As a child, did you ever try those odd-one-out puzzles? You’d typically get six pictures and have to spot the one with a minuscule difference.
There is a reason humans are good at odd-one-out puzzles, even from a young age. We are naturally good at spotting when something isn’t quite right, even if it’s purely at a subconscious level.
That’s why user experience is fundamental to product design. The process of designing a smooth experience will help your customer avoid those niggling problems that damage your product’s reputation.
Here, we’ll explain how to carry out effective user experience research for your upcoming product development to help you launch a product that’s universally loved.
Hire a Dedicated UX (User Experience) Researcher
If you have the budget, assign someone the task of UX research. You could hire an external consultant or train someone internally. Either way, a dedicated role will help ensure this research gets enough attention.
Alternatively, you can work with a specialist organization with experience in UI/UX design.
Use Multiple Research Techniques
The more data you gather on user experience, the more you improve your chances of designing a successful product.
So make sure your team uses a range of data gathering techniques to find out as much as they can about user behavior. Here are a few of the methods you can incorporate:
Competitive Analysis
Test and examine competitor products from a user’s point of view. Be objective, and note the strengths and weaknesses, as you’ll be able to use this analysis to shape your UX design.
Focus Groups
You can speak to customers or recruit the public to ask for feedback. Find out what they find frustrating when using products similar to what you are designing.
User Journey Mapping
User mapping is the process of sketching out your user’s journey from end to end. It’s a helpful way to identify bottlenecks and problems before reaching the product development stage.
Surveys
Quantitative research in the form of surveys is helpful to gather broad information that might shape your product design.
Fundamental statistical analysis will help you identify the most critical features that customers need from a product and help you design something that is highly useable (and popular).
Interviews
Finally, don’t forget about the benefit of in-depth interviews with your target customer.
Detailed feedback in a one-to-one setting means you’ll be able to ask follow-up questions. That way, you can explore some areas that people highlight to get more valuable information about why those factors are essential to customers.
Don’t Forget to Test
User experience doesn’t stop at the product research stage. To get the most from your research, it’s vital that you plan and implement user experience testing throughout the UX development before you launch.
Even once your product is in the market, apply UX methods to your continued product enhancements. Use feedback from your customers and incorporate it into new product features.
Achieve Product Success Through User Experience Research
Don’t skip user experience research if you want your product launch to succeed. Customers expect products to work beautifully from day one, and thorough research might make a critical difference for you.
Head to our business section now for more articles on how to make your next product launch your best one ever.