4 Underutilized User Research Techniques
When was the last time your team had a genuinely fresh, innovative idea for a test? Something that didn't just stem from someone's "I think" or "I feel" gut instinct?
If you're struggling to come up with new, research-backed test hypotheses, chances are you're relying too heavily on the usual bag of tricks - user testing, heat maps, analytics. Those methods are great, don't get me wrong. But if they're the only techniques in your toolbelt, you're essentially just tapping the same well over and over.
It's time to spice things up and incorporate some underutilized research methods that can unearth entirely new streams of insight. These innovative approaches give you a totally different view into your users' worlds that the tried-and-true techniques may be missing. Here are four powerful methods to consider:
Diary Studies: The In-the-Moment Voyeur
Instead of just a one-off glimpse you would typically get from traditional user testing or user interviews, diary studies let you be a fly on the wall capturing all the juicy details as users organically go about their lives.
You have them document everything - their thoughts, actions, frustrations, you name it - as events naturally unfold over an extended period.
Why is this awesome? Because you get first-hand, contextualized data straight from the field that you'd never see in a controlled lab setting. Imagine having users record videos logging their expense reports for a week instead of static user testing. The insights for improving those flows would be off the charts!
To turn this data into actionable tests, watch the training video: Turn Qualitative Data Into Quantitative Data.
Empathy Mapping: Walking in Your Users’ Shoes
This collaborative exercise has your team mapping out everything you know about your users - what they think, feel, see, do, etc. Going through this process alone surfaces tons of "oh wow" realizations.
But then using those maps to inspire new test ideas and designs? Chef's kiss.
Let's say your empathy map shows a key user segment lives for efficiency and minimalism. Bam, there's a clear hypothesis for testing a high-density layout or conversational UI to streamline their experience. If their main preoccupation is cost, you could test making pricing stick out like a sore thumb. The map illuminates a world of new test opportunities.
To understand more about unmoderated user research methods and the benefits, read: Moderated vs. Unmoderated Testing.
First-Party Data Mining: Tapping into In-House Insights
Companies sit on mounds of priceless first-party datasets that go criminally underutilized for experimentation: CRM notes, support tickets, NPS comments, session recordings - the list goes on.
Each of those sources captures unfiltered voice-of-customer gold that can reveal hidden insights about gaps, needs, or issues that are prime test candidates.
Too often these datasets just get siloed off and used on an ad-hoc basis versus proactively mining them for bigger picture opportunities. I'm talking rigorously analyzing the heck out of them - pinpointing patterns, trends, and recurring themes - to translate those fresh findings into fresh test ideas. It's an arduous process, but the payoff can be staggering.
Social Listening: Tuning Into the Static
Similar to first-party mining, social listening means monitoring all the unfiltered chatter happening about your product or service across forums, review sites, socials, whatever. People share a whole lot about their experiences, pain points, wish lists, you name it.
Let's say you notice Reddit and Twitter is blowing up with people struggling to integrate your platform with their devices. There's a golden idea for testing improved UX flows for that integration process! Or if Instagram comments are showing love for a certain design element, it might be worth doubling down on that area.
The insights are out there in the wild, you just have to have a handle on capturing and analyzing the static. Microsoft, Spotify, Target, Delta - all have gotten sick at leveraging social listening to fuel breakthrough test ideas.
If you’re working through how to improve your social listening skills, check out this article: Social Listening Best Practices for 2024.
TL;DR
If your testing pipeline has hit a creative drought, it's probably time to shake up your research game. Incorporating just one or two of these fresh techniques can uncover entirely new streams of inspiration. And who knows, you may just stumble upon your next game-changing idea buried within the avalanche of insights.
If you need more guidance on turning these research-based insights into actionable tests, our training video Turning Research Insights into Test Ideas can help.
Over time, developing a balanced, multi-faceted research practice covering all the bases - that's how you'll keep those innovative test hypotheses flowing regularly. It's a big investment, no doubt, but not doing it means just endlessly flinging spaghetti at the wall, hoping something sticks. And I know you're better than that.
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