Five Trends to UX Research and Strategy
Published on 28 Apr 2022 inKey Takeaways:
A/B testing allows researchers to figure out what design works best for the users and what doesn’t.
Personas help improve researchers’ understanding of user behavior by representing the target audience.
Usability testing is a new technique of evaluating design interfaces by observing real users uncover issues and seek improvements.
Card sorting gives researchers a brief idea of how users would organize the content structure.
Generative interviews help researchers stay on track by gathering information on the users’ input.
UX research and strategy allow businesses to gain in-depth knowledge of their users’ insight and how the digital market functions today. The research is conducted during the design process and serves to create a variety of strategies to help businesses recognize their initial goals and improve their assumptions as well as their plans.
Valuable insight is continuously being provided to the design process. The main goal is to give as much information to the users as possible to prevent any mistakes from being made during the process.
1. A/B Testing
How do we find out what works best for users, and what optimizes our results?
A/B testing is a controlled experiment where version A is tested against version B to determine what works best for a personalized digital experience for users.
This tool is an ongoing process where the versions that are put to the test will allow businesses to distinguish between what works and what doesn’t or what designs are successful and useful for which type of target group.
The two variants not only can test the design but also languages. The variation in the ways things are worded may lead to differing results, therefore multiple examples and ideas are tested to see what works best to ensure the success of its performance regarding both the design of the website and the language used.
The different versions are shown to users at random; this way, researchers can figure out what is working best and which direction to take when cultivating the new design.
A/B testing increases certainty and minimizes risks.
Optimization is the main focus when conducting this test. The test helps understand what leads to user satisfaction and a good user experience. Conversion rates may also be optimized, which can be manipulated by small changes in the design.
2. Personas
Web Personas are commonly used in UX design to represent varying types of users. They are created to help researchers understand users’ behaviors and needs, utilizing archetype users to be a representation of a larger group of users.
Personas are, however, not real people but are based on real data. It’s a short fictional biography of an individual based on someone who is likely to come to visit the website or someone that represents the target audience.
Personas help researchers gain a better understanding of who we are designing for and what types of people the website is attracting. When researchers are able to accurately grasp the primary characteristics of the target users, it enables them to offer the best user experience through design. Thus, personas are a great resource that provides valuable knowledge of who exactly the content is aimed at, and can therefore smoothly drive innovation and improvements to the overall business.
Ultimately, despite personas being a good representation of ideal users, having too much will overcomplicate things. A reasonable amount of personas is around 3-5, highlighting people’s complex personalities and experiences. This will generate empathy among other stakeholders, reinforcing a positive relationship.
3. Usability Testing
Usability testing decreases the risks of companies building the wrong interfaces.
The test is conducted to check the interface’s usability and how it operates. During the initial test, the facilitator will ask the participants to carry out tasks related to specific interfaces. This way, insight can be gained from users as well as allowing the facilitator to assess the overall progress of the interface to see if they are on the right track.
The qualitative techniques take into consideration the actions of users instead of what they actually say. Observing their actions can allow facilitators to see how users are handling the interface or if it’s working as proposed.
There are multiple ways in which interfaces can be designed. Thus, the only method to ensure that the designs being used run smoothly is to conduct a test.
To determine how users perceive the interface, both positive and negative findings must be listed. Proposed solutions to negative feedback will save development time and money. The sooner the issue is being identified, the sooner they can start uncovering approaches to drive improvement.
4. Card Sorting
Card sorting is a method that involves users organizing topics into categories. This method allows us to obtain a brief idea of how to design everything website-related; workflow, menu structures, navigation paths, and so on. This technique gives designers a clear insight on how users would structure the website or digital product’s content, that way their expectations on how content should be grouped in a website will then be beneficial to us when it comes to the actual design.
Trends and potential categories can be identified and act as a reference for designers. This UX research method allows us to explore how the user’s domain knowledge is structured and what makes sense to them. Once data is collected, the structure, label categories and navigation can be built based on the results.
Card sorting is inexpensive and remains simple throughout the process. Results can be gathered fast with packed information on where things should be. This method is suitable for projects that require a lot of users’ input to help drive conversions.
5. Generative Interviews
The main purpose of generative interviews is to find solutions for existing issues and seek opportunities for future innovations. It allows researchers to gather detailed information about target users which can then later be used to refer back to when improvements will be made.
Generative interviews are used to clarify the researcher’s understanding of what the problems are and are often carried out in the early product development process. Gathering information from users and stakeholders will enable them to design products that users will actually be able to easily utilize.
The line of communication is vital during the product development process. In-depth information gained from generative interviews is beneficial to the business in the long run.
Learn more about UX Research and Strategy
To conclude, effective UX research and strategy are vital to be carried out in order to further understand businesses’ main tasks, goals as well as users’ expectations. It allows researchers to observe things through the eyes of users, which will then help businesses respond strategically after feedback and results are being analyzed. To learn more about the latest digital trends in 2020, download our digital transformation guide here.
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