The Importance Of User Research In UX Design

Have you ever encountered a website that loads slowly because of many graphics and animations? Or have you ever clicked a link on a site where it leads you to a different page than its anchor text? Yes, we understand how frustrating it can be.

Based on an Entrepreneur article, 4 out of 10 internet users will leave a website that takes more than three seconds to load. That’s a decrease in possible engagement and conversion rates for the website.

To prevent a poor user experience (UX) not only on websites but on digital products as well, most companies hire UX design agencies in London. UX designers specialize in making products, services, or technology user-friendly, accessible, convenient, and enjoyable for users.

And as UX focuses on the users’ demands, preferences, and behavior, one aspect that people in the product design industry should understand is user research.

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UX Design vs. User Research

Many people, especially those who are not in the product design field, are not familiar with UX design and user research. UX design is the process of designing products and services while prioritizing the user experience. Moreover, it is driven by research, data analysis, and test results rather than business opinions and preferences. Most businesses invest in UX design, as every dollar invested in UX gives $100 in return.

On the other hand, user research deals with understanding user behaviors, demands, and preferences to create a product. Both UX design and user research center on the users, user research is only a fraction of the UX design process.

Importance Of User Research In UX Design

Did you know that the global UX design market value size was valued at $465 million in 2021? It is a valuable market in product making.

UX design starts with the identification of the problem within the consumers. This problem will serve as a guide on the whole UX design process. Thus, user research initiates the UX design of a product.

To further understand the application of user research, here are the reasons why user research is vital in UX design.

It Helps To Design Products Better And More User-Friendly

UX design without understanding the potential consumers’ wants, needs, and behavior through user research may result in a trial-and-error approach. User research focuses on the users’ needs above all else. Through effective user research methods, such as interviews, surveys, and establishing persona, UX designers can build and design better and more user-friendly products.

It Saves Time And Money

Some careless product design companies don’t prioritize user research for their UX design, especially if there are time and budget constraints. But more often than not, conducting user research can save time and money in the long run.

Companies that skip user research often experience usability issues, design flaws, or worst, no consumers want to use that product. Through user research, UX designers can understand the user needs, which has a large impact on minimizing the errors or adjustments needed for the final product.

It Complements The Iterative Process Of UX Design

UX design is an iterative process. Even after launching the product, UX designers will still look for adjustments to fully optimize the product.

With user research, UX designers can always go back to the users’ data to improve and optimize the product to its full potential. Thus, they can stick to their goal of bringing the best experience for their product users.

Final Thoughts

User research is a part of the UX design process. It involves understanding the wants, needs, and behaviors of the product’s target consumers. As most businesses invest in UX design, user research can help UX designers create an easy-to-use, convenient, and enjoyable product.

As presented in this article, user research is crucial in the UX design process as it helps in designing products better and more user-friendly, saves a company’s time and money in the long run, and complements the iterative process of the UX design.

In UX design, the experience of the users is everything. So if you are a business owner, project manager, product designer, or UX designer, one of the first things you should do in order to create a product is to conduct user research.