UX, or user experience, design has become a major player in the world of app development, web design, and product management in recent years, and UX design can make or break the interaction customers have with a digital product or service. As such, UX research is a key part of any design, as it can help a designer understand which components users like, which ones they don’t, and how they can increase sales and profits with simple tweaks.
What Is UX Research?
UX research is, at its core, the process of interpreting data to make better design decisions that will enhance the user experience on your company’s website or app. It often begins with gathering said data, though many designers can get plenty of data to analyze with a UX research repository.
UX research repositories are collections of UX research elements shared among an organization to make the process more collaborative and seamless. They give various sectors of the organization the chance to contribute their findings, giving researchers more insight into the needs of the company, what currently works, and what must be improved.
Why Is UX Research Important?
Although something as simple as a tweak in the color palette may seem insignificant for sales figures, small adjustments of this kind can actually make a major difference in a user’s experience and the organization’s bottom line.
UX research is important because it can help UX designers understand which designs facilitate more sales, provide a more seamless experience, and keep users coming back time and time again. Using time and resources to conduct research that narrows down which elements work and which ones don’t can save the organization an unfathomable amount of money down the line by preventing a guessing game about which elements may work better.
Research of this kind may not be able to guarantee that certain elements will increase profits, but it can provide a more educated guess about which tweaks could make your organization’s software easier and more fun to use for your customers.
UX research may help your designers realize that your organization doesn’t need a complete app overhaul either. Perhaps instead of designing an entirely new app, your research will point out which areas deserve more focus and which ones are fine as is.
Which Methods Are Used in UX Research?
There are several ways to conduct UX research, whether you’re looking for qualitative or quantitative data. To obtain qualitative data, some of the most effective UX research methods include interviews with real or potential users, focus groups, and card sorting.
To conduct quantitative UX research, methods such as eye-tracking, surveys and questionnaires, and app analytics tend to be most helpful. Most UX researchers find it helpful to employ a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to provide them with a more comprehensive picture during their research analysis.
UX research can be a tricky and complex endeavor for an organization that has never done it before, but it can result in drastic changes in the experience your users have when interacting with your brand.
