Learn UX Design. Part Three. Introduction to UX research. Indirect UX research factors.
Supplemental information
Learn UX Design. Part Three. Introduction to UX research. Indirect UX research factors.
Internal UX research or UX agency?
Often the most complicated part for those who are new to UX research is to determine the proper research method for the task.
The results of UX research can be different if implemented internally at a corporation or executed externally by an agency or consultancy.
Internal UX researchers and teams often have the benefit of strong relationships with users and access to more data collected.
The internal UX research can get results by examination of the same behaviors over a long period.
Using long-tail methodologies, like diary studies, and a longitudinal survey by asking the same questions or examining the same behaviors is a good practice.
There is a potential for bias or missed opportunities.
Routine work with the same interfaces can lead to unintended manipulation of the participants in certain directions.
- Example one: In the moderated usability test session, the researcher might accidentally use the word from the navigational hierarchy and describe where it could be located.
- Example two: The researcher can give a priority when crafting test plans, to favor a solution that can be convenient for the design and development teams.
A recommended way for nominal bias is the inclusion of another researcher who is unfamiliar with the project, which will help in the identification of a mistake.
Usage of a variety of methods can also be beneficial for avoiding the same results over and over.
This will lower the potential for information bias or falling into a research trap.
External UX research can’t always have access to an existing customer base, and this can lead to some logistical challenges in finding and scheduling the right participants.
In what stage of the project or product development to apply UX research?
One of the most important steps for establishing research methodology is to examine in what stage of the product development life cycle you are in.
The essential step for assurance of proper research methodology is to examine the stage of the product development cycle.
At a top level, there are three products stages:
- Stage one: Strategize
- Stage two: Design & Develop
- Stage three: Evaluate
Strategizing about something unique or new feature for legacy software requires focus on uncovering users’ needs and goals.
Identifying areas for improvement and validating ideas serve the users in a unique and meaningful way.
To determine these, the researchers focus on utilizing qualitative attitudinal methods, such as interviews.
To understand users’ frustrations or any gaps in service with existing solutions, researchers use more behavioral methods, like a moderated usability test.
Researchers validate ideas with a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods.
By using a survey, they get a sense of both scale and some additional contacts about users’ needs.
Collected information during this period can inform design and development decisions and optimize performance.
Most of the behavioral research methods, like card sorts, task-based usability tests, and A / B tests, can help in this phase.
Attitudinal methods like desirability studies can also be valuable.
In live products, researchers must focus assessments on summarizing trends and uncovering opportunities.
The utilization of quantitative behavioral research like A / B tests or usage analytics can lead to a better understanding of the trends.
There is no universal formula for selecting the best method.
Understanding the stage of product development can help researchers to narrow down goals and time constraints.
Research goals
When the high-level product phase is clear, the UX researcher must examine the exact questions for each study.
A more specific goal will help to figure out what methodology to employ.
A combination of different research methods is beneficial.
- Example one: A company is building a new e-commerce functionality that gives the users a choice where and when to receive their purchase.
Designers offer a set of new interactions and ask UX researchers to determine which one is best suited for implementation.
UX research possible questions:
- Which one of the suggested options is easier to use?
UX researcher performs an usability test where each participant interacts with both versions and observes which performs better.
- Are there other options that designers didn’t think of?
UX researcher performs attitudinal study, such as interview or survey, to uncover other possibilities.
In the next step, the researcher executes a combination of moderated usability tests for the investigation of interaction patterns, user preferences, and interview questions.
- Example two: The same company adds a new category and wants to re-examine the e-commerce platform navigational structure.
UX researcher’s key goal will be to assess the current state of the navigation and determine the best way for integrating a new category.
UX researcher performs a tree test and examination of navigation errors.
To define a proper place for the new product category UX researcher performs an open card sort test with all the existing products.
After this step researcher verifies the new structure with a closed card sort test or another tree test of the new structure.
