This document provides an overview of user experience (UX) research and how to conduct UX research to improve a website's conversion rate. It begins with definitions of UX and UX research. It then outlines the UX research process, including defining the research purpose and questions, developing a research plan with methodology and participants, conducting research such as interviews and usability testing, analyzing findings for patterns and insights, and tracking the impact of changes. An example walks through each step for a fictional clothing business owner seeking to understand why their website has low transaction rates. The document emphasizes that UX research does not require extensive expertise and can be done logically with planning.
12. UX RESEARCH PROCESS
Define the research
purpose
Gain understanding of the
research background,
objective, expected findings,
and timeline.
Develop research
plan
Detail what you want to cover
during the research, including
methodology, topics to cover,
and list of questions.
Conduct the
research
Time to actually do the
research. Dig deep and
uncover meaningful insights.
Track impact
Convert research findings into
actionable insights and
monitor the product cycle.
Analyze data
Find patterns in behavior and
include actionable
insights/suggestions in your
report.
13. LET’S IMAGINE... 🤔
… that we are a business owner selling women’s clothes. Six months ago, we made a website
using a free source to boost transactions. As the business owner (and the “website builder”), we
think that the user interface is pleasing to the eyes. But, we do not know why the transaction
rate from the website is continuously stagnant. Although we have implemented a special
discount for website purchases and promoted the website on social media, the number of
transactions is still low.
14. 1. Define the research purpose
These questions can help us to define the purpose of the research.
● What is the product? ABC website
● Who are the users of the product? Buyers of ABC Clothes
● What do you want to know? Why? How buyers utilize ABC website to buy clothes; weaknesses and opportunities for
improvement in order to increase transaction rate.
● When do you need the results? W4 of September 2021
● What will you do with the research results? I will extract the findings to improve user journey of ABC website
● What do you know now? ABC website is developed six months ago and the conversion to transaction is still low.
Based on internal data, buyers mainly bounced on the “Cart” page.
15. 2. Develop research plan
In this stage, we have to define:
● Research objective,
● Research scope,
● Methodology,
● Participant criteria,
● Study guideline, and
● Timeline.
16. Research Objective
Research scope
(sometimes called as “research questions” or “key information areas”)
To identify the strengths and weaknesses of
ABC website and provide opportunities for
improvement.
How do people use ABC website?
What is the learning curve when buyers use
ABC website?
What are the most common errors buyers
make when they use the website?
Example of Research Objective & Scope
17. QUALITATIVE
QUANTITATIVE
In-depth
Interview
Ethnography
Usability
Testing
FGD
Survey
Diary Study
Experimental
Test
● 1-on-1 interview
● Better method to
dig sensitive topic
● Group discussion
● Allow for group
interaction to
generate idea
● Test design using
scenarios
● Task completion
Able to understand
what’s happening in
natural setting of the
users
Repeatedly record user
thoughts about a
specific activity over a
period of time
Describing the
characteristic of a
large population
Comparing two
variants of page or
element
DESK RESEARCH
Competitive
Analysis
Literature
Research
Assessment of the
strengths and
weaknesses of current
and potential competitors
Comprehensive
summary of
previous research
on a topic
Comprehensive
summary of information
from internet
Online
Research
Case Study
Research
Comprehensive
summary by analyzing
existing cases which
have gone through a
similar problem
Example of UX Research Methodology
18. Example of Participant Criteria
● Determining research participant criteria is important to ensure that the individuals who participate
can provide the information necessary to address the research questions. The key to defining
participant criteria is to have a good reason for each characteristic.
Example:
These are the primary characteristics of research participants:
● Women, age 22-55 years old
● Have visited ABC website in the past 6 months, but never transact
● Users who have bounced out from “Cart” page in the past 6 months
19. Example of Qualitative Study Guideline
“Where do you usually shop (online vs offline)?”, “If shop online, what platform do
you usually use? Why?”, etc
“What is your name?”, “What are you up to?”, etc
“Imagine that you are currently need a white shirt for this week’s job interview.
What are you going to do on the website?”, etc
“Is there any other thing that you want to say about ABC website?”, etc
1. Participant identity
2. General behaviour
3. Primary topic
(or “Scenario” in usability testing)
4. Closing
20. 💡 Tips On Making Qualitative Study Guideline
1. Use open-ended question whenever possible
Open: “Tell me about your current online shopping behavior (after pandemic).”
Closed: “Did you ever shop on e-commerce XYZ?”
2. Avoid leading question
Neutral: “What are your considerations in choosing online shopping platform?”
Leading: “You like e-commerce ABC than XYZ, right?”
