Are you planning to carry out your own research? Here’s what you need to know

More and more organisations are conducting their own UX research. It is gradually becoming the norm for companies to engage in dialogue with their own customers. And that is a positive and important development.

If we look around us, we increasingly see non-researchers carrying out research too. UX designers, for example, present their own designs to customers. They show prototypes and ask for immediate feedback. This takes place in informal sessions, without a rigid research structure.

Essentially, this is a very good thing. As the creator of a product, it is important to be in touch with your users. But there is a downside: research is a specialised field. When non-researchers carry out research, it is often at the expense of the quality of the research. 

It’s all too easy to ask the wrong questions or draw incorrect conclusions. And that has major consequences for your product or service.

Everyone needs to understand the user, but not everyone should to carry out research

Research is a profession. Just as design is a profession. It’s a precise discipline.

The moment you ask the wrong questions, or don’t carry out research properly, the outcome will be different. You’ll end up working on the wrong things. You’ll come up with solutions to problems you haven’t properly understood. However important it is to talk to customers, there’s one thing worse than not doing research at all: doing poor research. 

It’s good for your team members to see or speak to end-users regularly. But this should primarily be to increase their understanding and empathy, to ensure they know who they’re working for. They don’t need to conduct interviews themselves in the lab to achieve this. It can be a lot more accessible.

Albert Heijn, for example, had its staff chat to customers at the Huishoudbeurs. Just an informal chat, sitting on a rug, without a script. The aim then isn’t to improve your design straight away, but simply to get to know your target group a bit better.

The cost of poorly conducted research is high

At first glance, poorly conducted research may seem cost-effective, but in the long run it can actually prove expensive.

Here’s why: incorrect conclusions lead to wrong decisions. And that, in turn, results in failed product launches, redesigns and a loss of customer trust. The costs of this are higher than those of well-conducted research.

Where exactly is it going wrong? Could you be more specific?

When people with no experience carry out research, you run into various problems. We’ll highlight two of them:

#1 The research design is too vague
We often see people simply starting to conduct tests. They don’t work from a research question or from assumptions; instead, they dive straight into the interview. As a result, the research lacks focus. You gather a wealth of information, but you don’t know what to look out for. You don’t know what conclusions to draw or what the next steps should be. Research needs focus and clear boundaries.

#2 Leading and suggestive questions are asked
When conducting research, it’s important to master the right interview techniques. All too often, we hear leading, suggestive questions – or closed questions. Take the following question: ​‘Did you expect this?’ People are viewing a website or app subconsciously. So it’s an impossible question that participants nevertheless try to answer. Instead of asking the question literally, you need to learn to observe behaviour. That’s how you arrive at honest, reliable insights.

Good news: you can learn how to conduct research

If you undergo intensive training and receive guidance for a period of time, you can certainly learn to carry out a UX test yourself – even if you’re not a researcher.

But remember: research is a skill that you need to keep developing. Even after thorough training, it’s important to refresh your skills regularly and keep up to date with new techniques. This ensures your research remains of a high standard.

Furthermore, as a non-researcher, it’s always a good idea to work alongside experienced researchers. That way, you’ll learn from them, maintain objectivity and work according to structured methods.

Build a culture of research

Training people to become researchers is a step in the right direction, but conducting research effectively within your organisation requires more than that.

If you take research seriously, you need to look at the bigger picture. Where does research sit within the organization? Is it positioned where it can have the greatest impact? What mandate does the research team have? How is research initiated? Who conducts it? If you really want to reap the benefits of research, you need to organise it strategically.

Do you have any questions or ideas?