5 ux design research mistakes you can stop making today
An article recently published in Entrepreneur magazine identified “insufficient testing” as the primary cause of startup failures. This lack of adequate testing fundamentally refers to deficient or substandard user research, resulting in ineffective UX design – a situation that frequently culminates in unsuccessful outcomes. Through my experience collaborating with startups and technology firms, I’ve observed that even when the significance of user research is acknowledged, organizations often lack the knowledge to execute it effectively.
Therefore, let's examine some of the most common errors businesses make during UX research and share insights I would have found valuable when beginning my career in the field.
Conduct UX research early and throughout product development
When evaluating a new product or service concept, it's crucial to address key questions promptly. Will this offering genuinely provide value and be practical for the intended users and their respective organizations? Do your preliminary beliefs hold true? Concepts that initially appear promising may prove less effective upon investigation, and numerous well-known failures likely stemmed from inadequate research. Therefore, initiating user research before the start of product development is essential.
Although initial, foundational research is important, it’s equally beneficial to perform ongoing evaluative research by consistently testing your product during its creation and improvement. A key factor in the user-friendliness of popular Google products, such as Gmail and YouTube, is Google’s commitment to continuous testing, ensuring users can easily locate desired features and information.
Avoid Handling All User Research Internally
A common error I observe among many new businesses and founders (and one I personally encountered in the beginning) is undertaking all user experience (UX) research independently. Publications such as “Lean Startup” have, in some respects, encouraged this approach by emphasizing the importance of “leaving the office” and understanding your customer base. This isn’t inherently negative—it’s valuable to understand your users and develop an understanding of their experiences. Furthermore, this isn’t suggesting you should avoid conducting any research yourself.
Nevertheless, it’s also crucial to supplement your efforts by engaging professional, independent UX researchers to perform research on your behalf. When you have a strong personal stake in the research, as is typical with your own product, maintaining impartiality becomes challenging. Similarly, research participants may be less likely to offer honest and constructive feedback if they are aware they are evaluating your own project.
While objectivity is a key benefit of employing external researchers, it isn’t the sole advantage. Expertise also plays a significant role. UX researchers are skilled professionals specializing in their field, and a proficient researcher will be able to design and execute research tailored to your requirements, within your financial constraints, and in a manner that aligns with your objectives. Even if your team includes highly skilled UX designers, research demands a distinct skillset and specialized knowledge that they may not possess, particularly if their time is already committed to design tasks.
Maintaining Confidentiality in Research is Important
Similar to the benefit of utilizing impartial, external researchers, it’s also advisable to conduct studies anonymously on occasion—meaning individuals involved in the research shouldn't be aware of the company whose offerings are under evaluation. While there might be valid instances where disclosure is necessary, such as when a new product relies on compatibility with current software, generally, anonymity is the preferred approach.
Individuals tend to provide more truthful responses when they are unaware of the identity of the entity whose products they are assessing. Although receiving negative feedback isn't pleasant, it's exceptionally valuable if it accurately represents the genuine sentiments of your user base. Particularly with prominent organizations like Google, a positive bias can sometimes influence participant responses, leading to feedback that is more favorable than it would otherwise be.
Have a focused, specific research plan
A common error observed is that organizations frequently lack direction in their research efforts—aiming for comprehensive product improvement and resisting the idea of prioritizing individual elements. This broad approach can easily lead to a loss of clarity. Consequently, you might accumulate numerous fragmented data points, which facilitates selective interpretation to confirm preconceived notions while overlooking contradictory evidence.
Therefore, a robust research project begins with a well-defined plan, emphasizing focus and specificity: establish a clear objective, a precise hypothesis, a designated methodology, a defined target group, and a specific report outlining all of these components. To ensure knowledge retention, all reports should be systematically archived in a readily searchable database, preventing unnecessary repetition of studies or the construction of future research upon inaccurate recollections of past methods or outcomes.
Use UX research participant recruiters
Ultimately, engaging professional recruiters to identify appropriate individuals for your studies proves beneficial. Many smaller organizations, especially startups, often rely on recruiting acquaintances and relatives for research purposes. While this approach is preferable to conducting no research at all, it doesn't deliver the reliable insights gained from working with participants sourced through professional recruitment. Specialized recruitment firms are adept at locating individuals who are both diverse and closely aligned with your intended user base, rather than simply those sharing similar interests or socioeconomic circumstances – a common outcome with informal or internal recruitment efforts. The enhanced quality of data obtained from participants selected by professional recruiters will readily offset any additional costs or time investment. Furthermore, this method supports research confidentiality and the impartial perspective previously mentioned.
The recruitment sector has significantly advanced, with platforms like User Interviews streamlining the process of finding participants through a third party, making it quicker and more cost-effective. It’s also now simpler to locate highly specialized participants – a task that was once challenging using conventional market research methods – through organizations like The Mighty, which assists researchers in connecting with individuals who have uncommon medical conditions.
This isn't an exhaustive compilation of every error companies make in user research, but it provides a solid foundation for improvement. Startups and smaller businesses might be inclined to believe they cannot justify the expense of hiring professional UX researchers and recruiters, or consistently integrating research throughout the product development process. However, the more prudent perspective is that companies cannot afford to forgo these practices, as a lack of user understanding and unmet user needs result in subpar user experiences and, ultimately, product failure.
Giving precedence to thorough user research will guarantee that your products and concepts have the best possible chance to reach their full potential and achieve success.