UX research involves user studies where, if you're looking to develop an app, you first ensure you thoroughly understand the users. Insights from UX research then help you develop a product that truly meets users' needs and provides them with the best possible experience. UX research helps you understand what your customers really want, but also how you can exceed their expectations. The information you gather contributes to developing even better solutions.

Here, we'll tell you more about how UX research works and provide tips for clients on what's important to consider.

Why is UX research so important?

Steve Jobs once said, 'You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology.' It's a great recipe for success with tech products – regardless of the field. No matter how innovative or advanced your app or service is, if it lacks real value for users, it won't contribute to a functional customer experience and therefore won't be successful.

UX research allows you to understand your customers; their behaviours, emotions, motivations, and needs. This, in turn, provides you with several efficiency opportunities and competitive advantages.

• Avoid making assumptions that don't address users' real needs. Instead, gain valuable insights that lead to satisfied users because their problems and needs are addressed in a user-friendly manner. This turns them into repeat customers who recommend the product to others.

• Have a more user-focused development process, in which the right type of product is developed from the start. This leads to better design decisions, a faster development process, and fewer mistakes. It means fewer actions need to be corrected, ultimately saving time and money.

• In a survey on UX research, 60% said that USER STUDIES HAD INSPIRED THEM TO NEW PRODUCT IDEAS. With insights from user studies, you can solve user needs that you were not aware of, thereby staying ahead of competitors.

Tip 1: Be clear about what you want to achieve with your UX research

The first step towards successful app development is a clear purpose for the user studies. It's a common mistake in UX research to start by looking at which methods to use. Initially, it's actually the goals of the studies that determine the best approaches.

In summary, the UX research process looks something like this:

1. Find out what your goal is. What don't you know? What do you need to learn from the studies?
2. Choose methods for the studies. Based on your goals and resources, what is the best way to get the answers you need? Which methods are best suited to what we want to know?
3. Collect data and draw important conclusions from the studies. This helps you fill knowledge gaps, improve design, discover new opportunities, etc.

Starting with a clearly formulated goal helps you use the right methods that really provide the insights you desire. This leads to a more efficient process, and at the same time, the decision-making basis you really need as a client.

Tip 2: Choose the right method for your UX research

Once you have a clearly defined goal for the studies, you can choose the right method for them. The methods for UX research can be divided into two main categories:

Quantitative studies:

• Answer statistical questions such as 'How many?' or 'How long?'.

• Use indirect measurement methods such as online surveys, heat mapping, web traffic analysis, etc.

• Are effective in collecting data that can answer which features or pages users prefer, how long they interact with them, etc.

Qualitative studies:

• Answer underlying questions such as 'Why?' or 'How?'

• Use direct, observational methods such as usability testing, focus groups, or interviews.

• Are effective in obtaining answers about behaviors, motivations, attitudes, etc. They are also good for finding out how to optimize a product for improved usability during the design process.

In short, quantitative studies answer 'what' (such as which feature is most popular), while qualitative studies find out 'why' (what makes the feature so popular).

Which method is best for you and your product depends on the goal of the UX research. If you want statistics about users and what they need (for example, to help you prioritize features), quantitative studies are preferred. However, if you need to know why your users behave in a certain way, qualitative studies can provide the best answers. That's why it's so important to know the purpose of the user studies before choosing a method.

Combining the different methods in an early stage of the process is not uncommon. This leads to a deeper understanding of the target audience and reveals the needs you are trying to meet for them. When you later start your app development, you can focus on qualitative studies to improve the user experience.

Tip 3: Ask the right questions

Surveys and interviews are an important part of UX research. But how good the answers you get depends a lot on the questions you ask the participants. And of course, how the questions are formulated.

First and foremost, the interview and survey questions should help you get the answers to the root cause of the user study. For example, if you want to know what makes customers prefer online shopping, then interview questions should be about their experiences with online shopping. Focus on the goals of the studies and only ask about the essentials. It's easy to want to ask about everything, but long surveys only scare off participants.

More tips for asking good questions are:

• Avoid asking leading questions. For example, 'Why do you like this product?' Instead, ask neutral questions like 'What are your experiences of...?'

• Leave room for subjective answers. It can be multiple-choice options and space to add their own answers.

• Avoid asking multiple questions in one question. For example, 'How long have you been using the app and which feature do you use the most?' It can lead to incomplete answers.

• Be curious and open during the questioning process. Don't stick to the questionnaire, but let the interview flow freely if there is an opportunity to get a better understanding of the user's challenges and needs.

Tip 4: Don't just listen to what users say, see what they do

There is usually a big difference between what people say and what they actually do. Therefore, it's important for UX research to investigate both attitudes and behaviors. For example, surveys and interviews can find out what users think and feel about the app and its features. But there also needs to be user studies that show how users use it in practice. Studying attitudes is important to understand users' motives and needs. Studying behavior is important for improving both product design and user experience.

A good method for understanding behavior is contextual research. That is, observing users while they interact with the product in a natural environment. It also provides more natural conditions than during an interview. Which, in turn, leads to a more genuine and in-depth understanding of how the product is used. It can also show unsatisfied user needs and provide new insights into how users solve problems.

Tip 5: The most common pitfalls with UX research and how to avoid them

• Bringing in user studies too late in the process. Instead, make sure to involve users as early as possible so that their needs are included from the beginning. Then you won't have to go back to the drawing board.

• Only using one method. To gain a deeper understanding of needs and preferences, you should mix quantitative and qualitative studies, and carefully examine statistics, attitudes, and behaviors.

• Not communicating the insights from user studies to those who will implement the changes. Keep everyone involved in app development updated.

• Not knowing when you have enough data. Knowledge is important, but it's easy to get stuck in the studies and keep going with them for too long. Start from the purpose of the studies and stop when you have the answers you need.

Need help with UX research?

We at Third Act are experts in app development, UX research, and design, but above all, we are good at understanding the user's journey. We know that understanding users is important for business goals. Do you need help with your app and your UX research?

CONTACT US and we'll tell you more!