The main task of a user researcher is to collect relevant data, which is possible if you choose the right user research methodology. For instance, if you want to gather quantitative data, you need to verify theories and measure variables. You can generate new hypotheses with the help of relevant data. Many UX designers are happy with the numbers and statistics, but others want accurate quantitative data, making it essential for you to identify the optimal methodology.
1. Determine the Objective
Whenever your team begins user research, they need to define the problems they encounter. If you are unable to find the main problem, come up with dozens of questions and explore. Discuss the options with your team and choose what best highlights the purpose of your research. Now, list down questions based on the priority and focus on answering them, one at a time. Once you understand the main goal of the study, you can determine the best technique to perform user research.
2. Type of Data
Once you understand the objective of your user research, you need to identify the type of data you want. There are two major data types: qualitative and quantitative:
- Quantitative
Quantitative data highlights the quantity of the components. For instance, how many people choose the red banner over blue, what percentage of people slide the bar, and many other similar questions. Through quantitative data, you can answer questions such as how many, how much, how often? For the best results, collect a huge amount of data. The method for quantitative data includes click tests, card slots, multivariate testing, or A/B testing.
- Qualitative
Apart from quantitative data, all the other possible data that you can collect is qualitative data. With this information, you can understand the context and descriptions. You can answer why-type questions from qualitative data. If your data is qualitative, choose interviews, focus groups, diary studies, or usability testing.
3. Choose the Research Technique
You can easily choose the methodology for UX research when you understand the type of problem you want to solve and what kind of data you require. You want a method that delivers data in the easiest way. Therefore, choosing the technique will impact your budget and the time it takes to complete the research. For the qualitative measure, you need to understand your users’ behavior and what they need. However, for qualitative data, you can develop new ideas through interviews and find the solution to your problems.
Conclusion
When choosing a user research method, you must consider all aspects of your situation. Every business follows a UX research method according to their need. Therefore, understand the problem, consider the type of data you require and select the right technique out of the above options.
Related Reading
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