User Research: What It Is and Why It Benefits Entrepreneurs

This one-woman studio conducts user research for her clients. Oh, major cringe on the third-person stuff, huh? Sorry ‘bout that.

Work with me and you’ll soon realize that in creating your holistic website, I also take time in the beginning to interview 5 of your ideal customers to learn more about them and find out what their wants and needs are, in their own words.

What? Why? Because User Experience Research is super valuable to entrepreneurs.

In this article, I’ll dive into what user research is, its benefits, how it’s different from market research, and what my process involves.

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A quick note: I use “User Experience Research,” “UX Research,” and “user research” interchangeably in this article, but note that these are quite different things when you go deeper into the topic.

What Is User Experience Research (UX Research)?

Entrepreneurs, you know what Market Research is. Chances are, you’ve done it several times, or you plan on doing it very soon. But User Experience Research?

UX Research, like market research, is typically done early in the game of any new project. Research can be brought into the web design process at any time: before design and writing, after design and writing, or even right before launch to test the site.

For my holistic website package, I conduct user research in the first phase of my process, the Discovery phase.

So what the heck is it, though?

User Experience Research is the process of conducting interviews with or surveying your ideal customers, which will help you make informed design decisions, so that you get the most impactful website experience possible (think higher conversions and more sales).

UX Research helps the designer (me) to create a better, more usable website experience for everyone (you and your clients), through informed design and copywriting decisions.

What are the Benefits of User Research?

User Experience Design in general helps your community interact better with your brand’s ecosystem, i.e. your website. It’s a people-first approach that helps your site be more:

Useful and usable (so that the site isn’t frustrating and people bail)
Desirable (meaning your people will want to interact with you and your content and services more)
Valuable and credible (putting your knowledge and offers in the spotlight to help you be seen as a subject matter expert)
Accessible (so that anyone using your site will be able to interact with it, including those with disabilities)

User Research helps us create happier visitors, which in turn leads to more sales conversions.

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To dive a bit more into that, User Experience research will give us the personal stories and deep insights from individuals so that we can make better, research-backed decisions when it comes down to design and copy.

How is Market Research Different from User Research?

To give a quick overview, market research is all about sales. It helps to inform your marketing, sales, and brand strategies. It’s usually a numbers game and involves as many people as possible.

User Research, on the other hand, is more about deep, personal insights, and it helps us to understand the relationship between your website and your ideal clients. In User Experience research, us UX designers identify:

How people use your website
What they do and say while using your site
What’s frustrating to them
How they would try to solve their problems

Why I Combine Market Research and User Experience Research In My Design Process

Market research and User Experience Research can—and absolutely should—be combined, especially for solopreneurs.

Let’s face it—as an entrepreneur or freelancer, you are providing a service or products to people. In this digital world, it’s essential to give your community a healthy, valuable, and seamless experience when they interact with your online ecosystem. And the bottom line for many entrepreneurs? Sales and conversions.

Combine the two versions of research, and you get a deeply personal, intense picture of your ideal customer, what they like, what they don’t like, what attracts them, and how they may use your new site. You will also know how best to present your offers and services to increase your sales conversion.

What Does User Experience Research Involve For Your Project?

If you become a client of mine, we locate 5 ideal customers that aren’t already connected to you, and then I reach out to them (usually on social media) by asking for an hour of their time via video chat. I conduct the hourlong research with a set of predetermined questions based on the goals for our holistic website project, record the interviews, and then thank them for their time (usually via a gift card of your choice).

Why 5? Jakob Nielsen, UX pioneer, says that research with 5 people will bring out about 80% of the issues. He was speaking of direct website testing in general, but in my career I’ve found that 5 is the magic number. Fewer than that, and you get conflicting information. More than that, and you end up hearing the same thing over and over. Validation is good, but too much is a waste of everyone’s time.

During the hourlong call, your ICA won’t be pitched. If you want, your site and information won’t be shared at all. We’ll just go into a deep dive. I’ll be looking for honest information and personal stories to find out what your ideal customers want and need, so we can tailor your website to match their own goals.

Want to know more about how User Experience research will help you grow your business and improve your website in its next redesign? Contact me to hop on a free consultation call.

What questions do you have about User Experience Research? Comment below!

Cover photo by Dan Dimmock