UX Research and why good design doesn’t exist without it

The other day I was editing a cover letter and found myself typing the words “User research is the foundation of the house that is UX design.” I immediately thought to myself wow… there is a lot to unpack in that one little sentence. I couldn’t help but wonder. Is it true?
The answer is yes. Of course, it’s true. I am here to tell you why, and when to apply different types of research to your project.
The first time the importance of user research clicked for me, I was sitting in a design school lecture. A very smart instructor dropped this story on us: Back in 2017, a company called Juicero came out with a $699 juicer. While it may have been an incredible piece of engineering, it turned out that the juice packs could have been hand squeezed for just about the same result. No matter how impressive the juicer itself was… it did not satisfy the user’s needs or expectations. This company could have saved itself an immense amount of time and resources by simply verifying that there was a want or need for this product to exist in the first place. How could they have done that? Research.
While it’s not realistic to apply the full set of research methods to any given project, nearly all projects would benefit from multiple research methods and from combining insights. In my experience, some design teams only use one or two methods and use the same ones in every situation. The key here is to know when to apply each method to gain the most effective results.
Qualitative vs. Quantitative Data
Before determining which method to go with, we need to understand what type of results we are looking for. They fall into two distinct categories- qualitative and quantitative. To put it simply, quantitative data is information regarding quantities (exact numbers and statistics). Qualitative data is descriptive, it can be observed but not measured. According to Jakob Nielsen of the Nielsen Norman Group, quantitative studies are done on a complete version of the site, with the purpose of evaluating the usability of the site, rather than directly informing the design process. Qualitative studies are well suited for identifying the main problems in a design, and is concerned with understanding human behavior. Ideally, the design team will utilize both types of data.
A few types of research and how they could be helpful to your project:
- Competitive analysis- The goal here is to determine the strengths and weaknesses of competitors within the market and strategize how to give your product a competitive advantage by improving upon their weaknesses.
- Focus groups- A qualitative research method aimed at gathering insights from multiple users in a short period of time. Focus groups are used in the research phase by gaining an understanding of customer opinions and perceptions of new concepts and ideas.
- SME interviews- These interviews allow designers to learn about a topic from the people who know it best, subject matter experts. The purpose of this is to gain a better understanding of the subject so that we can create a product that adds value, and that people want to use. The goal is that the SMEs can deliver great insight into how users work and what designs would be best for them. (Jared Spool)
- Individual user interviews- A qualitative method that takes place at the beginning of the design cycle. In individual interviews, an interviewer talks with one user for 30 minutes to an hour. Individual interviews allow you to probe their attitudes, beliefs, desires, and experiences to get a deeper understanding of the users who come to your site. You can also ask them to rate or rank choices for site or application content. These interviews can take place face-to-face or via video conference. (usability.gov)
- Surveys- Surveys can be a great tool in your UX research arsenal, but you need to go in with a clear goal in mind. This is a quantitative method that I find most useful when validating any qualitative findings that I gathered through user interviews.
- Card Sorting- This technique is aimed at helping to create effective information architecture and navigation for the future product. It is a method in which a moderator tests a group of subject matter experts or users by having them group together cards that they feel contain related information. From there the designers know how to group information on the website or app to make it more accessible to the user.
- Journey Mapping- An artifact used for visualizing all touchpoints between a user and a product so that we may identify any further pain points or friction. The goal is to see how we may make the experience as seamless as possible.
- Affinity diagram- A qualitative method that from my experience is very useful when making sense of what you have learned from the user and SME interviews or brainstorming sessions. It is a practice in which we group together information based on themes and patterns to uncover key insights.
- Persona(s)- A realistic representation of the user. This should be based on both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Remember that your user personas are only as good as the research behind them. A persona should include the user’s goals and motivations, frustrations, and even what platforms they are using. Keep in mind that multiple personas may be necessary to account for different groups of users. Without a persona, we don’t know who to design for or what their needs might be.
- A/B testing- An experiment often using third party software with the goal of discovering which version of a product is more successful with the target audience.
- First-click testing- An experiment aimed at finding out where a user would click first on an interface to complete their intended task. This can be performed on a prototype or wireframe.
- Usability testing- Evaluating a product or service by testing it with representative users. Typically, during a test, participants will try to complete tasks while the moderator watches, listens, and takes notes. The goal is to identify any usability problems, collect qualitative and quantitative data, and determine the participant’s satisfaction with the product. Data that may be collected- Identify how long it takes to complete specified tasks, find out how satisfied participants are with your website or other product, identify changes required to improve user performance and satisfaction, and analyze the performance to see if it meets your usability objectives. (usability.gov)
This is by no means an exhaustive list of UX research methods, but they are the ones that I have found helpful in my last few projects. As designers, we have to take into account just how necessary research is, especially in the beginning phases of our design process. It is essential to create a foundation to build our data-backed design strategy.
If you’d like to know more about me or contact me about any UX or Product Design work my email is emmajcoulthard@gmail.com
Thanks for reading! PS if you caught the SATC reference at the beginning of the article - you’re my people!