UX Research Methods; Which one do I use?

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User Experience Research is all about studying users of a product, in order to help with the experiences and designs of the product.

UX research is key to creating an informed user experience, however, it is also the phase most often skipped.

UX Research Methods

There are different types of UX research methods, lots even. You just have to figure out which one would give you the exact answers you need.

How do you do this?

Understanding the different research methods is the first way to go about it.

UX Research Methods can be divided into two dimensions.

Qualitative vs Quantitative Dimension

Qualitative approach collects data about users through direct observation. This type of research seeks to understand the user's motivations, views and how they feel about a product or situation. Qualitative research is usually more descriptive.

Quantitative approach, on the other hand, has to do with numbers. Here, data is usually analysed mathematically as opposed to qualitative research.

Quantitative approach answers questions like how many and how much, whereas qualitative methods are better suited for answering questions about why and how to fix a problem.

Behavioral vs Attitudinal Dimension

Behavioral approach as the name implies, is all about observing a users behavior in certain situations. This approach shows you which actions people take when presented with a layout and it helps you see how users interact with your product in the real world.

Attitudinal approach, however, has to do with what people say, for example, during a user interview. This approach collects data reported directly by the users.

Understand that, there is usually a difference between what people say and what they do.

Once you know which dimension you are operating under, you would be able to narrow down your research methods of choice.

Some UX Research Methods

Surveys & questionnaires: this is a common UX research method. This method is ideal for collecting data from a large number of people with little waste of time and money. Here, you'd have to think carefully about your choice of questions. Your questions could be open-ended and require the user to write their own responses (e.g "How do you think we could improve our services?") or questions where the user would have to choose from a set of possible answers.

Interviews: this is another common UX research method. This method is preferable because it allows you to engage one-on-one with the users, hear their opinions/views and know how they really feel about your products.

Card sorting: this method helps create information architecture. It helps you know the opinions of your users on organising navigational structures.

A/B testing: this method shows which solution works best in an environment. It presents different variants of a site's design in order to know where and how to make improvements.

Field studies: this method examines users in their own habitat and tries to discovere problems during usage, in order to provide solutions.

How to choose the perfect method for your research.

As a good UX designer, you have to conduct at least one round of research for any project/product. Since we mostly cannot incorporate user research throughout due to the resources available, you have to choose the right techniques at the right time. You can choose UX research methods to use in these phases:

• The discovery phase: This is the first stage where you define who your target users are and what problem you are solving. In this phase, a mixture of qualitative and quantitative methods such as interviews, questionnaires, could be used.
• The execution phase: Once you have established who your target users are and what problem you're solving, the next thing is to focus on your design, making sure they actually address the needs of the user. At this stage, you'll go for methods that would help you improve your designs and usability.
• The testing phase: You would have to test the final product, gauge how it performs in the market compared to competitors and what the users feel about it. Methods like A/B testing or surveys can be used here.

Conclusion

Remember, great UX research constitutes great UX design. You can always conduct research at any time, so long as you feel it’s necessary. Set clear objectives, use the right methods, and remember to use both qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Further Reading: “Interviewing Users: How to Uncover Compelling Insights” by Steve Portigal

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