User Experience (UX) helps make a product that people like. It’s more than just looks – it’s about knowing what people want. Want to know how to do good UX research? We’ll teach you!
It begins by knowing what users need and want. This could mean talking to or asking potential users. We repeat this process of testing and improving until we’ve made a product that makes users happy.
In this guide, we will go through the stages and tools of the UX research process. This will help in successful product development.
Step 1: Set Your Goals
When doing UX research, you need to know what you want to achieve. This helps you ask the right questions.
If you’re making an app for a bookstore, you might want to know how people read it or what they think of similar apps. If you’re improving a website, you may want to find any issues with it.
Clear goals make your research easier and quicker. You need to know the ‘what’, ‘why’, and ‘how’ of your product or service. This helps make the user experience even better.
Step 2: Pick Your Research Tools And Methods
In UX research, you need to choose the right tools and methods. You can use surveys, like Google Forms or Survey Point, to get a lot of data about users. You can use interviews and group talks to get more detail about user behaviors and problems. Platforms Google Analytics shows you user activity on your site.
Choose your tools based on what you need to know and how easy it is to reach users.
ALSO READ: Getting Feedback That Matters: Crafting User Experience SurveysStep 3: Make A Research Plan
You need to decide what you want to learn from your research. For example, you might want to know what users want in a new app. If you’re making a fitness app, you might want to talk to young adults who like fitness.
Then you need to plan your research. If you’re doing a survey, make a questionnaire. If you’re doing interviews, think of some questions to ask. Decide when and where to do your research. You can email your survey or chat on a video call.
Step 4: Find Participants
Choosing the right people to test your product is a key part of UX research. You want to find potential users that match your target audience.
If you’re making a fitness app for young people, you could find testers at local gyms, colleges, or social media sites. Once you’ve found some people, ask them kindly to help, explaining your project and how they can help improve it. A variety of people will give you different feedback, which helps make your product better for everyone.
Step 5: Do the Research
Doing research is an important part of making a user-friendly product. First, you need to know what you want to learn from the research.
Let’s say we’re making a new app for food delivery. We could ask people what they like or don’t like about other food delivery apps. We could also let them try out different apps and see what works best. Then we look at all the information we’ve gathered, make sense of it, and use it to make our app better.
Step 6: Understand the Data
Analyzing and interpreting data in UX research is about finding insights from the collected information.
Say you conducted user interviews and usability tests for a new website feature. The raw data might show that users spent more time than expected on specific pages. In analysis, you categorize and systematically explore this data, realizing that users were confused about navigation.
Interpretation takes this a step further – you might infer that the site’s navigational structure is not intuitive. This stage is crucial to understanding user needs and frustrations, guiding design decisions, and creating a product that provides a smooth and satisfying user experience.
Step 7: Share the Findings
Presenting findings is a crucial step in UX research, where insights from collected data are communicated to stakeholders.
For example, after conducting user interviews on a shopping app, the researcher might find that users struggle to locate the ‘wishlist’ feature. This key insight could be presented through visualizations such as user journey maps, clearly demonstrating the user’s navigation path and difficulties.
ALSO READ: Empathy Maps: A Tool for Getting Inside the Minds of UsersBenefits of an Effective UX Research Process
A few benefits of having a good UX research process are:
Improved Product Quality
UX research allows designers to understand the user’s needs, making it possible to create a more intuitive, user-friendly product.
For instance, when Instagram realized users often lost their drafted posts, they introduced a ‘Save Draft’ feature. This simple feature emerged from understanding the user’s frustration through UX research.
Cost-Effective
By conducting UX research early in the design process, potential issues can be identified before they become costly to fix.
An example of this can be seen in the healthcare industry, where EHR systems with poor user experiences often lead to errors. By investing in UX research, these systems can be improved, leading to significant savings in time and money.
Increased User Satisfaction
A well-researched user interface can dramatically increase customer satisfaction.
The ride-hailing service Uber, for example, conducted extensive UX research to streamline its booking process. The research informed an update that allows users to book a ride with just one tap, significantly improving user satisfaction and contributing to Uber’s success.
Boosts Conversion Rates
An optimized user experience can help turn more website visitors into customers.
Take Amazon’s ‘1-Click’ purchase feature, for example. Through UX research, Amazon found out that simplifying the buying process leads to higher conversion rates. By reducing friction, they made it easier for customers to make a purchase, thereby increasing sales.
Competitive Advantage
Businesses that invest in UX research can gain a competitive edge.
For instance, Airbnb’s simple and intuitive interface is the result of rigorous UX research. It’s a key differentiator that sets it apart from other accommodation providers. By focusing on the user experience, they’ve created a product that’s easier to use, which attracts and retains users.
Conclusion
The UX research process is a fundamental cornerstone of successful design. It seeks to understand users’ needs and expectations, which ultimately help in creating effective products.
Organizations can ensure that every design decision is backed by valuable insights by investing in the UX research process.
User experience is not just about design; it’s about creating meaningful connections with your users!
