How do I choose the right research method? We see this question a lot.
User research can be intimidating, even for the pros. That’s why we created a UX Research Methods Selection Tool — to help you determine the best research methods based on multiple factors, and ultimately, get your research started faster.
Answer a few questions and we’ll give you a recommended method. Just that easy.
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The UX Research Methods Selection Tool is based on five key phases of research:
1. Idea generation and strategy
2. Early concept validation
3. Design & development
4. Launch
5. Post-launch and learnings
Within each of these five phases, we’ll provide questions that aim to get to the heart of the research outcomes you’re seeking based on your goals, time, and context.
From there, we’ll recommend at least one of the following methods:
A/B testing is a way for researchers to determine which options (typically, A or B) is preferred by the end user.
A type of research that focuses on user accessibility.
Card sorting is a research method in which participants group topics together in a way that makes sense to them. Typically, UX researchers conduct card sorts by writing topics on individual cards, asking users to sort related topics into groups, and then asking users to name or categorize each group.
Clickstream analysis involves collecting, analyzing, and reporting data about how users navigate through a website.
Concept testing is based on listening to the audience's views and exploring how viable the concept is for them – without predefined parameters or expectations.
Otherwise known as an ethnographic interview. See more on ethnography.
Desirability testing (also called preference testing) is used to compare the aesthetic or emotional appeal of a design or concept, in order to understand how people perceive and respond to different variants.
A diary study (sometimes called a camera study) is a UX research method in which participants keep a log of their thoughts, experiences, and activities over a defined period of time, usually a few days to several weeks.
Ethnographic UX research reveals user insights by allowing you to observe users in the context of their real-life technical and social environments.
An eye-tracking study helps observe and measure eye movements, pupil dilation, point of gaze, and blinking to see where subjects of a study focus their visual attention, what they engage with, and what they ignore.
First click tests can be used for any product with a user interface, including websites, apps, or mobile web pages. They’re used to evaluate whether or not your page’s navigation and linking structure is effective in helping users complete their intended task.
Five second testing helps you measure a user’s first impression of your design and assess if it’s effectively communicating its intended message.
A focus group is a moderated conversation with a group of 5 to 10 participants in which a moderator asks the group a set of questions about a particular topic. They can be helpful tools for learning about attitudes, beliefs, desires, and reactions to concepts or designs. Focus groups typically last from 1 to 2 hours.
Commonly a usability inspection of a product and/or product experience.
A research method that uses short, structured questionnaires to gather feedback from participants in real-time.
Continuous user interviews are frequent 1-1 meetings with customers for the purpose of collecting ongoing insights. Unlike user interviews conducted as part of a dedicated study, continuous user interviews are quicker, recurrent, and open-ended in nature.
A process by which researchers are testing more than two variables at once to understand which is preferred by the end user.
Ongoing user feedback surveys (such as NPS, CSAT, or CES—more on these in the next section) are a method for collecting information directly from users or customers about their product experiences, preferences, and usage.
Participatory design (also known as co-design) actively involves all stakeholders in the design process.
An essential aspect of UX research, and ongoing listening in particular, is analyzing user interactions with your support and sales teams across your website, email, chat, demos, or call center. Work with your sales and support leadership to find ways to evaluate this data.
A survey is a set of questions you use to collect data from your target audience.
Task analysis is an effective way to find out what people who you hope will use your product are trying to achieve, how they go about achieving it, and how effective they are.
Think-aloud protocols involve participants thinking aloud as they are performing a set of specified tasks. Participants are asked to say whatever comes into their mind as they complete the task.
Tree testing is one of several methods for getting the feedback you need to design a functional website, or anything else with menu options nested inside each other.
Usability tests ask participants to attempt a series of assigned tasks, and then observe and record how well they can accomplish those tasks. Their ability to do the things you want them to do informs your next steps—namely, whether to make changes to your design or not, and which changes to make.
User interviews (also called in-depth interviews) are 30- to 60-minute conversations with a single participant, in which a researcher asks questions about a topic of interest to gain a deeper understanding of participants’ their attitudes, beliefs, desires and experiences.
From there, the methods tool provide information for you in the form of:
We’ll recommend the most helpful chapters of our UX Research Field Guide, which are full of all the information you need to know to hit the ground running with a method you are new to or need to brush up on.
We’ll recommend a template from our free library to kickstart the research process.
The User Interviews Launch Kits come complete with education on the method, a recruiting project to quickly launch a study on User Interviews, and further guidance on making the method as streamlined as possible.
We’ve sourced the infinite depths of our Fresh Views blog and curated content for the interwebs to help you get started.
Want to get a head start on learning about UX Research Methodologies? Check out this chapter of our UXR Field Guide.
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