What Are Ux Research Insights?

 

What is Ux Research? A simple definition would be "enessentials research". Simply put, a user-centered approach to research methodology. A good example of an eXtremely user-centric approach to research methodology would be usability studies conducted by a group of usability professionals who are also social developers for Facebook. Such a study would seek to find out how users experience new interfaces or functions, or if existing interfaces do not meet user expectations and needs.

But in order to perform ux research properly, a proper methodology should be established before actually doing any user testing. Such a methodology should address all the questions about a certain interface, which would include the possible negative consequences on the user experience, the expected outcome if and when changes are made, the question of whether users are able to adapt well to changes, the usability of the new interface, etc. Once all these questions have been answered, a more rigorous research can then be performed. The goal of such a study should be to either confirm that a particular user experience or design is bad or to prove that it is good and needs no further changes.

Usability research in the context of a product development process often targets senior management. But sometimes, usability research is directed towards end users, for the purpose of gaining a wider range of feedback about the product's drawbacks or benefits. This kind of research is referred to as "user studies" or "stage tests." Usually, stage tests involve two groups: one group is made up of regular end users who are just being offered the product for the first time, while the other group is made up of people who have purchased the product before but have since been involved in some form of product usage experience.

Stage tests usually yield a lot of information, but what really matters is whether these findings can help the product development cycle or not. Most often than not, the answer is "yes," especially if the findings suggest that there are many things that need to be changed or improved. This is why e.g. a major change in marketing strategy or business strategy could be detected through much research on the existing set of customers, because this sort of information will show that audience respond best to which sort of product and so will help the business development cycle much more efficiently.

One more type of Ux Research involves the participation of stakeholder interviews. Stakeholders are typically the consumers, suppliers or employees who can actually affect the long term performance of the business or product. Therefore, in order to gather valuable insights from these groups, researchers choose those subjects who have great influence over the stakeholders. They can also use other methods such as focus groups or case studies.

User Testing is another area where a Ux researcher must put lots of effort, since this task usually requires extensive research and planning. User testing can be done on several levels, depending on the quality level of the tester. Sometimes it can be done just by listening to the customer's experience to get a general idea, sometimes it can be more detailed and involved, for instance collecting data about the design or functionality aspects of a system and testing it on real users. Also, when user testing, a lot of effort goes into collecting enough information for a report that can be analyzed later. Some companies use Ux reports to support internal or externally driven research efforts.