Often overlooked and under prioritized, the less exciting side of design lies in user research. This essential piece of the design process helps designers learn about how users (like you, reading this website, and later perhaps scrolling through Instagram) feel about and use digital products. By learning how users move through a product, from home page, to blog post, designers can find ways to improve the user’s experience.
Why does research get left by the wayside sometimes? Designers can get excited to start thinking of new ways to design a digital experience. But the best way to become a good designer is to put the user first, always. Here are a few ways I like learning about users, and some projects where these methods have helped me design better.
One on One Interviews
By far my favorite way to learn about how users think and feel about a particular product, interviews are exactly what they sound like: sitting with a user and asking questions. This can be done with an already existing product, and was my main user research method when I redesigned Craigslist. It can also be used to better design a new product, by asking questions to learn more about a problem that could be solved with an app or other product.
Interviews are more time-consuming, but they can help designers dig deep into the core of a user’s problem. Asking open-ended questions, and lots of “why” type questions can help go from surface level observations, to in depth understanding of the user’s experience when using a product.
Surveys
A great way to learn from a wider audience is through surveys. While less deep, this is a great research method when working with a small budget or short timeline (or both). I’ve used surveys to redesign a website for connecting Native Americans in urban areas to healthcare (case study coming soon). I’ve also used surveys to write better content for this blog.
Surveys can collect qualitative (think short answer questions) and quantitative (multiple choice) data, which both give the designer more information to better understand who they are designing for.
Google Analytics and Hotjar
I first used Google Analytics when I was in the Peace Corps working with a bamboo social enterprise, and it gave me so much insight. While interviews and surveys can give you a good grasp of how users think or feel when using a product, hard data can show you how users behave in real time. You can figure out how much time people spend on a given page, where they click next, and so much more. It’s a free and powerful service.
Hotjar is another tool that is a more visual version of Google Analytics. It produces heat maps – where users are clicking, where their mouse hovers, and gives you a better idea of how users are using your website. It takes data a step further, and helps understand the user that much better.
User research is essential to making websites, apps, and physical products better. The more we listen to what users think, the better we can design products that help them out. By learning about users, we can build a world of tech that is equitable, accessible, and fun.
Curious about improving the user experience of your website or product? Dig deep and lay out the way forward with my User Experience Strategy Audit. Whether you want a more accessible experience, or help users enjoy using your product more, this audit will help improve your product design. Email me at me@martagravier.com to learn more.