How can you identify user motivations and goals through user research?

1 Define your research questions

Before you start any user research, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to learn. Define your research questions based on your project objectives, assumptions, and hypotheses. For instance, you may want to know the characteristics, preferences, and pain points of your target users; the main tasks or scenarios that your users want to accomplish with your mobile app or website; how your users currently perform those tasks or scenarios and any challenges or opportunities for improvement; and the emotional, functional, and social drivers that motivate your users to use your mobile app or website.

2 Choose your research methods

Depending on your research questions, you can choose from a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods to collect data from your users. Interviews allow you to explore motivations, goals, needs, and frustrations in depth. Surveys can be used to measure user satisfaction, preferences, behaviors, and attitudes. Observations enable you to capture user actions, reactions, and feedback. User testing can evaluate usability, functionality, and desirability. Each method provides an opportunity to gain valuable insights into your users' experiences.

3 Analyze your data

After you collect your data, you need to analyze it to identify patterns, themes, and insights that answer your research questions. You can use various techniques to organize, synthesize, and interpret your data, such as affinity diagramming, persona creation, and journey mapping. For instance, affinity diagramming involves sorting data into groups based on their similarities or relationships. Persona creation involves creating fictional profiles of your typical or ideal users based on your data. Journey mapping entails creating visual representations of users' interactions with a mobile app or website over time and across different touchpoints.

4 Communicate your findings

To effectively communicate your findings to stakeholders, team members, and clients, you should use different formats and tools. Reports are written documents that summarize objectives, methods, data, analysis, and recommendations. Presentations are oral or visual displays that highlight research process, results, and implications. Artifacts are tangible or digital items that demonstrate how a mobile app or website meets user motivations and goals. With these tips and methods in mind, you can conduct user research that helps you design mobile experiences that will satisfy users and reach project goals.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?