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UX designers often get stuck focusing on the wrong things.
They focus on details like the latest Figma techniques without understanding the bigger picture.
This poses a challenge to businesses and stakeholders. Because at the end of the day, they have targets to achieve.
They need team members (designers included) who know this and deliver output to make this happen.
And that starts with a UX research strategy.
An important step is uncovering the insights from two types of research: quantitative (which tells us "what" people do) and qualitative (which explains "why" they do it).
This guide will explain each kind of research and how they are used in UX research.
On its own, however, it won't get anywhere. Its value lies in knowing how to apply it in the real world.
In our UX research course, learn the exact processes and tactics that Michael Wong (Mizko) used to help build a UX agency that generated over $6 million in revenue.
Quantitative research focuses on gathering and evaluating numerical data. The goal is to identify trends, calculate averages, or find connections between data points.
For example, Google Analytics uses quantitative research to monitor the total number of site visits, inquiry counts, and bounce rates. With this data, you get insights into how users behave on your site and how it's performing.
Quantitative research can be super helpful at different stages, mainly because it gives you solid numbers to work with.
Here's why it's important in your UX research:
Before diving into the nitty-gritty details of your design, you might want to get a general sense of user behavior or preferences.
Example: For example, you could use surveys to determine what features users want the most or analyze website traffic to see where users spend their time.
Once you have some design ideas or changes in mind, quantitative research can test if those ideas resonate with a wider audience.
Example: This is where A/B testing comes in handy. You might create two versions of a page and see which one performs better in terms of clicks, engagement, or conversions.
After implementing your designs, you’ll want to know if they match your desired results. It also helps pinpoint usability issues.
Example: Use Google Analytics or other analytics tools to track conversions and engagements to assess if your product meets your objectives.
Let's explore the common quantitative research methods in UX:
Here are the problems UX designers might face:
Qualitative research gathers non-numerical data to understand concepts, thoughts, or experiences. It provides depth and context to user behaviors, motivations, and emotions.
Qualitative UX research is all about understanding the stories, feelings, and thoughts behind user actions. You talk to users, watch how they interact with your design, or see their reactions to understand their experiences.
Here are the reasons why qualitative research is important in UX design:
Before you even start designing, talking to potential users can give you inspiration for what to build by understanding what they need or what problems they have. This can spark ideas for what to build.
Example: Before starting a new app for home gardeners, you talk to potential users and discover common pain points. They struggle with remembering watering schedules and managing pests organically. This feedback inspires the idea of an app that sends watering reminders and offers natural pest control tips.
Hearing directly from users and understanding their experiences makes creating solutions that appeal to them easier. This includes understanding user needs, behaviors, and the context of their problems.
Example: Imagine you're developing a new fitness app. At this stage, you might interview users to understand their fitness routines, exercise motivations, and frustrations with current fitness apps. This can help you identify features your app should have, like personalized workout plans or motivation tracking.
Even after your design is out in the world, you’ll want to keep improving it. Talking to users can help you understand what’s working, what’s not, and why. It also builds industry insights and bridges knowledge gaps.
Example: When redesigning a public transportation app, holding focus groups could reveal that users want real-time updates about delays.
While qualitative research in UX design offers deep insights, it comes with its own set of challenges:
Doing both qualitative and quantitative research methods in UX design is like having the best of both worlds.
Qualitative research digs into the "why" behind user actions, while quantitative research offers solid stats to back up your findings and spot trends.
Pairing these two methods gives you a full view of what's happening and why. Start with qualitative methods, like interviews, to get raw, in-depth feedback.
Next, conduct surveys or similar quantitative techniques to determine if those feelings or issues are common among your users.
Both research methods can sometimes uncover deeper insights that using one method alone might miss.
Let's take a look at a real-life case study from Spotify.
Problem: Qualitative data revealed a discrepancy compared to the quantitative numbers from an A/B test on using a new feature that lets you skip ads.
They noticed users were engaging with the feature in different ways. However, when they talked to users directly, they realized there was confusion about how it worked, which the numbers alone didn't explain.
What Spotify did: Spotify's Product Insights team, which consisted of a mix of User Researchers and Data Scientists, adopted a mixed-methods research strategy known as "simultaneous triangulation."
This approach involved:
How it helped: This integrated approach allowed Spotify to understand why there was a difference between user feedback and the data.
For example, they found that users they thought were "power skippers" were just confused about the rules for skipping ads. Only talking to users could reveal this, showing a full view of how people interacted with the feature.
Outcome: Using both user feedback and data, Spotify could fix misunderstandings.
They sent messages to users confused about whether there was a limit to skipping ads. They explained clearly that they could skip as many ads as they wanted. This clear communication messaging greatly improved how well the feature worked and doubled its feature success metrics.
By combining both research methods, Spotify solved the puzzle of mismatched insights and made better decisions for their product.
To gain the confidence and trust of stakeholders, designers often focus on making their designs look prettier and on-trend.
That's the old way of thinking. Companies nowadays seek designers who go beyond that and bring more results.
And it starts with understanding their users.
To truly meet their needs and solve their problems, you need to dive deep into their world.
Understanding how your work fits the larger business objectives is crucial to stand out.
Learn how to master UX research in just 10+ hours with Mizko's Practical UX Research & Strategy Course.
This course is your bridge to knowing your users and truly understanding them. By the end of the course, you'll be able to know what type of research methods to use in your projects to uncover crucial insights.
Here’s what makes it stand out:
You’ll also learn how to:
This course has already helped over 6,800 designers from top tech companies like Google, Meta, and Squarespace to integrate UX research into their daily work.
Here's what some of them have to say:
"I'm 100% more confident when talking to stakeholders about User Research & Strategy and the importance of why it needs to be included in the process. I also have gained such a beautiful new understanding of my users that greatly influences my designs." - UX/UI Designer Alyssa Durante
"The process in this course connects the dots and its easy to lead the clients through this process... + I can adapt the process based on the resources and the needs of the client. Life is now way easier to be honest because I have clear path to show to the clients even before we start the project because I can build expectations from the start." - UX/UI Designer Milosh Jakjimovski
"As I was struggling to find a high-level research framework for my day-to-day design work, I was able to fill many of the knowledge gaps because I took this course. It provides a well-structured research process that cuts out the "guesswork" that I'm adopting in my projects. Mizko covers his reasoning for every decision he took from start to end. Real-life examples and practical solutions throughout the course were incredibly helpful. Right now, I'm more confident than ever with my design decisions, presenting meaningful briefs to stakeholders, and so on." - UX Designer Al Razi Siam
Go beyond learning Figma skills and deliver designs that drive business results.
Mizko, also known as Michael Wong, brings a 14-year track record as a Founder, Educator, Investor, and Designer. His career evolved from lead designer to freelancer, and ultimately to the owner of a successful agency, generating over $10M in revenue from Product (UX/UI) Design, Web Design, and No-code Development. His leadership at the agency contributed to the strategy and design for over 50 high-growth startups, aiding them in raising a combined total of over $400M+ in venture capital.
Notable projects include: Autotrader (Acquired. by eBay), PhoneWagon (Acquired by CallRails), Spaceship ($1B in managed funds), Archistar ($15M+ raised) and many more.