User Research

User research is the process of gathering qualitative and quantitative data about the needs, motivations, expectations and constraints of your audience, for digital solutions that serve, satisfy and delight.

User research is a key element of an insight-led design process, providing the objective evidence needed to make informed design decisions upfront. For best results, user research activities should also be conducted regularly throughout the project lifecycle – including through to launch and beyond – to support iterative development and continuous improvement activities.

If you want to get under the skin of your users, the best thing you can do is spend time with them. User research techniques play a crucial role in this process – helping define who you’re building for and why, to guide the future direction of your project and ensure it remains focused on user needs for increased satisfaction and conversions, while also enabling you to quickly react to new demands, behaviours and opportunities. 

User research is also important to uncover those subtle nudges and delighters that will make sure that your digital offering stands out among the noise, helping drive greater engagement and customer loyalty for long-term return on your investment.

There are many user research techniques available to deliver the insight you need, and at Box UK we begin each research project by defining both the information that’s required, and the best way to capture it.

Qualitative user research methods include interviews and group workshops, revealing what users think and how they behave – including highlighting the subtle motivational triggers and persuasive ‘nudges’ that may otherwise have gone unnoticed. 

And while talking to your users is an unbeatable way to gather rich, relevant feedback, for a truly holistic picture you also need to combine it with the facts and figures that matter. Analytics reviews and surveys can be used to fill in any gaps in existing knowledge, and confirm assumptions about user segments, motivations, expectations, context of use, preferred devices, and more. 

Enabling a large volume of data to be gathered quickly, easily and cost-effectively, these indirect approaches also illustrate behavioural patterns and trends that may have been missed with a smaller data sample – so you can be sure your digital strategy addresses any potential challenges, along with valuable opportunities ripe for the taking.