User experience (UX) can significantly affect a company’s bottom line and future success. UX encompasses the perceptions and responses individuals have towards a brand after using or anticipated use of a product, system or service. Companies should perform specific UX research to help understand, evaluate, and optimise the customer experience, according to experience management software company, Qualtrics.

UX research is the process of discovering the behaviours, motivations, and needs of customers through observation, task analysis, and other types of user feedback. UX research is critical for businesses because it’s the best resource for getting actionable product feedback. Unbiased UX research can save organisations from wasting time, money, and effort designing the wrong product or solution to meet their customers’ needs.

Additionally, asking customers for direct feedback, including what they value in a product, and how and when they prefer to use the product, keeps businesses from making erroneous assumptions in the design process. As a result, organisations can design a product or service correctly the first time, speeding up the development process and increasing customer satisfaction.

Qualtrics has identified some common mistakes companies should avoid when collecting and measuring UX data:

1. Collecting too much data

Collecting too much data complicates what the business is trying to learn. Business leaders need to ensure they collect only what is needed. Combining UX data with operational and experience data will let organisations deliver superior customer experiences. When they can do this, businesses are more likely to generate higher revenues and grow faster than their competitors.

2. Not understanding the context of metrics

Business leaders can form a clearer picture of the overall UX when they learn what usability measurements mean in terms of how the user is thinking, and what their perception and motivation may be.

3. Not continually studying the available experience metrics

The UX isn’t static, so business leaders shouldn’t assume the results from a single analysis will suffice for all future decisions. Business leaders must continually study all available experience metrics because they’re dynamic and learnings will help create the kinds of experiences that puts or keeps the business in front of their competition.

4. Only choosing UX-related metrics

Business leaders need to consider how to combine usability metrics with other collected marketing metrics to uncover new patterns and insights. Measuring UX is an important component of keeping a big picture perspective across the organisation, bringing together all efforts and adding context and depth to enhance the user experience for both new and old customers.

There is not a ‘one size fits all approach’ when it comes to measuring UX. The metrics chosen for each organisation should be unique for that business. Every business that believes it already offers a superior user experience should review its metrics. There are likely improvements to be made that can boost the company’s standing in the eyes of its customers, leading to improved loyalty and increased purchases. UX research is best conducted using a highly-responsive platform that lets organisations collect data, analyse trends, and draw conclusions all in one place.

Reference:

(1) Experience management is human-factor data, the beliefs, emotions and sentiments that tell business leaders why things are happening and that help predict what will happen next.