The UX (user experience) design research process refers to the detailed study of understanding what the end user wants and then using those insights to amplify the utilities of products, and or services. The UX design research differs from one product design department to the other. For some it simply means validating the market concepts, whereas for others it means testing brand designs, uncovering the buyer’s behavioral patterns, and much more.
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UX Design Research Methods
For product design companies to stay ahead of their competitors, knowing about the various effective UX design research methods is a must. Broadly, these methodologies are classified as –
- Qualitative research –
This type of research focuses mainly on ‘how’ and ‘why’, as in why the end user behaves in that particular manner. It lays huge emphasis on understanding the human approach and the motivations that compel a buyer to make a purchase decision.
It can be performed through conducting observations, field studies, web analytics, card sorting, and user interviews to name a few. Here, all you need to do as a product design company is to interact with the web visitors, either virtually or physically, and ask them predesigned questions to identify the underlying problems.
Through qualitative research, leading product design companies like the Future Factory, get the much-required clarity, and customer validation. It allows a deeper understanding of human experiences that cannot be explained through numbers.
- Quantitative research –
This research methodology focuses on testing theories and attitudes based on numerical and statistical evidence. By employing this method, the product design company can understand the statistical problems, and also what is happening in an application or website. To further break down, the quantitative design research process helps in –
- Putting a number on the utility and usability of the product
- Comparing different designs and statistically determining the significant difference
- Improving the trade-off decisions in terms of whether the design is worth doing or not
- Collecting metrics like time on task, success, etc.
Since the goals of both – qualitative and quantitative design research processes are unique, having an in-depth understanding of the same before the application is crucial.
Source: Pexels
This type of research focuses mainly on ‘how’ and ‘why’, as in why the end user behaves in that particular manner. It lays huge emphasis on understanding the human approach and the motivations that compel a buyer to make a purchase decision.
It can be performed through conducting observations, field studies, web analytics, card sorting, and user interviews to name a few. Here, all you need to do as a product design
UX Design Research Benefits
The UX design research processes help product design companies in the following ways, to name a few –
- Understanding how the end users experience the websites, mobile applications, and prototypes
- Evaluating and improving ideas based on the UX design research findings
- Discovering and tapping the new customer needs and opportunities
- Providing enhanced user experience than the competitors
- Developing effective target audience analysis for better marketing and advertising
- Fixing the bugs in the products and services
Conclusion
To conclude, it is essential to know that UX design research processes are solely for identifying the buyer’s motives. For product design companies, allocating resources to the UX design research processes will help in building a user-acceptable product as per the market trends and analysis.
To know more about the product design, click here.
