What is UX Research?
When you are creating a UX research, your goals should be able to create a product that provides the end-user the best experience. You do not want to create a design that does not meet the needs of the end-users. This is why it is vital to carry out UX research to help understand your end-user well and know the kind of product that meets their needs effectively. There are several methods you can use to perform UX research to discover design opportunities and uncover problems. You uncover vital information you can include in the UX designing process.
- Part 1: What is UX Research?
- Part 2: Introduction of UX Research Methods and Methodologies
- Part 3: How Do I Start a UX Research?
- Part 4: Why You Need to Do UX Research
- Part 5: The Best Tool for UX
What is UX Research?
User experience research is a process that involves several investigative methods that are used to add more insights and content to the designing process. Unlike it happened with most of the other methods, UX user research did not come from other fields. The process has most of its techniques borrowed from market researchers, academics, scientists and many more others. The major objective of UX research is to inform the entire process from the view of the intended end users. The research ensures that you do not perform the design work for a single user, but all who are involved in the entire process. The purpose of user-centered and UX design is to create a design with the aim of giving total satisfaction to the end users. It is a kind of research that informs who the person is, the context by which they use the service or product and what they require from the designer.
There are two parts involved in UX design research i.e. data gathering and synthesis of the data in order to enhance usability. At the beginning of the project, design research focuses on learning about project needs from all stakeholders and understanding the goals and needs of the intended end users. UX researchers perform interviews, do surveys, observe targets and current users and carry out review of existing data, analytics and literature.
Introduction of UX Research Methods and Methodologies
There are various UX Research Methods and Methodologies you can apply. It all depends with the kind of information you want to collect and your end users. The major goal should be to get the information you need to make the design process a success.
Observation
One of the ux research methodologies that involves observing the world around you. You need to learn how to see so that you can do a good research. You should be able to observe and determine some behaviors shown by your targets that require to be probed further. As a designer, you need to train yourself to observe and give notes, so that you can be able to get patterns across diverse groups.
Understanding
Understanding UX research focuses more on mental model which is the picture that a person has in mind when they reflect on a certain situation. The mental model that a person has determines the decisions they make. UX designers should know the mental models that the people they test or interview have. This helps the designer understand the mental model of the intended end users and share this information with the team to help create a design to accommodate all these models.
Analysis
UX research should be analyzed and finally presented to a large design team. The analysis process helps the researcher be able to make identification of patterns, propose potential solutions and give recommendations. Some of the techniques used in the process involve creating scenarios and personas, giving description of the mental models or presenting charts or graphs that shows user behaviors and statistics. Note that research is only important if it gets shared.
Interviews
Face to face interviews are a great way of communication between UX designer researcher and end user. There are directed interviews which involve question and answer interviews where specific questions are asked. This method works well when you interview a lot of users or as you compare and contrast answers from many users. You can also use non directed interviews that helps you gain more insights on touchier subjects whereby create guidelines and create a conversation with the interviewees. There is also ethnographic interview that involve observing people as they perform their daily tasks. This helps you determine the gap existing between what people do and what they claim they do.
Questionnaires and surveys
These ux methods help researchers get a lot of information regarding the target users within a short time. There are various tools you can use to design a survey including Google Docs, Wufoo, email and get a lot of responses within a few minutes.
Usability tests
Usability tests involve asking current or the targets to use a certain product to complete certain tasks and then look at their behavior to determine how usable the product or service is. You can do the usability test with live version of an app, site, work in progress or a prototype. You can also do the usability testing by use of a pencil, paper or clickable wireframes. There are three types of usability test you can apply including moderated, guerilla and unmoderated tests.
How Do I Start a UX Research?
To get the desired results when you perform UX research, there are certain steps you should follow. Here are the steps.
Set objectives
The first thing you should do is to set the objectives you want to attain with your user experience research. The objectives set should be determined by the kind of product or service you are creating and its intended use.
Create hypothesis
Hypothesis involves the thing you think you know about your target users. The hypothesis usually puts forward the potential service or product that solves the problems and benefits the end users. Make sure you externalize the hypothesis to eliminate any form of bias you may have. A good hypothesis helps you choose the right UX research method.
Choose the right UX research methods
Take time to think of the UX research methodologies to apply so that you can get the kind of information you want from your targets. There are various methods, but you cannot use all of them, so be sure to choose the ones that are valuable to you.
Perform the research
After you have selected the right research methods, use them to gather all the information you want from your targets. Be sure to ask the right questions and create an environment that allows for an effective ux user research.
Synthesize
During synthesis, you should fill all gaps, prove or disapprove your hypotheses and discover new opportunities for your design.
Why You Need to Do UX Research
Here are some of the benefits of performing UX research.
Test your design in real life
The best way you can test a product is putting it in front of a user, who will use it one day. Carrying out the UX research helps you try the design in the real life and know if it meets the set objectives.
Know what is done perfectly
UX research helps you know what is being done in the right way and what is nit. You get feedback that helps you make the right improvements, so that in the long end you create a product that offers high level satisfaction top the end users.
Breakdown barriers you have not recognised
User experience research assists you to discover the barriers, unknown and the opportunities you can leverage in order to offer a meaningful and delightful experience. This helps you deliver something that is meaningful and useful.
UX research is vital for a well created experience
As a UX designer, you may fail to meet your users' needs because of focusing on interactions and features you think your potential need without any form of validation on your assumptions. UX research shows how the product will benefit the end user in the long term. You learn whether the product meets their end needs and so forth.
The Best Tool for UX
To get the best UX design, it is paramount that you use the best tool. As you make the selection, it is good to ensure that you look for the one that has a lot of features.
Wondershare Mockitt is the best tool that can help you finish the project within a few minutes. Here are many other features that make Mockitt the best platform.
- Prototyping - When you use Wondershare Mockitt to create UX design, you do not require a lot of skills. You can complete the project with no coding required. You can easily create highly interactive UX design, with its simple and easy interface. Besides, you just need to apply the components through drag and drop actions into the design canvas or double clicking the elements.
- Libraries - Wondershare Mockitt has libraries rich in icons, elements, widgets and many other components you use for your UX design. The libraries also have interesting templates and assets that allow you to create a user friendly design. Besides, you can also create your own libraries to make your UX design more customised.
- Collaboration - Are you planning to work as a team? If so, then Wondershare Mockitt is a great option for you since it allows you to create, share and collaborate in real time. Note that at times you may require the help of another person so that you can create the best design, with Mockitt you will be able to work with others simultaneously and view the changes that the other person is making easily.
- Efficient review and presentation - Another great thing you will like about Wondershare Mockitt is that you will be able to present your UX designs in an efficient manner. Besides, you will also be able to preview your design and share it with others to preview it too. This allows you to get feedback and comments that allow for further improvements before you can launch the UX product design.
