Designing products without having understood user problems can be too risky. Currently, if we want to create products or services that generate impact within highly competitive and connected markets, we must go a step further in understanding our users and take into account what we call UX Research.
Having a previously defined conceptual framework on how to approach research and what steps we must follow is essential for a complete and essential vision when designing solutions that really connect with the public we are targeting.
We can define User Research as the set of techniques that we have to collect information in order to determine what exactly our users want. UX research is a discipline that arises from the need to develop products.
People have needs, desires and motivations that are often frustrated by a context that prevents us from achieving our goals. All this causes a conflict and products and services are there to help us solve them.
Why is user research important?
When we do UX research we are focusing on the analysis of the user experience and its circumstances. We simply seek to understand why this problem exists in order to solve it.
The importance of carrying out a user experience analysis lies mainly in the fact that it allows us to have a better understanding of what exactly our customers want, thus reducing uncertainty and helping us to make the right decisions.
It may seem obvious, but if you create a product, you want to sell it. In other words, each product or project that sees the light aims to become essential for its audience. Creating such a product knowing exactly what people expect from it is a great advantage. However, it is necessary to carry out the relevant preliminary tests before launching on the market. Putting yourself in the user´s place is the first step to achieve your goal.
UX Research is used in different moments. Research is the first one, and it means analyzing what users want. Having previous information allows knowing the feasibility of an item or service, discovering whether or not it is worth continuing with the process. Analyzing the market niche, verifying the most direct experience and competition, detecting possible threats and designing it accordingly will make us build the right product.
Design / Prototyping is the next stage, and it implies creating what users want as a critical step for success. The final stage is testing, and it implies confirming that what we have created was what the users really wanted, and iterate in case it wasn´t. This stage is necessary to verify that our service or product works. Therefore, we see that we must investigate what our users want at an early stage in the product development process in order to minimize uncertainty.
Once we know the steps to follow, we can learn about the different methodologies. For example, primary Information Sources are those to which we have access from our organization. Here we would include, for example, all the information available on the Internet and internal data such as databases with customer ratings, suggestion lists and specific reports with conclusions on market behavior, competition and customers.
Secondary information sources are those that involve the participation of third parties from whom we need specific data. The most common are interviews, surveys and user tests.
Another classification could be qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative research is collected primarily through observations and conversations with users. Qualitative research is based on understanding user needs. Quantitative research focuses on data that can be collected by counting or measuring, and it uses numerical data.
A research work could start by building an empathy map, developing a buyer persona and elaborating a customer journey. With all the detailed information we can understand the business and implement the necessary strategies to help our client.
Once all the data is collected, what is the next step? Once we know the perceptions and the most information about the user and their needs, we elaborate the empathy map. An empathy map is a tool and technique that is based on investigating and understanding the user’s needs, fully entering the consumer’s mind, empathizing and knowing their behaviors and attitudes.
The advantages of the empathy map are many. With this technique we can modify products or services. Likewise, it will help us to develop much better targeted marketing strategies and create messages aimed at capturing the attention of potential customers.
We will also have clear and precise information to be able to know our Buyer Persona. In recent years the term Buyer Persona has become well known.
We can say that the Buyer Persona will serve as a guide to guide us in all areas, from product development, the brand’s voice to the customer or the channels to use.
