Additional Readings on UX Research

User research can be conducted in several ways. Depending on your research goals, the methodologies
can be categorized differently:

- Generative Research vs. Evaluative Research

- Qualitative Research vs. Quantitative Research
- Primary Research vs. Secondary Research
- Moderated Research vs. Unmoderated Research
- Ethnographic Research

DEFINITIONS

Generative research – where we are unsure about the problem space, or we want to explore broader
opportunity areas beyond the obvious. It helps us define the problem we would like to design solutions
for.

Evaluative research – where we have existing hypothesis or solutions and we need to validate the
hypothesis or the desirability and usability of the solutions.

Qualitative research – where we interview consumers directly. Customer interviews can be conducted
as a one-on-one interview, or in a group scenario. An advantage of qualitative research is being able to
ask open ended questions – allowing our team to explore in detail the beliefs and needs of our target
demographic.

Quantitative research – where we ask consumers to complete a survey. Surveys can be delivered online
via survey platforms, over the phone, or through in-person collection methods. Quantitative research
allows us to reach more people at scale, and more easily analyze concrete trends through data.

Ethnographic research – where we observe consumers and take note of their behaviors as they go
about day-to-day tasks ‘in the wild’. An advantage of ethnographic research is being able to identify
habitual and subconscious behaviors which consumers often don’t realize they are doing (and therefore,
wouldn’t tell us about through interviews or surveys!).