discovery: Immerse yourself in the topic through user research and analysis to grasp what you are creating and for whom. Suitable methods include user interviews, field studies, and competitor testing.
Ideation: Focus on prototyping and design. Ideal research methods include prototype testing.
Testing: Assess the interface's effectiveness. Optimal methods include hallway testing, qualitative usability testing, and benchmark testing.
Shipment & Implementation: Finalize and deploy the design. Effective research methods at this stage include surveys, analytics, usability bug reviews, user feedback, and search log analysis.
Checklist for Preparing for Research:
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Define the problem: "Why is UX/UI research necessary?"
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Set objectives: "What will you do with the information gathered?"
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Choose a research method: This will depend on the available resources and the current stage of the design process.
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Recruit respondents: They can be found among the company’s social media followers, through customer development chats, or via paid services. Begin the search as early as possible and ensure the sample includes representatives from all segments of your target audience.
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Prepare a brief: Draft a plan for the discussions.
Conclusion
UX research provides insights into user needs, behaviors, and logic, increasing user loyalty, avoiding costly business mistakes, leading to significant savings in the long run. It is divided into two types: qualitative, which explores the reasons behind behaviors, and quantitative, which measures service metrics. The choice of research method is dictated by the specific goals and tasks at hand. Following the research, hypotheses are formulated for testing, or a list of enhancements is developed.
