Qualitative Methods in Usability Research — Types and Applications

The ability to understand the needs of customers is fundamental in UX design. An effective way to learn about user experience is through quantitative and qualitative UX research. The latter allow to reach the minds of the recipient and obtain information on how to improve the product.

What is Qualitative Research?

Qualitative research is the collection of data relating to psychology, behavior, motivation and user opinions. Quantitative research methods, on the other hand, determine numerical data, e.g. how many people declare the same problem, where inconveniences arise, etc. Thanks to this, the design team can understand the requirements, needs and problems of the users in order to be able to optimize the product.

Quantitative research methods help to identify the decline in the number of users, but do not explain why this happened. Research methods related to anthropology, ethnography and sociology make it possible to understand the phenomenon through conversations with users, social studies and observations. They allow to reveal, among other things, changes in the attitude of users towards the platform.

Why is qualitative research so important?

In all industries where user experience testing is used, qualitative research is of paramount importance. They help to understand the feelings and values of usersbecause they define “why” and “in what way” individual elements influence the change in their perception. Quantitative research methods are very precise and provide a lot of information, but they address other issues.

Without harnessing the potential of qualitative research, developers may never know what causes users to leave their products. Fixing technical problems is different from modifying elements that affect the attitude of users. Qualitative research enables creators delve into the perspective of users. They consist in understanding the audience and, consequently, directing decisions related to design.

Types of qualitative research

There are several research methods that focus on knowing the user feelings of a given digital product:

Contextual research

This is a type of research carried out in previously specified circumstances, e.g. while waiting for transport. With tests of this kind, it is possible to check the real way the user moves around the application in everyday conditions.

Contextual research — how to do it?

How can this type of research be carried out effectively?

1. Determination of the purpose of the study, that is, writing down the assumptions of each side of the process. At this stage, it is necessary to think about what form of research will be most appropriate.
2. Presentation of the form of research — a thorough explanation to the participants of the form of conducting the research.
3. Discussing the objectives of the study with participants, that is, controlling their attitude and explaining that it is not they who will be evaluated, but the product.
4. Registration of the study, that is, a recording of its course in audio form or in the form of a video recording. It may also be a good idea to take pictures if there is no other way to register the meeting.
5. Preservation of the natural course of events — this means that researchers should not interfere in any way with the work of the subject. Otherwise, the result of the study may not be reliable.
6. Initial interview before the start of the study It can help to relax the atmosphere. A relaxed user will certainly honestly answer the questions asked to him.
7. Analysis of results — a summary of the results of the meeting, recorded on a piece of paper or in audio/film form. It is important to write down the observations on the notes and group them, which will help create patterns of behavior, catch the positive and negative elements that the user may have felt.

Guerrilla research

For this, the researcher must leave the workplace and find himself in the natural world of the users. it going out to people and talking to them in everyday situations and neutral places, for example, in a restaurant or cafe. Studies of this type should be carried out on random individuals. Their biggest advantage is the low expenditure of money and labor.

Before the tests are carried out, you should answer questions about the product being tested, the place of the tests, the participants and the exact course of the activities.

What is the most important thing about guerrilla research?

Here are some steps to conducting effective guerrilla research:

1. Creation of a diverse research group, that is, the choice of people of different ages, different sexes, professional group. Those tested will then point out more details that are important to them, which will indicate areas for improvement.
2. Description of the company and the product that will be presented. It is important for the user to know who is testing it and what product will be presented to him. He will gain confidence in the researcher and feel at ease.
3. Freedom to present needs It means involvement in the process. The user can propose a solution himself. A person not related to the project has a different view of the situation. It can bring up interesting, innovative ideas.
4. Self-reliance — even if the user finds himself in a difficult situation and expects help — do not give him detailed prompts. A better solution would be to ask what exactly is the problem and what solution he would expect. It is important that he himself specifies the points that are important to him.
5. Recording of test results — it is necessary to record the course of the meeting. If possible, it is worth recording.
6. Time Matters “Test takers will certainly not want to spend too much of their time on research for which they will not get paid. It is important to keep this in mind.

IDI, or individual in-depth interviews

Individual In-Depth Interview, or IDI, it individual in-depth interview. It consists of talking with the subject about a topic that has been previously defined. This is a fairly popular method of testing, thanks to which the researcher can accurately understand the problems and needs of the test subjects. He has the opportunity to find out a little about his previous experiences, opinions and motivations, as well as to inquire exactly about his feelings. In-depth individual interviews are a good idea when modeling or making changes to a project.

In order to successfully conduct an in-depth individual interview, it is necessary to:

• have prepared a specific plan, necessary materials and a study scenario.
• assemble an appropriate research group and determine the amount of remuneration for them,
• record the course of the study and make a detailed analysis.

There are three models of individual interviews:

• in-depth structured — most often it is conducting a survey with the respondent and recording his answers. The person conducting the research acts according to the scenario and asks questions in a predetermined order,
• deepened semi-structured — involves conducting an interview according to the scenario, however, some deviations are allowed. Questions do not have to be asked in a specific order. The tester can also skip certain points or elaborate on them a bit.
• deepened free — the researcher does not have any scenario, he only has a range of topics that he should address.

Before starting an in-depth individual interview, it is useful to inform the participants that there are no correct or incorrect answers. In fact, the study has subjective in nature and aims to find out the actual opinions about a given website or application. It is not an attempt to determine the experience and knowledge of the user, but only his feelings towards the product.

It is a good practice to commission IDI research to an external company specialized in this type of activity. If the opinion of third parties, such as customers, is not needed and the issue is rather narrow, you can decide to carry out Corridor tests. They consist of talking to colleagues who are not related to the project in question. However, it should be borne in mind that studies of this type may not be authoritative, due to the relationships that exist between employees (and the product).

Eyetracking

Eyetracking is the tracking of the eye movement of a subject viewing a digital product. In the test, the most important thing is determining the items that the user looked at, the time and the order of the areas that the user paid attention to. It is important that during the research the user talks about his feelings and impressions, both positive and negative. This will help to better understand the user's perception of the product.

During an eyetracking study, it is formed heat map, or heatmap, which is a representation of the movement of the eyeballs. The hottest places (the ones the user looked at the longest) are marked in red, while the green elements were of little interest, and the blue ones were not looked at at by the user at all.

Eyetracking is an excellent method for obtaining information about actual user actions. This is because it is difficult to control your eyesight when viewing a digital product. However, it should be borne in mind that this is an expensive and laborious method of research. So it is worth considering what we expect from the tests and whether they are definitely needed for a particular site or application.

Carrying out qualitative research is the best way to discover the needs of the audience and improve the elements that they consider to be the weak link. Do you need professional help with user research? Apply to us — together we will find the best solution for you!