UX research can be an intimidating area of study, but it is actually based on very basic methods and principles that you can learn and apply to your projects. Patricia Reiners ( @ux_patricia ) is a Berlin-based UX/UI designer, member of the Adobe Creative Residency program, and host of the Future of UX podcast . In this tutorial, she shares basic principles and techniques of qualitative user research, as well as how to use it to improve the UX of your products. Four Basic Principles and Techniques for Qualitative UX Research 1.
Quantitative research Quantitative research is necessary for qualitative research, as it provides the data that shows what users do on your site. However, this data does not explain what they are doing. Google Analytics is a popular tool for collecting the quantitative information you require. 2. Market Analytics One way to determine how to improve your product is to know what the rest of the market is doing, in other Banner Design words, see what works for your competition and try to identify what you can improve. UX Tutorial: How to Conduct Qualitative UX Research 3 3. User tests You can test the usability of your product in person or online by asking your users to solve a problem or complete a task for your product. Afterwards, you can analyze the process and see what you can improve.
This method is usually one of the most productive but it also requires the use of many resources. A common type of testing is A/B testing, where one group of people receives one version of the product while another group is given a different version. Comparing the experience of both groups will help to discover which version works better. UX Tutorial: How to Conduct Qualitative UX Research 5 4. Surveys Taking a survey may seem old-fashioned and unsophisticated, but sometimes it turns out to be the best way to get direct answers to direct questions. If the information you need to improve your UX can be obtained with a simple question, don't hesitate to ask it online or in person..