We all know that UX design is an important part of developing an app or web design. But do you know what’s even more important? UX research!
In the world of design, every part of the design process is extremely important. From designing the interface to developing the user persona, and creating the architecture of a project design. The reality is that the initial stage of a UX research process is the foundation of a product. In fact, a UX researcher is in charge of developing the structure of a design.
So, stick around to find out what is UX research, what does a UX researcher do, and everything else about user experience and UX strategy.
User experience research is one of the most important components of human-centered design. In other words, UX research studies what end users actually want, need, or even lack. Even more so, it seeks to understand our user’s behaviors, activities, motivations, pain points, and other feelings.
This way, after the UX research has been completed, the information can be adapted to create a UX strategy for our product. User experience research observes, analyzes, and adopts different methods to come up with realistic insights about their target market.
What Does A UX Researcher Do?
As a UX researcher, our primary job is to ask questions about the way our users act. Who are our end users? What do they want and why? Is this a want? A necessity? Or just a treat? How can we help them make their lives better and easier? All of these questions have to be answered – not guessed or assumptions, but rather researched.
UX researchers give users a voice. They humanize them in the most natural and closest way possible. You are responsible for providing users with a product or service that fits all of their needs and wants. In other words, UX researchers are the reason we create human-centered product designs.
UX Research vs User Research
Most of the time, it can be difficult to make the difference between UX research and user research. And it makes sense! But in reality, there is a slight difference. User Research refers to a broader meaning than UX research. In fact, you need user research to get to UX research.
And it makes sense! User research refers to understanding our users and creating different personas. On the other hand, user experience research is creating personas that are specifically for our product design. While user research takes into consideration all of the details of a potential end user, UX research analyzes how users might interact with and think about our product.
Either way, both UX researchers and user researchers seek to understand their users – all that to create human-centered product designs.
Of course, the salary of a UX researcher depends on the country you are in, your experience level, and even the company you are working for. However, due to the high demand in the US, UX researchers are high-paid jobs, and you will find that they have similar salary ranges. According to Glassdoor, the following salary averages are:
- Junior UX Researcher– $81,013/year
- UX Researcher – $93,657/year
- Senior UX Researcher– $114,565/year
As a UI UX designer, your only hope is to build designs that are beautiful but still user-friendly, complex but still easy to navigate, and minimalist but still intuitive. The reality is that this can all be possible by conducting user experience research.
Here are the UX research benefits and why it’s time to implement this type of strategy:
- Get to know our users and how they interact with different apps, websites, and so much more.
- Make the right decisions based on clear research, rather than assumptions or guesses.
- Discover our users' needs and find new ways to grow – whether it is as a business model or simply adding new features.
- Deliver flawless product designs that fit our users’ wants and needs.
- Save time and money by solely focusing on what is important.
- Develop a user research strategy that is useful for UI UX design, marketing, and advertising.
How To Conduct UX Research:
In user experience research, there are multiple steps that should be taken at the beginning of the design process:
1. Discover:
- Field Study
- Interviews with Users and Stakeholders
- Requirements
2. Explore:
- Competition
- Building a Persona
- User Stories
- User Journey
3. Test:
- Qualitative Testing
- Usability Testing
- Evaluation
4. Understand:
- Surveys and Reviews
- Analysis
- Reviews
- Repair
We at uinkits understand the importance of inputs in great user experiences and creating amazing UI designs. That’s why we’ve developed a Figma UI Kit with design components that include these essential UI elements that enable you to design intuitive and user-friendly interfaces effortlessly.
“You press the button, we do the rest,” – Kodak.
Inspired by this iconic tagline from Kodak, we believe in simplifying the design process for you. Our Figma UI Kit, uinkits, is a complete design system with UI components that allows you, as a UI UX designer, to create your products as quickly as pressing a button.
Our design system includes components, icons, variables, cards, buttons, and everything you need for your design process. All you have to do is take your UI design component needed, and you’re ready to use it in your designs!
