Development

User Research [Discovery + Wireframing]

User experience (UX) research is the process of discovering the behaviours, motivations and needs of your customers through observation, task analysis and other types of authentic user feedback.

As website design specialists, we know that in carrying out this research, you can understand the user experience for new products and services, which is imperative in developing the functionality of your website. Once all of the discovery has been complete, it is then time to develop the wireframes, which sits as an essential step in the website build process.

WHAT’S INVOLVED WITH UX RESEARCH?

Research into user experience (UX) is imperative in developing the content, design layout and functionality of your website with your target audience in mind. Valuable for all areas of your business, good UX research will yield core information about the satisfying the needs of your audience along with relevant promotion of the benefits of your products and services. This in turn shall increase visitors, conversion rates and ultimately, your bottom line.

Once the user research has been carried out, the next steps are to finalise your sitemap, listing of the website pages you will require. This is devised through the design of wireframes – the blueprint of your website whether a brochure site, a website redesign or an eCommerce development this process remains the same.

HOW DO EDGE APPROACH UX RESEARCH?

When wireframing and designing a new website or redesigning your existing website, carrying out effective user experience research is a vital first step. We will consider the products and services your business offers as well as your target audience, location, and competition. With two decades of experience in website design and development, EDGE Creative can support your journey using the following steps.

Our multi-step process to user research

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STEP ONE: ATTITUDINAL VS BEHAVIOURAL RESEARCH

Attitudinal refers to what people say while behavioural refers to what people do, and these two things are often different. We will research your target audience to find out what they say about your products or services while also looking into how they interact with and use your website. This can be done through surveys and A/B testing, which will show each visitor a different version of your site, helping track which design choices can lead to a rise in conversions.
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STEP TWO: QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE DATA

Using qualitative and quantitative data allows us to discover what works and what doesn’t on your existing website, which are equally important to know for a website design company. Using measurement tools, like surveys or analytics, will allow us to gather real data on how your customers use your product or service. We will also use qualitative research methods, including focus groups and field studies, to understand the human perspective, gaining a sense of the underlying motivations and reasons surrounding your audience’s behaviour.
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STEP THREE: SUMMARISING RESEARCH FINDINGS

Once gathered, this user research will be analysed to build a database for your different target audiences, including how they use your website and what tasks they want to perform. From this data, we can identify the most important elements and functionality that will help to get your target audience exactly where we want them – converting! The whole point of conducting this research is to adapt and lay the foundations for a website that prioritises the user experience and visitor satisfaction.
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STEP FOUR: WIREFRAMING

Now that we understand how your target audience will interact with your website, we will apply these findings to the wireframing process. A wireframe is the visual representation of the structure of your website without any of the design or branding, which allows web developers to focus entirely on functionality. A wireframe can more easily communicate which elements or functionalities should be featured on each page, which can then help a designer lay your website out accordingly. It also helps website developers see how the user journey will flow through the website via internal links, ensuring that the designers can place the right content, images, and calls to action in the correct places for maximum conversions.