Flag

We stand with Ukraine and our team members from Ukraine. Here are ways you can help

Get exclusive access to thought-provoking articles, bonus podcast content, and cutting-edge whitepapers. Become a member of the UX Magazine community today!

Research Methods and Techniques

Read these first

Despite the evangelizing efforts of industry thought leaders, the qualitative research methodologies of academia is not the ethnography that is practiced in the private sector. So how do we apply ethnographic research in the private sector as an approach and not method? — Great question. Read to find out.

Article by Ender Ricart
Deep Analysis in UX Research: Ethnography as an Approach Not Method
  • The author considers ethnography in the private sector to be a goal-oriented approach that can be applied to many different kinds of qualitative research.
  • Ethnographic research is about understanding the nexus of knowledge, belief/perception, culture, and power; specifically what facets of these elements come to bare on one’s interaction with said product or service to form their lived experience.
  • The ethnographic approach of deep analysis lets you assess hypotheticals through contextualizing conditions of possible use within relevant underlying value systems, knowledge, perception that truly frame and form a user’s behavior.
  • The authors demonstrates application of ethnographic approach and deep analysis in the example: New Game Console Controller Form Factor.
  • The author’s analysis uncovered the following:
    • Inherited mental models introduced friction.
    • There are already a host of innovative designer controllers available to use even for the game console in question.
    • Game studios have ownership of game control settings.
    • Among the user populations evaluated, one segment in particular had an above average engagement with exclusively “new” video games.
Share:Deep Analysis in UX Research: Ethnography as an Approach Not Method
5 min read
Deep Analysis in UX Research: Ethnography as an Approach Not Method

Want to be at the forefront of UX Research? Here are 10 quickly-developing sectors that will need the expertise of user experience researchers in the nearest future.

Article by Cris Kubli
UXR Futures: Up and Coming Industries Where User Researchers are Needed
  • Technology is one of the things that accelerate that process of humankind improvement.
  • The author presents 10 quickly-developing sectors that will need the expertise of user experience researchers:
    1. Cryptocurrency and decentralized finance
    2. Transportation
    3. Space
    4. Green tech
    5. Cybersecurity
    6. AI and robotics
    7. Biomedicine and healthcare
    8. Global trade
    9. Entertainment
    10. Web 3
  • It is paramount to have UX researchers across all tech sectors, as they are capable of leading organizations with a user-centered mindset.
Share:UXR Futures: Up and Coming Industries Where User Researchers are Needed
6 min read
UXR Futures: Up and coming industries where user researchers are needed

Has UX research ever been the priority for your stakeholders? If not, here are some ways to convey its significance.

Article by Sofya Savkina
Influencing UX Stakeholder Values: 6 Ways to Convey the Significance of User Research
  • When stakeholders have insights around user needs, goals and behaviors, the team can make evidence-based decisions.
  • One of the most common pain points are having to communicate and prove the value of UX and user research to leadership.
  • One author shares some ideas to overcome this:
    1. Understand the “why” behind the push-back
    2. Speak your stakeholders’ language
    3. Don’t fight the battle alone
    4. Find and use tools made by the government, for the government
    5. Identify quick wins to show the value of UX faster
    6. Get better value for stakeholders out of the user research
Share:Influencing UX Stakeholder Values: 6 Ways to Convey the Significance of User Research
5 min read

How can we make research insights reach everyone who would actually benefit from them?

Article by Sofia Linse
4 Ways to expand the impact of UX research across an organization

UX research is successful when results are promptly made available and actionable within the organization. Some common obstacles include tight deadlines and information fatigue. Here are four measures that might help to use UX research insights more effectively:

  1. Reflecting on which team will benefit most from the insights
  2. Delivering them in digestible formats
  3. Actively involving customer-facing departments
  4. Organizing customer feedback

Read the full article to learn about how to use these tips in your next research project.

Share:4 Ways to expand the impact of UX research across an organization
5 min read

A few tips by a UX researcher on how to make the utmost of remote interviews

Article by Michelle Natalie Susanto
6 Reasons Why Remote Interview Session is Hard to Execute: a reflection by a frustrated, screen-fatigue user researcher
  • In the past year, UX researchers encountered numerous challenges because of the new shift to remote work.
  • Some of the major issues consisted in recruiting respondents, online ghosting, unstable internet connection, and misunderstandings, among others.
  • Gaining some additional data beyond the interview, or repetitively communicating your question might prevent some of the problems and allow to run the interview efficiently for both sides.

Read the full article for perspective from a UX researcher on six relatable struggles of remote interview sessions and ideas on how to solve them.

Share:6 Reasons Why Remote Interview Session is Hard to Execute: a reflection by a frustrated, screen-fatigue user researcher
8 min read

What if we shift the focus from solutions to problems? A view on UX research and why prioritizing problems pays off in the long run

Article by David Lick, Julia Barrett
Prioritizing Problems to Inform Product Design
  • Focusing on solutions as you start UX research might lead to misunderstanding or overlooking user problems, which in turn, damages the whole design and development process.
  • To decrease the risk of poorly developed solutions and costly adjustments, it’s necessary to invest time and effort in discovering user problems and pain points, clearly distinguish them from users’ goals, and use diverse research methods.
  • Although focusing on pain points might seem more time-consuming initially, problems are more concrete, easier to uncover, and ultimately are the source for meaningful solutions.

Read the full article for perspective on how this shift from focusing on solutions to focusing on problems can be a powerful tool as you begin UX research.

Share:Prioritizing Problems to Inform Product Design
11 min read

Join the UX Magazine community!

Stay informed with exclusive content on the intersection of UX, AI agents, and agentic automation—essential reading for future-focused professionals.

Hello!

You're officially a member of the UX Magazine Community.
We're excited to have you with us!

Thank you!

To begin viewing member content, please verify your email.

Tell us about you. Enroll in the course.

    This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Check our privacy policy and