USER EXPERIENCE (UX) RESEARCH SERVICES

UX research is the study of the needs and experiences of target users to guide product development, marketing and broader decision-making. There are two main categories of UX research: generative, which captures insights to inform designs and experiences, and evaluative, where existing experiences are tested and refined.

Through experimentation we measure the impact of different tactics on behaviour, but if we don’t combine it with UX research we don’t understand the why behind this behaviour. In order to ensure an experimentation program is impactful, it is essential to combine the behavioural insights from AB testing with attitudinal insights from UX research so that we understand why we are observing a behaviour, and more importantly what we should do next as a result.

There are of course a lot of ways UX research insights can be used, and at Widerfunnel there are 3 use cases in particular which come up most frequently. The first is using UX research to inform an AB test hypothesis, the second is conducting UX research to gain insight into an AB test result, and the third is carrying out standalone UX research to gain insights when an AB test is not possible.

There are many  methodologies which can be applied to address a range of research objectives. At Widerfunnel our main research methods are usability testing, where users go through a specific set of tasks to highlight the biggest areas of opportunity for improving an experience, as well as contextual interviews, where we are looking to understand the deeper motivations and mental models of users. Other methodologies in our toolkit include surveys, diary studies and onsite polls.

To create a successful experience or product, it is essential to be able to get into the shoes of customers or potential customers, and UX research is the only way we can truly achieve this. UX research ensures we are keeping the target users at the center of what we do. It also helps businesses reduce risk, by allowing them to research concepts or designs and make improvements before these are developed further.

This is dependent on the specific scope, objectives and methodology, but generally our UX research studies take 2-4 weeks. Ensuring research is of a high quality is of course important, but it is key to not get too focused on designing the perfect study at the expense of being able to do regular research. Through AB testing we are able to validate insights to see whether user behaviour aligns with the UX research findings.