There’s no shortage of methods available to the UX researcher. The methods can generate both qualitative and quantitative data–and many of them complement each other. A mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative and quantitative methods gives you a better picture of both the frequency or “how much” and the reasoning or “why” behind the numbers better
When we speak about a qualitative research study, it’s easy to think there is one kind. But just as with quantitative methods, there are actually many varieties of qualitative methods. Similar to the way you can group usability testing methods, there are also a number of ways to segment qualitative methods. A popular and helpful
While we’re known in the industry as a quantitative research firm, much of the research we do is actually a mixed-methods approach. That is, we mix both quantitative and qualitative methods to provide a comprehensive picture of the user experience. Such an approach answers “why” and “how much,” among other things; answers difficult to get
Have you taken a terrible survey? Or, perhaps you were on the receiving end of the results? Too long. Leading questions. Poor response options. Overgeneralized findings and misinterpreted data. There’s no doubt that surveys can be overused and abused. Maybe you’ve even thought about abandoning them altogether. But is that abuse greater in surveys than
When you’re planning a study to compare multiple interfaces, one of the first choices to consider is whether to use a within-subjects or between-subjects approach. The interfaces can include anything you want to compare: design mockups, competing websites, or a new mobile app design with an old mobile app design. The choice comes down to
While we often talk about usability tests as if there is one type of usability test, the truth is there are several varieties of usability tests. Each type addresses different research goals. Don’t confuse the five usability testing types with the interface type or the testing modes. Interface types are mobile (website or apps), desktop
Was that what you were expecting? How do you feel when you’re pleasantly surprised by the quality of a hotel room, the service at a restaurant, or the features in a new app? And how do you feel when it takes 20 minutes to pay your bill online (after calling customer service) when you expected
How do you create a better user experience? The answer starts with asking the right questions. While there are many questions you should ask to measure the user experience, there are a number of questions that come up repeatedly. Here are the seven I get the asked the most and some guidance on how to
We often talk of qualitative OR quantitative research. You needn’t think of this as an either-or situation. You can often optimize customer research with a mix of the two. While it might seem unorthodox to mix seemingly different fields, it turns out to be a common practice. Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods is neither new
Did they see it? We’re often asked whether participants in a study notice certain design elements—icons, labels, ads, a component of a company logo, or a product function—in a user interface. For a participant to notice these elements involves both seeing and perceiving, so this simple question can be easier to ask than to answer.