3. Be specific
Example: “How many times do you shop online in a month?”
21. 🤔 How to frame the survey questions?
● Use closed-ended questions whenever possible.
● Don’t ask for two things at once.
● Avoid using big words, complicated words, or jargons.
● If you want to ask about a concept/feature/page, explain it in a clear manner or
give illustration to give respondents a context.
22. Example of Research Timeline
● Project timeline is useful as a “guidance” of the research execution and as a tool to make researchers
and stakeholders on the same page, especially to manage our expectations on research deliverables.
Inform at least these three important dates: when participant recruiting starts, when the study is
happening, and when to get results.
Example:
Schedule:
● Recruiting starts on W1 September 2021
● Study day: W2 September 2021
● Results delivery: W4 September 2021
23. 3. Conduct the research
1. INTRODUCTION 3. UT
2. PRE-UT 4. END OF UT
Introduce the facilitator,
purpose of the session, and
what to expect during the
session. Also, it is important
to ask for users consent
before record the session,
Warm up and get to know the
participants better through
pre-interview. Questions
should be tailored to fit the
objective, and to ensure the
session finishes in a timely
manner.
Following the template, ask
the scenario while another
person acts as the note
taker. Note taking should be
detailed and verbatim.
Ask for final feedback or any
pain points they did not
mention previously. Answer
any questions participants
had during the test.
Example of Qualitative Research Flow:
24. 4. Analyze data
1. Gather all data
2. Analyze pattern
and put theme
3. Formulate key
takeaways
25. Example of Pattern Analysis
“I rarely shop online. I shop online
when something is not available in
the offline store.”
Youth (18 - 22 y.o)
"I've shopped online, but not often,
because I can't try or actually see
the product."
Youth (18 - 22 y.o)
“I’ve shopped online several times,
but not every month. It's nice to be
able to compare prices.”
Youth (18 - 22 y.o)
“I bought electronics and shoes
online several times. It's good, you
don't need to go to the store."
Adult (23 - 35 y.o)
“I feel secure when shopping
online because I can check the
store’s reputation and review.”
Adult (23 - 35 y.o)
“I feel secure when shopping
online. Besides, it is beneficial
because I can get cashback.”
Adult (23 - 35 y.o)
“Online shopping is such a
hassle. I don’t know how to do it.”
Middle age (>35 y.o)
“I don’t want to shop online because
my cousin got cheated once when
buying products online.”
Middle age (>35 y.o)
“Never shop online because I
can’t see and touch the product.”
Middle age (>35 y.o)
HAVE TRUST
ISSUES TOWARD
ONLINE SHOPPING
PRACTICALITY IS
THE MAIN
CONSIDERATION
TO SHOP ONLINE
26. Example of Key Takeaways
Middle age users
Youth and adult users
INSIGHT: Young & adult users have a more positive attitude toward online shopping than middle age users.
The trust issue is the main reason that hinders middle age users from doing online shopping.
“I rarely shop online. I shop online when
something is not available in the offline
store.”
Youth (18 - 22 y.o)
"I've shopped online, but not often,
because I can't try or actually see the
product."
Youth (18 - 22 y.o)
“I’ve shopped online several times, but
not every month. It's nice to be able to
compare prices.”
Youth (18 - 22 y.o)
“I bought electronics and shoes online
several times. It's good, you don't need
to go to the store."
Adult (23 - 35 y.o)
“I feel secure when shopping online
because I can check the store’s
reputation and review.”
Adult (23 - 35 y.o)
“I feel secure when shopping online.
Besides, it is beneficial because I can
get cashback.”
Adult (23 - 35 y.o)
“Online shopping is such a hassle. I
don’t know how to do it.”
Middle age (>35 y.o)
“I don’t want to shop online because my
cousin got cheated once when buying
products online.”
Middle age (>35 y.o)
“Never shop online because I can’t
see and touch the product.”
Middle age (>35 y.o)
HAVE TRUST ISSUES
TOWARD ONLINE
SHOPPING
PRACTICALITY IS
THE MAIN
CONSIDERATION TO
SHOP ONLINE
27. 5. Track research impact
Measuring impact can be a way to see: (1) if there are real actions to solve problems that the research identifies and
(2) how are the results from the actions taken. There were a few ways to track research impact:
● Periodically check the website performance (e.g. quarterly, half-yearly) to collect insights on how X research led to Y
decision and Z design change, which positively impacted task success, conversion rate, etc.
● Track the impact of a research outcome via an online survey to buyers.
● …and many more.
28. “Research does not need to be scary, intimidating, or
something you cannot do just because you are not a
researcher. With some forethought and logical planning,
anyone can run a research session!”