During one of our client meetings, we mentioned the UX-effort estimation sheet. Suddenly, the meeting room became quiet, and it was pretty obvious that the client didn’t understand the meaning and value of UX research.
Additionally, the client also mentioned that conducting a research of any kind is a waste of time and money. Of course, we didn’t expect our client to know anything about UX research and its benefits. So, we decided that we should find a common language with the client and make sure that we share the same philosophy. We decided to help the client understand how UX research works and adds value to their product.
WHAT IS UX RESEARCH?
User research is a crucial step to product development. It is primarily a discovery phase, during which one analyzes users’ behavior, needs, and motivations. Analyzing users’ behaviors contributes to building a well-designed product strategy.
There are many UX research methods, such as focus groups, surveys, journey mapping, the creation of buyer personas, etc. Each of these UX research methods has its benefits and drawbacks. When choosing the right UX research method, you need to be aware that they are helpful in achieving different goals – so it depends on your project’s requirements and goals.
Why UX research is essential for building great products
Conducting UX research is an essential part of building a UX strategy – it helps eliminate assumptions from the design process. It allows you to base your designs on data.
Skipping the user research stage has serious repercussions for the clients simply because it is NOT possible to create a product if you do not know what problem it solves for users. One of the reasons why most products/companies fail is that companies do not invest resources in user