User Research

User Research Delivers Real Insights

When helping to create a website or app it is natural to be proud of our achievements. However, this means less objectivity when finding flaws in the design and functionality A.K.A the IKEA effect. 

User research identifies new insights and barriers to conversion that would normally have been missed. Your web analytics can tell you the ‘what’, but user research will tell you the ‘why’. 

What Are the Benefits of User Research?

• When focusing on a task or projects there is a bias to only see what is expected. Our brain tends to filter out things it regards as less important and ideas which conflict with our existing beliefs. 
• User research participants are not connected to your business and are willing to give honest opinions. People you know may not feel comfortable saying what they really think in case they hurt your feelings. 
• It is a valuable source of ideas for A/B testing. To create a strong hypothesis you need evidence to support it. User research is a good way of generating insights that can be turned into A/B tests. 
• User research can also get feedback on a concept in the early stages of development, using wireframes, prototypes, and even drawings. It’s better to begin user research sooner rather than later. It can inform decisions earlier in the process and avoid changes in direction after the work has been completed. 

Types of Tests:

Conversion Uplift conducts various types of research, the nature of the project and also your business needs will dictate the methods used. 

1. Moderated User Research:

Get videos of real people navigating and commenting on your website or app. By moderating user research, test participants can be guided at key points in the interview process and the moderator can ensure the task is fully understood. It also allows moderators to monitor users during the testing process and ask follow-up questions at appropriate moments in the journey. This means better quality feedback than unmoderated user research where participants are more likely to get distracted. 

2. Design Surveys – Ask users questions.

Allows you to ask a sample of users specific questions about new or existing designs and collate answers within hours. 

Question filters give the ability to follow up with a more revealing question depending on a user’s previous response. This allows you to create complex tests based on how participants answer each question. 

Open text analysis with tags can show how often a similar answer was given. It can also identify themes.

3. Preference Tests – Which Design and why?

Fine-tune visual designs, marketing copy, branding and other assets by measuring user sentiment and affinity.  

Preference tests can help you decide between different designs by asking a sample of real people to tell you which one they like most. By asking follow-up questions you can also understand why participants prefer one design more than another. 

Automatically calculates statistical significance to inform you if the results are conclusive.

4. Five Second Test – First Impressions.

Optimise the clarity of your messages and images on landing pages by measuring people’s recall and first impressions. 

Most website visitors decide in the first few seconds whether they will bounce or stay on a site, so it is important to understand how designs are perceived after a short exposure. According to research users can judge the credibility of a website in as little as 3.42 seconds.