How can I choose the right UX research method for my product?
Product Management
Perspectives from experts about the questions that matter in Product Management
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With a variety of user research methods to choose from, product managers may feel overwhelmed and unsure about which to apply to their project. Here are some steps that product managers can follow when considering a range of user research methods.?
1. Define the research question: Your research question should guide your entire research process and help you and your team decide what type of data and method will help them the most. The research question should be clear, specific and answerable, and should align with your ultimate project goal. For example, if your research question is, "How do users feel about the current product?” you might need qualitative data and methods, such as interviews or diaries. If the research question is, “How many users are willing to pay for this new feature?” you might benefit more from quantitative data and methods, such as surveys or experiments.
2. Determine the research stage: The research stage is the phase of the design or development process that the project is in, and can help you decide what type of research is appropriate and feasible. The research stage can range from early to late, from exploratory to evaluative, or divergent to convergent. For example, in the early stage of a project, you may conduct exploratory and divergent research, such as observations or focus groups, to understand the problem space and generate ideas. In the late stage of a project, you might need more evaluative and convergent research, such as experiments or A/B testing, to test the solution and measure the outcomes.
3. Understand the user characteristics: User characteristics, which are the attributes and behaviors of your target user group or segment, can help your team narrow down which research method will be most effective. User characteristics can include demographic, psychographic, geographic and behavioral factors, such as age, gender, income and the frequency they use your product. If the target user group is young, tech-savvy and mobile, for example, you may opt to use online and interactive research, such as digital diaries or analytics. If your target user group is older and less familiar with technology, however, offline and personal research, such as interviews or observations, may be better suited.?
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4. Assess the available resources: Time, money and manpower can all impact your UX decisions, especially when it comes to which research methods are realistic and manageable for your project. If you have limited resources, you may need to use low-cost and quick research methods such as surveys or analytics. If your team has been allotted more time or money, you may be able to conduct higher quality or comprehensive user research through experiments or focus groups.?
5. Consider the ethical implications: Certain user research methods may raise concerns around privacy, consent, confidentiality and bias. Consider your organization’s ethical principles and guidelines before selecting the methods you’d like to follow, and make sure to follow ethical and legal guidelines as you proceed. For instance, if your research involves sensitive personal data, such as via interviews or diaries, you’ll likely need to obtain informed consent and ensure data protection. Experiments or A/B testing may also involve temporarily misleading or deceiving users to test certain variables, so consider how you will participants of such risks beforehand and debrief them afterwards.?
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This article was edited by LinkedIn News Editor Felicia Hou and was curated leveraging the help of AI technology.
Cofounder | CTO | Generative AI Agents | Knowledge | Skills | Abilities
2 年In today's world - every user is highly distracted... so maintaining the attention of the user on your product is most important. How do you solve for that? Always ask yourself 1. What problem did the user want to solve once the user decided to use my product? 2. Did my product solve the user's problem? 3. If not, why not? If you follow this - you will mostly get it right... And last but not the least: use your own product. For e.g - Paypal's first 24 users were it's employees only. :-)
AWS REINVENT 24| Enterprise Product Manager| #1 Most Followed Voice in AI Femtech Business |Leading AI Entrepreneur | Building Sanicle.cloud-'Workforce-Period' |Empower Companies|Amazon Best-Selling Author|Google Scholar
2 年In a nutshell it’s probably fair to say that a?quantitative technique?is one that provides a numerical result, whereas a qualitative?technique?is one that provides a range of non-standard insights usually in a verbal format.
Adaptive Program Manager | Driving Business Growth & Customer Delight
2 年Defining the hypothesis that you want to validate before starting user research is critical. What is equally important is the segments you are targeting (eg. SMB vs Enterprise). Another factor is who your customer/decision-maker is so you know what research insights need to be included in the pitch. Proximity and access to your users are also important in planning out research. Finally, you will leverage qualitative/quantitative/behavioral methods as per the PDLC.
Its always good to have a hypothesis, and then use research to understand where the hypothesis may have legs and where it may not. Prior to launching, we do UX research in peoples homes (we are TV!) and try to make the groups as diverse as possible. Additionally, we use companies such as YouGov to help us perform wider scale surveys. In the end though the A/B tests tell it like it is.
Speaker, Author, Teacher, Consultant on Pricing and Economics
2 年My focus is on detecting the willingness to pay of the customer. That is: how much is this NPD / Innovation worth? As such, I always suggest starting with a study of the Economic Value to the Customer (EVC), potentially segmented, informed by internal expectations and secondary research studies. If the NPD opportunity is large enough, one should move to qualitative research with focus groups and customer interviews. In this qualitative research, one is looking to better inform the analysis delivered via EVC and provide a new research fact in the form of a price expectation study. Willingness to pay will differ greatly by market segment. Ensure the right market segments are studied and repeat the study if the wrong market segment selection criteria was used. (Bad informants are the most common cause of bad research output.) If and only if the situation merits it, move on to pricing with Conjoint Analysis or similar studies within the right market segment.