User research is the investigation to understand user behaviors, needs and motivations through interviews, surveys, usability evaluations and other forms of feedback methodologies. It is used to understand how people interact with products and evaluate whether design solutions meet their needs. This field of research aims at improving the user experience (UX) of products, services, or processes by incorporating experimental and observational research methods to guide the design, development, and refinement of a product. User research is used to improve a multitude of products like websites, mobile phones, medical devices, banking, government services and many more. It is an iterative process that can be used at anytime during product development and is a core part of user-centered design.
Data from users can be used to identify a problem for which solutions may be proposed. From these proposals, design solutions are prototyped and then tested with the target user group even before launching the product in the market. This process is repeated as many times as necessary. After the product is launched in the market, user research can also be used to understand how to improve it or create a new solution. User research also helps to uncover problems faced by users when they interact with a product and turn them into actionable insights. User research is beneficial in all stages of product development from ideation to market release.
Mike Kuniavsky further notes that it is "the process of understanding the impact of design on an audience." The types of user research you can or should perform will depend on the type of site, system or app you are developing, your timeline, and your environment. Professionals who practice user research often use the job title 'user researcher'. User researchers are becoming very common especially in the digital and service industries, even in the government. User researchers often work alongside designers, engineers, and programmers in all stages of product development.
Purpose With respect to user research in the field of design, research is typically approached with an empathetic perspective in order to humanize data collected about people. This method can also be referred to a human-centred approach to problem-solving. User researcher aims to uncover the barriers or frustrations users face as they interact with products, services, or systems. A unique facet of user research is the brand of user experience (UX) research which focuses on the feelings, thoughts, and situations users go through as they interact with products, services, and systems. Many businesses focus on creating enjoyable experiences for their users; however, not including users in their development process can result in failed products. Involving users in the development process helps design better products, adapt products to change in behaviors and needs, and design the right products and desirable experiences for the users. User research helps businesses and organizations improve their products and services by helping them better understand:
Who their users are; What their users are trying to achieve/ what their needs are; How do their users currently try to do things, and what are the current pain points; What is the best way to help users achieve their tasks.
There are various benefits to conducting user research more than just designing better products and services. Understanding what people want before releasing products in the market will help save money. Additionally, user research helps to gather data that can help influence stakeholders' decisions based on evidence and not opinions.
Applications User research is interrelated with the field of design. In many cases, someone working in the field can take on both roles of researcher and designer. Alternatively, these roles may also be separated and teams of designers and researchers must collaborate through their projects. User research is commonly used in: Software development User experience design
Types of User Research There is pure and applied research, user research utilizes applied research to make better products. There are many ways of classifying research, Erika Hall in her book Just Enough Research mentions four ways of classifying user research.
Generative or exploratory research Generative research or exploratory research is done to understand and define the problems to solve for users in the first place. It can be used during the initial stages of product development to create new solutions or it can be applied to an existing product to identify improvements and enhancements. Interviews, observational studies, secondary research, etc., are some of the common methods used during this phase. These methods are used to answer broad and open questions, where the aim is to identify problems users might be experiencing. Usually, the data collected through generative research must be synthesized in order to formulate the problems to be solved, for whom and why it is important.
Descriptive or explanatory research Descriptive research or explanatory research helps to define the characteristics of the problem and populations previously identified. It is used to understand the context of the problem and the context in which users have the problem. The methods in this phase can be very similar to the methods used in the generative research phase. However, this phase helps to identify what is the best way to solve a problem as opposed to what problem to solve. During this phase, experts in the problem area are consulted to fill knowledge gaps that will be required to create a solution. This phase is required to avoid making assumptions about the problem or people that might otherwise result in a biased solution. The aim of this phase is to get a good understanding of the problem, to get the right solution ideas.
Evaluative research Evaluative research is used to test the solution ideas to ensure they work and solve the problems identified. Ideas are usually tested by representatives from the target population. This is an iterative process and can be done on prototype versions of the solution. The commonly used method in this phase is called usability testing and it focuses on measuring if the solution addressed the intended problem. Users can also be asked to provide their subjective opinion about the solution, or they can be given a set of tasks to observe if the solution is intuitive and easy to use. In simple words, evaluative research assesses whether the solution fits the problem and whether the right problems were addressed.
Causal research Causal research typically answers why something is happening. Once the solution is up and running, one can observe how people are using it in real time and understand why it is or isn't used the way the solution was envisioned. One of the common methods used in this phase is A/B testing.
Tools and methods The user research process follows a traditional iterative design approach that is common to user-centered design and design thinking. User research can be applied anywhere in the design cycle. Typically software projects start conducting user research at the requirement gathering stage to involve users right from the start of the projects. There are various design models that can be used in an organization, they include a wide range of research methods are used in the field of user research. The Nielsen Norman group has provided a framework to better understand when to use which method, it is helpful to view them along a 3-dimensional framework with the following axes: Attitudinal vs. behavioral: This distinction is the contrast between what people say and what people do. Attitudinal research is used to study users' perceptions, beliefs, opinions and what they think about a certain product or problem. Whereas, behavioral research measures how people really use a product. Interview studies, focus groups, surveys and diary studies often measure attitudes. Some usability studies that look how people use products can fall under behavioral research. Web analytics and click rates provide a good behavioral measure. Qualitative vs. quantitative: Qualitative research help generate data by asking users about their attitudes through open ended questions via surveys, interviews, and observing behaviors directly. Quantitative research aims to measure attitudes and behaviors via surveys and analytics. The contrast lies in the ability to analyze data, quantitative research typically use mathematical analysis where the instrument of data collection gathers data that can be coded numerically whereas in qualitative research analysis is not mathematical. Affinity diagramming, thematic analysis, grounded theory, are some commonly used qualitative analysis methods. Context of use: This describes how participants are using the product in question and whether they are using it in the first place. Products can be used in a natural or near natural setting where there is minimum interference from the researchers and this method provides data with great validity but lacks the ability to ask clarifying questions to users. Scripted use of the product are typically used in lab based or usability studies where the goal is to test or know about very specific aspects of the product. Some exploratory studies like interviews are done when a product does not exist yet or users' perception about a product is gathered when the product in question is not in use.
Qualitative methods +List of common qualitative user research methodsMethodDescriptionContext of Product useUser InterviewsIt is a qualitative method where the researcher interviews individual participants to learn about a topic of interest. Usually, user interviews are conducted on a one-on-one basis.Not using productGuerilla testingThis method collects data in short sessions focused on specific tasks. Participants aren't recruited before the session but are approached in various settings on similar topics focussed by the team.Scripted useFocus GroupsIn this research method, researchers bring together a small group of people to take part in an interactive discussion in a moderated context. The participants usually have a certain aspect in common such as demographic, interest, etc.Not using productParticipatory Design It is a democratic approach for designing social and technological systems that incorporate human activity, based on the idea that users should be involved in the designs they will use, and that all stakeholders, including and especially users, should have equal input into interaction design.Scripted or Natural useDiary studiesA diary study is a type of research that collects qualitative data over time regarding user behaviors, activities, and experiences. Participants in a diary study self-report data longitudinally, that is, over a period of time that can range from a few days to a month or longer.Natural use Card SortingConsumers are asked to organize data into logical categories in this research method. Users are given a set of labeled cards and asked to sort and organize them into categories they believe are acceptable. Categories can be defined by the users or defined by the researchers, based on the method used they are called open or closed card-sorting.Not using productUsability Studies (moderated/