How to understand your users and what they want: the complete guide to UX research

Really knowing your users involves taking the initiative to understand their behavior, their preferences, and their desires. This is where UX research comes into play. 

It may seem overwhelming at first and you might not know where to start, but when done right, UX research gives you key insights into what your users want (and don’t), so you can give them the best possible product and experience.

This is your ultimate guide to UX research: learn exactly what it is, why it matters, which research methods to use, and the best practices to follow, so you can start understanding your users better and create the perfect product for them. 

What is UX research?

User experience (UX) research is the study of all your user groups and how they interact with your product or service. It helps you create a product your users love and validate decisions, like figuring out if your users will like your new feature or if a design change will positively impact their experience.

UX research vs. UX design

To be clear, UX research and UX design are not the same thing. 

• The UX research process centers on conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis to gain key insights about your users and how they interact with your product. 

• UX design is about implementing those findings to create a valuable experience for your users, whether on your website or app

While some companies have designated UX or product researcher roles, UX designers often carry out UX research to inform their design decisions. And sometimes, marketing and customer success teams conduct UX research to learn more about their customers and how to better speak to and serve them.

The 2 main methods of UX research

While UX research is an overarching term that describes the process of getting to know your users, there are various methods you can use to carry out your analysis. And, as with any research process, the goal of your research will determine the methods you use.

Use both qualitative and quantitative methods when conducting UX analysis. Quantitative research gives you an overview of the hard data, while qualitative research helps explain the ‘why’ behind your results.

Let's take a look at these two methods:

5 quantitative UX research methods

Quantitative research helps you use numerical data to inform your design and product decisions. Quantitative UX research methods include 

• Surveys help you glean important insights into the user experience. Use Net Promoter Score® (NPS) and customer satisfaction (CSAT) score surveys for a quick, quantitative look at how your users feel about your product and brand, asking them to score their experience on a scale of 1–5.

• A/B testing helps you compare and evaluate multiple versions of your product or design. For example, if you’re testing out different designs for your check-out cart, use A/B testing to determine which version results in more sales. You can use a tool like Optimizely to test different versions of your product. 

• Heatmaps let you conduct both quantitative and qualitative research. Tools like Contentsquare let you observe which parts of your design draw users in and which they ignore. You can use these findings to influence your UX design and overall product strategy.

Contentsquare’s Heatmaps show you important patterns in user activity on your website

• Product analytics: as well as heatmaps, you can use product analytics to gain key insights into how your users interact with your website. You can also use Google Analytics to learn more about user demographics and behavior.

• Benchmarking lets you track your product’s usability over time to determine whether it’s making progress—for example, if it’s becoming increasingly valuable and easy to use. To do so, use a relatively large sample size of users (40 or more) and measure their time to complete certain tasks and the outcome of their actions.

5 qualitative UX research methods

It’s also important to understand the reasons behind your quantitative research findings, which is where qualitative analysis can help. Qualitative UX research methods include

• Surveys: as well as measuring hard data, you can use surveys to ask your users key UX research questions and learn about their product and post-purchase experiences. For example, send out exit-intent surveys to get a better understanding of why your users leave, so you can prevent it from happening in the future. 

• Feedback: include a Contentsquare feedback widget on your website to hear what users have to say about your brand and product while it’s fresh in their minds. This allows you to capture opinions from users in the wild and better understand their frustrations and desires. 

• Usability testing is an observational research method that helps you identify drawbacks and opportunities in your product. Some examples of usability testing include performance testing, card sorting, and tree testing, which can give you key insights into the way your users understand and experience your product.  

• User observation: you can also use heatmaps to gain qualitative insights about how your users navigate your website. Contentsquare lets you create an unlimited number of heatmaps and watch session replays to see how your users really engage with your product and find out where they get stuck or encounter errors on your site so you can improve the design (and their journey).

Contentsquare’s Session Replay tool shows you exactly where users encounter errors to help you optimize their journey

• User interviews: what better way to get to know your users than by speaking with them? Conduct interviews with distinct user profiles to learn about their jobs to be done, their frustrations with your product, and which features provide them with the most value. 

🔥 Pro tip: use Contentsquare’s Interviews tool to connect with users and uncover their motivations and needs, driving more informed decision-making.

Contentsquare’s Interviews tool helps you engage directly with users to uncover their frustrations and needs, enabling more effective UX improvements

5 best practices for UX research

When done right, UX research is a powerful tool that helps you get to know your users and give them the digital experience they desire. Take a look at these 5 UX research best practices to conduct effective research and make decisions that'll have the greatest impact on all your users. 

1. Identify your users and their goals

Empathy is the key to successful design. To create something your users will love, you first have to know and understand them. Establish unique user personas—you can’t fit all your different types of users in one box—so you can design a product that delights every type of buyer that comes into contact with it. 

Remember, a big part of UX research is understanding your various user personas and their motivations, which is why you should analyze all of your user groups. Be sure to both track their behavior and seek their opinions—user feedback will often help explain the ‘why’ behind the actions you observe.

🔥 Pro tip: use Contentsquare to segment your customers into different groups based on their goals, barriers, and use cases.

Contentsquare’s segmentation capability helps you identify and analyze groups like returning and new customers for tailored insights

2. Use a variety of tools

You should have a variety of UX research tools at your disposal to conduct both quantitative and qualitative research. Contentsquare, for example, lets you observe what users do on your product or site with Heatmaps and Session Replay, as well as collect user opinions with Surveys. And for A/B testing, Contentsquare offers integrations with tools like AB Tasty and Optimizely, so you can compare different versions of your design.

For the full list of tools to conduct UX research and optimize the process: check out this article.

3. Make data-driven decisions

Once you’ve conducted your UX research, put it to good use and make informed product changes that provide value to your users. Now’s the time to put your users’ goals and desires at the center of your product and design decisions, and find ways to alleviate their frustrations to get happier users that stick around for the long haul. 

4. Keep all relevant stakeholders in the loop

While you may be in charge of the UX research on your team, you may not be calling the shots when it comes to product design changes or new feature roll-outs. That’s why it’s important to keep everyone, from project and product managers to marketers and C-level decision-makers, in the loop. Also, be sure to present your UX research findings in a clear, understandable manner. 

🔥 Pro tip: if you're collecting insights with Contentsquare, use the Slack integration to share them with stakeholders and keep everyone on the same page.

Contentsquare's Slack integration delivers real-time insights to empower faster data-driven UX decisions across your team

5. Improve and repeat your UX research cycle

UX research is not simply a box to check—it should be an ongoing process that you constantly refine and carry out to optimize your product and the user experience. Continue updating your UX research process to gain even better insights into the customer experience and give your users a product that exceeds expectations. 

Conduct UX research to optimize your product and create happier users

UX research saves you from making uninformed assumptions about what your users want. A strong UX research process helps you understand their habits and desires to make smart design decisions. 

Use our methods and best practices to really get to know your customers, nail your UX design, and turn curious visitors into delighted, loyal users.

FAQs about UX research