Exploring UX Research: Your Guide to Conducting an Effective UX Research
The process of designing mobile applications isn't very easy. In fact, it is anything but easy. It is not just putting elements here and there, creating prototypes, and applying them. That is because the design process involves creating two of the most important aspects of any application: the user interface (UI) and the user experience (UX). The two aspects are what make a genuinely good and usable application. Talking about both aspects would require a very long time and an endless amount of words. This is due to the extensive research and preparation each aspect calls for. For instance, UX research is one of the most interesting yet somewhat difficult processes. and since the user experience is always prioritized and never talked about enough, it will be our main subject for this article. Welcome to UX Research 101, where you will learn everything you need and more!
What is UX Research?
The first section of UX Research 101 is the most common question that will come to anyone’s mind: What is UX research? As we all know, UX, or user experience, is the process of finding and implementing elements that make your application or product meaningful and more desirable to users and customers. UX always emphasizes offering a product that is seamless, efficient, and straightforward to create the ultimate user experience. It also eliminates the chances of users running into any difficulties or being frustrated are practically zero.
To accomplish that, designers have to have broad and extensive knowledge of their user base. The knowledge can’t be basic or superficial; it has to be very genuine and thorough. This allows them to know which elements and characteristics of the product or application they will definitely like and how to place and incorporate them
To say that you’ve conducted UX research is to say that you now know everything about a user’s preferences, motives, likes, dislikes, and so on. It means tearing through layers and layers of data and information from all available sources and filtering out the beneficial ones. Of course, designers don’t stick to only one method to accomplish that; instead, they choose from the multiple methods available.
Goals and Objectives of UX Research
Optimizing Usability
As a user, you always expect a product or application to perform well and be easy to use. This is why usability is always a big deal when it comes to enhancing the user experience. UX research allows designers to evaluate the product's or application’s usability and determine what they should include to make the final product as user-friendly as possible.
Identify User Needs and Pain Points
As we previously mentioned, UX research is all about getting to know your users, how they behave, and what they prefer. Throughout the UX research, designers would have more than enough knowledge to identify the pain points and demands of their users. This will allow them to make necessary alterations to the product in order to offer a one-of-a-kind experience.
Validate Design Decisions
When designing a product or application, designers usually brainstorm to get an initial look and draft of the final product. This, of course, includes the design. The initial design always acts as a basic foundation for the whole project, but it is not necessary that they stick to it. Throughout the UX research, designers would encounter new knowledge, either about users or new UX trends that could be beneficial. In turn, they would be able to validate all the design decisions they made in the beginning and state if they are suitable or need modifications.
Enhance User Satisfaction
As all roads lead to Rome, all processes always aim to enhance user satisfaction. UX research's main objective is to optimize the user experience and make it as enjoyable as it can get. This is done by fulfilling the user’s demand, incorporating suitable elements and designs, and ensuring seamlessness. UX research always ensures the creation of a pleasant and enjoyable user experience that leaves users feeling positive about their interactions.
5 Most Used Methods for UX Research
As we mentioned before, designers are not entitled to just one method of research and collecting data; it is the complete opposite. Gathering data from users can be done in hundreds and thousands of ways. However, each method falls into a different category, like quantitative, qualitative, longitudinal, and so on. So, for UX Research 101, let us explore the best and most common five UX research methods
1.) Focus Groups
The first and most common qualitative UX research method is focus groups. Focus groups involve gathering a group of 5 to 10 people who have the same characteristics as your target audience. This group is gathered together to answer and discuss a pre-defined set of questions. The answers to these questions can later determine their behavior, motives, needs, etc. As much as this method can be effective, it is also quite difficult to conduct.
2.) Diary Studies
Diary studies are another qualitative research method favored by many UX designers and researchers. This method involved getting a number of participants and asking them to log daily entries of their activities, thoughts, needs, and so on in a diary throughout the day. This continues for a long period of time that reaches up to a month. Despite taking a long time, this method is very cost-effective and fruitful, as designers would then have a detailed guide to users’ journeys.
3.) Prototyping
Prototyping is one of the most popular UX research methods. It is the process of creating a mockup or an imitation for the initial design of the application, where designers can explore different design ideas and users can try them as well. This helps create a somewhat realistic user experience where users can interact with the product and give feedback. Additionally, it helps identify any bugs and errors before release.
4.) A/B Testing
A/B testing is a case of this or that. This UX research method is one of the most popular and effective ones. It involves creating two variations of the UX and UI design and presenting them both to different groups of users. Designers then gather the feedback from the two groups and compare the pros and cons of the two versions in terms of ease of use, convenience, and consistency.
5.) Usability Testing
Finally, the last UX research method is usability testing, which is favored by many designers and researchers due to its great effectiveness. This method involves giving a set of tasks to a group or participants and asking them to accomplish them. Designers then observe how each user will get through. Whether or not he will face any difficulties, and how he finds the user experience to be. It is yet another method where users can base their work on real observations and interactions.
UX Research 101: An Overview of the UX Research Process
Define Goals and Objectives:
The UX research process starts with a crystal-clear acknowledgment of your goals and objectives. In order to conduct effective and well-executed UX research, you have to know exactly what you want to accomplish and how.
Identify Target Users
The second step is identifying your target audience. After setting your goals and getting a grasp of your product, you need to know exactly who you will be targeting. For instance, if you're developing a game app, you will most likely be targeting youth aged 15–20. Identifying your target audience will allow you to incorporate the proper elements and, in turn, offer the best user experience.
Apply a Suitable Research Method
From the five methods mentioned and the many left unmentioned, it is very important to choose the most suitable one. As we previously mentioned, not all methods are effective for everyone, as they vary significantly in terms of results, costs, duration, and so on. It is essential to weigh the pros and cons of each to be able to match one with your requirements.
Recruit Participants
As you can see, most of the research methods call for the involvement of real users. This is either in surveys, focus groups, or diary studies. Getting participants who are willing to try out new products and also match your target audience is very important to put in place and operate based on realistic standards and inputs.
Collect Data
After recruiting participants and settling on a research method, it is time to collect the data. Keep in mind that data is not only collected from one method. You will also need resources other than participants, such as papers, articles, and other forms of secondary data, to help you even more.
Analyze and Communicate Results
After collecting the data, you will need to analyze it to get your set of results. The process of analyzing data is a tough one, as it requires much effort and time. However, it pays off all the hard work exerted in collecting them. After analyzing the data, you will start to present it to teams involved in the development process to start identifying patterns and insights and coming up with necessary alterations.
Implement Changes
Once you are done listing the modifications that aim to make the user experience better, it is time to implement them. In this step, all hands are needed on deck, as these modifications will not only be entitled to designs. Everyone on the development team will start working together to implement proper changes to all aspects of the final product.
En Fin
UX research is the foundation of a great app, and it is what determines the quality of the final product. If you aim to create a distinctive app that has a unique selling point and can attract and draw users, then UX research is your solution. By abiding by all the users’ needs and requirements, you will ensure developing an app that offers great value and establishing a powerful user base later on. Through this 101, you can gurantee effortless and effective UX research.