Plan research
Before starting research you need to answer these points:
- Objectives (research objectives, business objectives, research success criteria, delivarables)
- Hypothesis (assumptions)
- Methods (quantitative, qualitative)
- Participants
- Timeline
Choosing the right method for your project helps you to come up with the right insights. Here is a difference between Evaluative and Generative Research and when to use each of them.
Generative Research
is a good way for new products. There are two types of User Research: Quantitative (data + analytics) & Qualitative (behaviour + emotions).
is about the quantity. You need a high amount of data to be able to get insights. Those insights answer the ‘what’ questions.
Example: this type of research shows what devices users are using but not why.
Quantitative methods:
- Market analysis (check competitors)
- Analytics (Example: google analytics)
- A/B testing
- Survey (questions like ‘how many’)
is about quality. With these methods, you will be able to get an answer on ‘why’.
Qualitative methods:
- 1 to 1 interview
- Usability Testing (in lab or online)
- Focus groups (the main part is discussion; need to have moderator)
- Diary studies (what users are doing + what users are feeling; ~5 people)
Evaluative research
You can use this type of research for existing project/redesign sth. When you need to find, what doesn’t work for example. And here is a good way — 10 heuristics! Link to NN/g
