For any UX design process, UX research is perhaps the most critical aspect. That’s because when you don’t research what your users or customers need/want, providing a memorable user experience becomes almost impossible. For that, businesses and companies often build a team of researchers to kick-start the UX design process.
What is UX research?
UX research refers to the process of understanding the needs, behaviors, and attitudes of your users through different feedback collection and observation methods. But how can you improve your UX research methods?
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5 Tips for UX research
Here are five essential tips to help you conduct thorough UX research.
1. Choose the right method
Typically, we categorize UX research methods into two categories: qualitative and quantitative.
Any research that you can measure numerically falls under the quantitative method –for example, the number of people who clicked on your ads or the percentage of users who clicked the CTA button, etc.
On the other hand, qualitative research, or the ‘soft’ research questions why your visitors did not convert or what attracted the most attention on your landing pages.
Choosing the right type of methodology for your research will help you focus in the right direction.
2. Don’t fall for perfectionism
It’s easy to get lost in the details when exploring the world of UX design. Remember that no research can ever be complete, nor every single wireframe will be perfect. Perfectionism can soon become a productivity killer and lead to self-doubt. That’s one reason why successful UX designers don’t believe in getting perfect results on the first try.
When conducting UX research, you may need to revisit some of your research objectives and goals to deliver seamless user experiences. Remember that the design process never ends because there will always be new studies and researches that yield different findings. Do not strive to deliver perfect designs but designs that cater to your audience.
3. Determine the right questions and the right participants
That means determining the questions that can or can’t be answered through your research. Next, when conducting an interview or survey, over-recruit participants because there can be no-shows. In some cases, a few participants might not be a good fit for your research, even if you conducted a careful screening.
4. Invest in a good survey and feedback tool
Survey and feedback tools come in handy when you have time and budget constraints. Automation tools also help to gather and report on user insights. Such tools save the cost of recruiting a vendor or a full-time employee to run your research. If you are a UX designer or a UX researcher, learning how to point to qualitative and quantitative user responses can go a long way to demonstrate the impact of user research.
5. Follow UX design research experts
Many people all over the world continue contributing to the field of UX research. Follow popular names like Jared Spool, Indi Young, Nate Bolt, and Erika Hall, etc. You are sure to learn quite a few things and get plenty of great advice from these seasoned UX design experts.
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Trymata and UX research
With only some bias, Trymata is UX research and much more. The hallmark of good UX research is the user’s view – their opinion, both written and verbal, will offer you the actionable data you need most. Trymata’s usability testing suite is the “ah ha!” generating platform built for teams of all sizes and scope.
Unlike our competitors, Trymata is flexible, affordable, and comes with the quantitative metrics others in the UX industry just don’t offer. From our simple and intuitive dashboard to the indexing and collaborative aspects of the narrated videos, Trymata is the one-stop shop for all things digital.
Read about our impression testing and see how much insight you could be getting on your digital products, designs, or marketing materials!
Final thoughts
Now you know how to improve your UX research methods and techniques. Follow our tips to guarantee maximum and relevant results out of your UX research.