Why you need to be investing in UX Research
Arguably, one of the most important factors when building or developing your digital product is understanding your users and what exactly they are doing when they land on your website or app - that’s where UX research comes in.
UX research provides all the information a UX designer needs and helps inform the design strategy of your product or to help with improvements of an already existing product or service but there are many reasons as to why you need to be investing in UX research, which we will shine some light on for you.
The definition of UX is how ‘a user interacts with and experiences a product, system or service. It includes a person's perceptions of utility, ease of use, and efficiency.’ How a user actually uses your products is super important to the longevity of your product because if a user doesn’t find it’s functionality easy or useful, it’s going to lead to failure. But with the help of a UX researcher, you can ensure this doesn’t happen.
What does a UX Researcher do?
At its core, a UX Researcher conducts research around the user experience of a website or digital product to uncover what exactly the users are doing when they land on your product. It’s the responsibility of the UX researcher to gain an understanding of the end user and form data-driven insights that will be used to inform the UX design of your product.
There are a number of tasks that the UX researcher will undertake including:
Planning and Structure
The planning and structure phase involves setting objectives and creating your research plan so you have a clear idea of what you need to achieve and how you are going to get there.
You will also need to use this time to start your recruitment process for end users to start your research and interviewing process.
Implementation & Analysis
As the title suggests, this is where the researcher will develop and perform quantitative and qualitative research methods from surveys to 1:1 interviews. Once you have performed your research and have enough information, the next step is to analyse that information and present actionable insights to the stakeholders, design and product teams.
As part of this, the researcher will build out user personas which will act as a fictional representation of your users, as discussed in our blog post, ‘how to build a user focused digital product.’
The UX researcher will work closely with the stakeholders and design teams to effectively communicate their findings to the team and ensure that their research is turned into actionable insights with clear outcomes of the end user.
Why is UX research important?
All the information and research gathered on your end user is fundamental to help shape your design strategy and the initial step that shouldn’t be skipped.
Although you may think you don’t need to conduct UX research because you think you know your target audience well enough, you can’t make a successful product based on your assumptions of what does and doesn’t work for your target audience. In fact, there are some interesting statistics about the power of UX and the effect it has on your user, such as; ‘88% of users are less likely to return to a website after a bad user experience’ and that ‘better UX design could yield conversion rates of up to 400%’.
You need to take these assumptions and create hypotheses that you can test, which includes UX research. By conducting and collating this information, you’ll be able to create an UX experience that works seamlessly with your users, whilst also allowing for constant development on your product design - this is a continuous production lifecycle to ensure your product is always answering your customer’s needs and wants.
When UX research is included as part of your product lifecycle and conducted properly, it helps shape your product design and development, eliminates time wasted on failed products, understand your competitors but most importantly saves you money and focuses your investments on products/developments that will actually succeed.
How can it help your already existing business?
It’s not only at the beginning of your product development that UX research is useful, as your users develop and grow, so should your product or services. Therefore, UX research should be considered at various stages of your product's growth, even if you have a fully established brand, UX research can still help you stay connected to your customers.
Here are our top 3 reasons why you should consider UX research to improve your existing product / service offering:
Ensure you still know your target audience
Understand what is / isn’t working
Continue to innovate and stay relevant
Ensure you still know your target audience
Your audience will undoubtedly change and grow throughout the years, so it’s important that you keep up with this growth to constantly answer your users' needs.
Understand what is/isn’t working
You need to be aware of what aspects of your products or services aren’t working so you can make the right improvements to ensure continued ROI.
Continue to innovate and stay relevant
Make sure you keep up with your competitors and new emerging products by constantly innovating and listening to your customers.
Research methods
There are multiple different research methods that can be used when performing UX research, which all depends on your brief and the outcomes you want to achieve. From focus groups to A/B testing and eye tracking solutions, all of which can produce interesting insights into your users behaviour.
We recently performed UX research for our client, Liberty London, where we used eye tracking to get a better understanding of where their users focus is by using sensory technology to detect their presence and attention on their website.
How does it work with UX designers?
UX researchers will provide valuable information to the UX designers about the actual users of the product, which will help to inform the whole design process, as it will provide clear and concise understanding of the market and the users you are trying to reach with your product.
Once the research has been completed, it’s important for the researchers, design and stakeholders to discuss the findings in more detail and create actionable next steps that the designers can use to create a user friendly experience.
UX researchers and UX designers work seamlessly together to ensure that the end product is focused around the end user and their experience when browsing your website or app. UX research provides information that guides the design process and makes the process smoother for the designer.
