When a UX designer is working on a product, they have two options. Option A is to make a research hypothesis or generalized assumptions about who you think your audience is and what they want. 

Option B is to ask questions like who my ideal audience is, what problems they currently face, and how can I create an inclusive design that offers a great user experience for them?

Option A usually leads to terrible product design, product recalls, poor usability, and dissatisfaction with the product.  If 32% of customers never return to a brand after a poor experience, then you have no second chance to make it right with them.

Option B ensures that design isn’t influenced by inherent bias or assumptions that ruin product usability. Instead, you’re listening to your audience and building user-centric products they love. The result? Increased customer satisfaction, excellent user experience, and higher revenues for your company.

Many companies now realize that creating user-centric products is the only way to succeed. They’ve seen the benefits of prioritizing user research as a way to identify user needs, inform and validate design decisions.

While there are many techniques to conduct user research, they mostly fall into qualitative or quantitative user research categories. Qualitative studies provide subjective information, while quantitative studies provide objective information. Both research techniques help designers evaluate a product and decide whether a full or partial redesign is required.

User research can easily become overwhelming for new researchers who are still learning the ropes. It’s easy to feel confused when you think of where to recruit research participants, which type of UX research method to apply, or choosing a tool to use at each stage of the UX research process.

Remote collaboration is easier with the right tools. Rather than wasting time on manual activities that won’t generate data-backed responses, UX research tools save time and ensure you’re getting feedback from your ideal audience.