Revisiting UX with Google Certificate: UX Research Methods
I’ve spent quite some time in product design, working on a dynamic range of projects and teams. At the beginning of my career journey, UX design wasn’t even defined as a distinct career option — I found myself drawn into tasks and responsibilities that were later recognized as UX design.
Having learned extensively from practical experience in the field, as well as from various segmented researches and tutorials, I recently decided to enroll in Google’s certificate programs to fill gaps in my understanding. These courses covered a broad spectrum of topics, including UX research, an area where I felt less proficient.
In the past, I often collaborated with dedicated researchers, customer success teams, or colleagues from audience departments to conduct research. I’ve compiled concise notes from the UX research section of Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design course for personal reference and to satisfy the curiosity of others who may be interested in exploring the field further.
1. UX research through the product development cycle
UX research involves observing and gathering feedback from users to understand their behaviors and needs. It is an ongoing process that spans the entire product development cycle — brainstorm, define, design, test, and launch. It is essential to conduct research before, during, and after the product or feature design phase.
A) Foundational research
Research conducted before the design process begins. The goal of this research is to identify users and their problems, as well as to propose solutions for those problems. In this phase, you should ask questions such as: What are the user’s problems? How can we solve those problems? and Am I aware of my own biases?
Research methods:
- Interviews — Gain in-depth insights from relatively small groups.
- Surveys — Gather generic feedback from larger audiences without excessive time or resources.
- Focus groups — Engage users in discussions about new features.
- Competitive audit — Understand the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors.
- Field studies — Gather insights from users in their real-life environments rather than in an office or lab setting.
- Diary studies — Collect qualitative data from users by asking them to log their activities.
B) Design research
Research conducted during the core design process to articulate design details. The goal of this research is to address the question: How should we build the solution? This stage is crucial for refining and finalizing details before moving forward to actual production, which carries much larger cost implications.
Research methods:
- Usability study — Evaluate designs by testing them with participants.
- A/B testing — Compare two different solutions to discover the more effective one.
- Cafe or guerrilla studies —Conduct usability studies with people in public settings to gather a wide variety of perspectives.
- Card sorting — Define information architecture by asking participants to sort individual labels written on notecards into categories that make sense to them.
- Intercepts — Collect feedback from individuals actively engaged in the activities being researched.
C) Post launch research
Research conducted after the product launch aims to validate whether the solution successfully addresses the initial problems. In this stage, quantitative research can play a significant role, as product metrics are often used to measure the success of the project.
Research methods:
- A/B testing
- Usability studies
- Surveys
- Logs analysis
2. Choosing the right research type
As mentioned earlier, various research methods are available, and the choice may vary depending on project goals, schedule, and budget constraints. Here are some examples of the pros and cons of key research types.
Primary research refers to research conducted by yourself or your team. It allows for more in-depth information gathering through direct interactions with users. There are various methods such as interviews, surveys, and usability studies. The following outlines the pros and cons of each method.
A) Interviews:
Collect in-depth qualitative information about people’s opinions, thoughts, experiences, and feelings. Interview format can be in one-on-one or focus group, but it is recommended to interview at least 5 people to ensure diverse perspectives.
Pros:
- Understand what a user thinks and why.
- Being able to adjust your questions or refocus the discussion based on the user’s answers.
- Being able to ask follow-up questions in real time.
- Being able to ask questions specific to a user’s needs.
- Get direct suggestions from the user.
Cons
- Time-consuming
- Expensive
- Sample sizes are smaller
- Group interviews can be affected by the bandwagon effect
B) Surveys:
Users are presented with the same set of questions to collect general opinions about a product. Due to its scalability, surveys are best utilized during development and post-launch phases. While surveys excel in quantitative research, they can also incorporate open-ended questions for qualitative feedback.
Pros
- Scalability to collect larger sample size.
- Quick insights gathering.
- Cost-effective.
Cons
- Lacks in-depth feedback.
- Questions tend to be generic.
- Limited ability to personalize questions.
C) Usability studies:
Evaluate products by testing them on participants, and can be conducted both qualitatively and quantitatively. In qualitative research, observe how participants interact, providing in-depth insight into user behavior. On the other hand, quantitative research can provide a broader impression of the product with more consistent question and answer formats.
Pros
- Gain insights into user interaction and behavior.
- Challenge assumptions about your product.
- Receive in-depth feedback.
Cons
- Primarily measures ease of use.
- Can be costly.
- Controlled environments may provide skewed feedback compared to real-life usage.
D) Secondary Research
Unlike primary research, secondary research utilizes information that others have compiled. Since it doesn’t capture feedback from your specific target audience, it is best used as a complement to primary research.
Pros
- Cost-effective and quicker.
- Readily available online.
- Provides valuable supplementary insights to your primary research.
Cons
- Lacks insights from direct user interactions.
- Doesn’t offer specific feedback on your own product.
- Generalizations can be misleading to your specific product.
3. Constantly fight against all possible biases
Being aware of bias is crucial, regardless of the research method used. Bias is an inevitable function of the human brain, helping process vast amounts of data by recognizing patterns. It’s important to acknowledge that bias affects everyone, including yourself. Below are common biases and practices to mitigate them.
Confirmation Bias:
- Occurs when you seek evidence to support a pre-existing hypothesis.
- 👉 Practice active listening and use open-ended questions. Increase sample size to include diverse perspectives.
False consensus Bias
- The assumption that others share the same beliefs as you.
- 👉 Identify and articulate your assumptions. Increase sample size to include diverse perspectives.
Framing effect
- Occurs when users’ decisions are influenced by how information is presented.
- 👉 Carefully choose wording in questions and body language in interviews.
Bandwagon effect
- Involves conforming to the group’s opinion rather than thinking independently.
- 👉 Design a format that encourages independent thinking.
Implicit bias (Unconscious bias)
- The unconscious association of attitudes and stereotypes with certain groups.
- 👉 Pay attention to users’ tone and body language during interactions.
Social desirability bias
- Occurs when participants respond to questions based on what they believe the interviewer wants to hear.
- 👉 Carefully choose wording in questions and body language in interviews.
Availability bias
- Occurs when you overlook interviewing a broader range of users.
- 👉 Plan your research effectively to avoid rushing.
Primacy bias and Recency bias
- Involves remembering the first or last user more than others.
- 👉 Use consistent questioning, maintain proper documentation, and remain open-minded.
Sunk cost fallacy
- The tendency to stick with a project because of the investments made, even when it’s not the best course of action.
- 👉 Break the project into smaller phases and outline points to assess the project’s progress in advance.
Foundations of User Experience (UX) Design course is one of seven UX courses provided by Google. I hope to complete all and document ones that I thought I should be better at.
