There is an important aspect of user experience that is usually taken for granted and sometimes it doesn’t get the spotlight it deserves: user research.

User research is the first step in a user experience analysis. This is the part where we gain better understanding through observation of users behaviors, needs, and motivations. The information gathered at this stage of the project, will inform the decisions made throughout the entire planning and implementation of the solution.

User research is often divided into quantitative and qualitative methods.

Surveys and A/B testing are commonly used quantitative method during user research. Quantitative user methods seek to measure user behavior in a way that it can be quantified and used for statistical analysis.

Qualitative methods such as user interviews and usability tests seek to get an in-depth understanding of the experiences and everyday lives of individual users or user groups.

User research can be very helpful when trying to keep track of the return of investment (ROI) of a solution. It’s often a lot easier when we’re able to show the positive impact a change in the design made in sales or in the increase of visitors or customers in the site. This helps make a much stronger case for investing in user experience.

Takeways

• User research ensures that the updates being applied are truly relevant to your target user group.
• User research helps you make educated decisions when planning an implementation or update of your site or product.
• User research helps measure ROI.