Nowadays, user experience research is a permanent part of the development strategy of companies regardless of the industry. Companies that pursue business goals through stores or websites face the challenge of capturing the user's attention and getting him to take a specific action. All this at a time when competition is greater than ever and users are increasingly picky and deconcentrated. User experience studies allow you to find yourself in this posting, analyze your interactive products and change them in a way that suits the consumer.
What is User Experience Research? — Definition
One of the designers, more precisely Frank Chimero, said that people ignore design that ignores people. User experience studies are designed to see which elements of an interactive product work in a particular way for the user. During their implementation, we need to obtain data, which will then help us adapt the solutions to a specific target group. Finally, we are able to design the path of the consumer step by step, adapting to his needs. Thanks to this, there is a much greater chance that a person will perform on the website or in the store the action that will be most valuable to us.
We will understand the topic of research much better when we first look at the very concept of user experience. There is an official definition of ISO 9241-210, which states that UX is the totality of a person's perceptions and reactions that result from the use or anticipated use of a product, service or system.
This means that the user experience is the totality of stimuli that the user feels when interacting with a store or website of a company. Now the fact that it is definitely better to consciously approach the design of the consumer path and sales funnel on the website should be much more apparent. The omission of research in the process of creation and development can make the product not adapted to real needs. There is then a greater chance that the users we want to reach will not reach the main message of the company, will not understand it or will not feel comfortable browsing the page. So we risk that in such a situation they will leave to the competition, which consciously created every element of the interactive product.
The range of studies and their division is quite wide, but at least several types of them can be distinguished. A specific study is selected based on the analysis of the client's industry, its target audience, goals to be achieved, the size of the budget, as well as time constraints. We divide UX research into formal and informal, quantitative and qualitative, as well as moderated and unmoderated, among others. An interactive agency such as Cary One is able to propose the most optimal solution in this regard after a thorough recognition of the expectations and capabilities of the company.
Objectives of UX research when working with the client
It should start with the fact that UX research is not done without a business justification. Such a step should be taken only after asking a specific question, taking a certain goal, specifying a clear need to change the interactive product and user feelings for the better.
Designing websites, web applications, creating online stores or other products designers often face the need to answer the question of what the recipient wants. However, this is not so simple, because most often they belong to a different target group than the one to which the product is directed. There is also a completely different perspective and way of looking at the surrounding reality. Despite everything, they very often manage, on the basis of experience and knowledge, to accurately assess the future intentions of the recipient and his tastes. If, on the other hand, together with the company, they want to be sure of the results, it remains to check the invented theses during the research. According to Carol Barnum, no one will show your client what works and what does not, what they like and what disturbs, what engages or bores the user better than he himself. It's hard to disagree with him. What are the goals of user experience research?
- Understanding the real expectations and needs of the target group
- Inspiration to create high-tech solutions and new interactive products
- Implementation of the project based on the analysis of facts
- Creation of a project tailored to the final customer
- Finding solutions to conflicts and disagreements in project teams in the agency
Sometimes it turns out that the study of a particular interactive product fulfills all of the above objectives. Most often, the fulfillment of one of them is good enough. Especially when it comes to matching the project to the real needs of customers, because reaching this goal has the chance to bring the greatest profits.
When is user experience research recommended? — Signs that they may be needed
Is user experience research right for me? How do you know if it's time to verify your interactive product? These are just a few of the many similar questions that managers of all websites and online stores ask themselves. We are constantly looking for better solutions, advanced features and integrations, but we forget about the customer who doesn't always need it.
User experience research is a good solution and a chance to change your situation for the better when you feel it is possible. If you think that at a given moment the conversion seems small, and a lot of potential customers leave after a short time and without viewing further subpages, it is a sign that you should verify the possibilities. The path of the consumer and its elements, refined in every detail, are the foundation of activities in the modern, competitive market.
The first thought is not always the good one, that is, the most common barriers to break
UX research is a relatively new method of increasing efficiency and distinguishing specific directions of the company's direction. It turns out that for companies that have not yet met the results of research, the decision to implement one for themselves can be difficult. The team may have a good number of doubts that seem reasonable at first due to lack of knowledge in this regard. The most common thoughts and doubts concern the following aspects.
- We have professionals, so we don't need research
- Consumers don't know what they want and they lie
- A waste of time
- Our employees will conduct research on themselves
There are many other, similar thoughts as well. However, it should be borne in mind that a properly designed and conducted user experience study gives reliable results. The implementation of UX research findings into interactive products can then be met with a positive reception and, most importantly, a noticeable improvement in results.
The most popular UX research methods
Despite the many research methods and the high efficiency of each, as long as it is used in the right conditions and industry, there are several of the most popular. It is with them that we work in most cases due to the financially achievable costs, reliable results and the relatively short time it takes to carry them out.
Focal research — When thinking about research, the largest number of people imagine “focus boxes”. This is because it is a method that is used very often during the process of improving interactive products. It consists in the fact that several people selected during careful recruitment lead the discussion. Care is taken that the entire meeting is controlled by the moderator, the events are recorded, and the people are as close in personality as possible to those who were previously selected as the target group.
Questionnaire studies — A very popular method of research regardless of whether it is carried out with a physical or interactive online questionnaire. It requires that a carefully prepared questionnaire be distributed among the target group who are to participate in the study. Subjects filling in the appropriate in it truthfully give people on the other side a chance to get to know each other and draw better conclusions during the analysis.
In-depth Individual Interviews (IDI) It consists of a face-to-face conversation between the ux researcher and the subject. It is very important that the researcher conducting this type of study is experienced and prepared. The questions are to be asked in such a way that the user tells about his habits, feelings and expectations. Such a conversation lasts up to several hours. It is very common that the material recorded at that time, for the sake of objectivity, is later analyzed by a larger group of researchers.
Analysis of the available data — If the company previously carried out activities, the results of which it meticulously measured and also has data on customers, sometimes only analysis is enough. The method consists in the fact that the selected specialist analyzes the client's data and draws conclusions based on them.
Dependence of research and follow-up of the interactive agency
The further activities of the creative agency, the construction of the sales funnel and the improvement of the product are closely related to user experience research. The analyzed results that can be seen after their implementation can give designers a completely new view of the case and the product with which they come into contact. This is one of the reasons why a company, when conducting research, should request a thorough report. Giving it to the agency along with as much detail as possible increases the chance for developers to understand the goals that the user wants to achieve and the preferred path to them. We hope that the issue of UX research and the user journey is now much more understandable for you.
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Source: ”Research as the basis of user experience design” — Iga Moscichowska, Barbara Kogos-Turek
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