How to choose right UX research methods
Selecting the best UX research method depends on the situation and the goal of your research.
Two key criteria help guide this choice:
✅ Situation vs. Solution
✅ Qualitative vs. Quantitative
📕 Situation vs solution
This criterion distinguishes whether you are exploring a problem space or evaluating a solution.
Situation research is all about understanding users, their pain points, needs, and context in which they interact with your product. It typically includes methods like
✔ Interviews
✔ Ethnographic studies
✔ Contextual inquiry
✔ Diary studies
Solution research is all about testing concepts to understand the effectiveness of a design solution. This research typically includes methods like
✔ Usability testing
✔ Heuristic evaluation https://lnkd.in/dJSw2KyH
✔ A/B Testing https://lnkd.in/dYeD_yKG
✔ Tree testing https://lnkd.in/dHsFc3te
Situation vs solution: How to Decide?
If you are in the early design phase → Use situation-focused methods to explore user needs.
If you have a prototype or product → Use solution-focused methods to evaluate and optimize.
📘 Qualitative vs quantitative
This distinction determines whether you need deep insights (why & how) or measurable data (what & how much).
Qualitative methods will help you understand behaviors, motivations, and experiences of your users. Use methods like
✔ User interviews
✔ Concept testing
✔ Field studies
✔ Diary studies
Quantitative methods aim to measure patterns, trends, and statistical significance. Examples of methods include
✔ User surveys
✔ Analytics
✔ A/B testing
✔ Heatmaps
Qualitative vs quantitative: How to Decide?
If you need rich, detailed insights → Choose qualitative methods.
If you need large-scale, statistically valid data → Choose quantitative methods.
Often, the best approach is a mixed-method strategy, using both qualitative and quantitative research. For example:
1️⃣ Start with user interviews (qualitative) to uncover pain points.
2️⃣ Validate findings with surveys or analytics (quantitative).
3️⃣ Conduct usability testing (qualitative) to identify issues in a prototype.
4️⃣ Run A/B testing (quantitative) to measure which solution performs better.
🖼️ Landscape of UX research methods by Konrad Group
When selecting the right UX research methods for clients, I start by understanding their goals and the product’s stage. Early-stage projects often call for generative methods like interviews or surveys to gather insights, while later-stage projects benefit from evaluative methods like usability testing. I also consider time constraints, resources, and project complexity quick methods like guerrilla testing work for fast-paced projects, while in-depth research like ethnographic studies suits more complex ones. The key is aligning the method with the client’s needs, ensuring the research directly contributes to a user-centered design.
