How do you know which user experience research method to use at what time?

Let’s have a look at some factors to help us make a decision. First, consider the possibility of watching or asking.

There are two types of research: behavioral research observed by researchers and self-reported by the user, also known as attitudinal research. For example, when your research issue is concerned with what people do, such as determining if something is discoverable, findable, intelligible, or useable, it is most informative to witness this behavior.

As a result, employ a method such as a usability test. If you’re in the very early stages of design, such as using sketches or wireframes, you can still observe usage by assigning people tasks to complete using only the paper sketches you created.

Creating high-fidelity prototypes that are dynamic and clickable will allow you to test your idea as it advances. The temptation to exhibit design concepts to users and ask what they think is strong while developing design concepts. Instead, direct the user to attempt and complete a task. Suppose you’re interested in finding out what individuals have to say about something, such as whether they believe they’ll like or dislike something.

In that case, you can conduct research using self-reported methods such as interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups. When it comes to numbers or tales, another criterion that we may use to help us pick which research method to adopt is the number of participants.

Quantitative or Qualitative?

Alternatively, quantitative or qualitative research can be conducted. Use a quantitative research method if your purpose is to compare goods or designs, to obtain benchmarks against which the future strategy will be reached, or to compute the predicted cost savings from design improvements.

The following quantitative methods can be used when you have these objectives: card sorting, which requires approximately 20 users; tree testing, which requires between 50 and 100 people; eye-tracking heatmaps, which require 40 users; quantitative usability tests, during which we observe people performing tasks and taking measurements, such as time on homework and success rate; we begin with approximately 20 users for these and increase the number as the project progresses.

On the other hand, qualitative testing is used to rapidly and inexpensively learn about the design to iterate and enhance it as much as possible before exposing it to the public.

Usability testing of very early prototypes can be done with as few as two target users. Make a change based on our observations, and then test it with two additional people to ensure it works. The following criterion is whether something is tangible or not. We also research people when we have no specific design in mind. We aim to understand how people work and live, especially during the very early design phases.

For these purposes, doing field research is an excellent strategy to employ, in which we visit users and monitor their daily routines. If we are interested in user behavior or even ease of use, we should do a more comprehensive study, or a longitudinal study, on the subject over time. The research method used could be a diary study, in which participants keep a journal or answer a series of questions; another option could be a series of surveys; and yet another appropriate research method could be a video journal or camera study, in which participants record themselves at specific intervals.

Context

Context is the final criterion I’ll mention when it comes to selecting UX research approaches. There are various methods available if you require situational data to be delivered to the user’s location. One type of field study involves traveling to the user’s office, home, car, or another place. The following methods, such as a remote usability test, will still allow you to obtain some context information in this situation.

When doing intercept research in real-time on your website, even a small piece of context is provided, and the user is caught in the process of acting on your website. Another study that goes by the same name involves researchers intercepting a person when they are in a public place such as a coffee shop or a shopping mall.

These studies are usually relatively brief and can be completed in a hectic environment with little difficulty. A controlled atmosphere is preferred in lab investigations, which allows you to make the most of the little time you have with your subject.