How to do your own UX research
By Rohan Xavier, Dec 10 2018
Strong user experience (UX) arranges all your information and interactions on your website in a way that’s pleasing to people. When your site’s UX makes people feel good, they’re more likely to stick around and become your customers. So, how do you go about performing UX research?
It’s never too late
It’s never too late to check the health of your website’s user experience (UX). Just like re-examining your product offering on a regular basis, you need to re-examine the platform those products are offered on.
Whether your site is brand new or a couple of years old (we hope it’s no older if this is the first UX testing you’re doing on it!), it’s a good idea to get a feel for its UX by outside parties. There are two pathways to UX research.
Two ways to skin your UX research
Firstly, if you have the budget, you can run user experience research via a professional marketing consultancy (like HGB 😉). This type of research gives you usability feedback from people who are representative of your target audience.
If you don’t have extra budget for professional UX research, you can still do an informal version with friends and associates.
How to get the most out of your testers
Think about the actions you want to see visitors to your website take. Do you want them to make a purchase, contact us, or research a specific product? Ask your UX testers to complete these tasks and take note of how they go about it, what they say, their body language and their facial expressions. Do any points of the site standout to them in a positive or negative way? Do they comment on the look or the layout? Are they grimacing trying to find something? Did they complete the task easily (in five steps or less?).
Make sure the questions you ask are open-ended (not yes or no) and focus on clarity and efficiency. Test a minimum of three people and make sure they sit within your target demographic.
Keep an open mind when conducting your own UX research or when being presented with the results. Getting a clear and objective view of your website’s user experience is the best thing you can do for both your business and its customers.
If you need help with UX research, contact us today. We are a digital marketing agency based in Hamilton.