User Experience (or UX) is one of the best. In fact, some estimates show that every dollar spent on improving UX can result in a $100 return. After all, if you want people to use your product, you have to create it with their needs, preferences, and habits in mind. But while most companies have a vague understanding that UX matters, few could pinpoint the exact reasons why doing thorough UX research matters.
Sure, understanding how users like to use your product can be valuable, but the actual implications of a good (or poor) customer experience stretch far beyond that.
With that in mind, let’s look at some of the key reasons why UX research might be the most critical part of launching a product.
It Helps Avoid Making Assumptions
At the initial stages of launching a product, most companies operate with a set of assumptions about what their audience might need. That can be a viable approach that allows for getting the project moving.
But as product development progresses, the only way to maximize the chances of success is to talk to actual users of the product and get to know what they believe to be important and what they want to see included.
By conducting user research for solutions for agencies, you can get specific answers to questions you might have about how your product should look, function, and be presented. This way, you can avoid relying on assumptions and instead use voice-of-customer data when making every decision about how your product will look.
Once you have the research, you can rely less on assumptions and have data that backs up the choices you’ve made or forces you to reevaluate whether what you are planning is likely to work out.
It Makes Your Product More Relevant
The product you end up launching won’t exist in a vacuum. Most likely, it will enter a market with competing solutions that will be more established and have loyal followings of their own.
And that means that if you want a chance to break into the market, you need to offer something that others don’t. On one hand, it can be unique features that make your product stand out, but it’s just as important to consider usability, which can be a huge selling point to prospective users who are frustrated with the solution they’re currently using.
When you perform UX research, you can pinpoint the specific usability issues that are the most common and the most frustrating to your target audience. Then, you can use this knowledge to revamp the way your product functions according to the feedback, introducing a solution to the market that is more intuitive, convenient, and effective than the competition.
Over time, the research you perform will provide you with a complete picture of your audience, how they like to use your products, and how you can improve their experience through innovation. By building on the UX research you do with each new product release, you can start excelling in your market and creating a unique brand experience that will separate you from everyone else.
It Boosts Product Usage
There are many ways to define the success of a product. But an easy way to measure whether the product actually succeeds is to look at whether people are using it. Through UX research, you can identify the key driving factors that determine whether a user sticks around or gets frustrated and quits your product quickly.
The first step in making a wise business decision is to comprehend the voice of the consumer. Management at the organization might be enthusiastic about a new launch, depending on the purchasing habits of your target market and how they see an existing or comparable product or service. To put that feeling into numbers, we must comprehend VoC.
Today’s users have been conditioned to expect products that take into account their needs and create a user experience that matches their expectations. They want to pick up a new product and get started using it immediately, without having to spend a lot of time learning the basics or figuring out how to navigate where they want to go.
In fact, a large part of success can come down to how well you can simplify complex product features and make them accessible and understandable to people with less technical knowledge. The good news is that UX research can at least point you in the right direction and help you crystalize an end goal you can work towards in the development stage.
Final Words
UX research can be tricky. Organizing interviews and tests with your audience takes time, money, and effort. However, the insights that you gain can become a driving force for innovation, better user experience, and overall product success.
Whether it’s making sure people use your products for longer, differentiating yourself from the competition, or being confident in the decisions you make, UX research can facilitate every part of product development and the launch itself.
