So many user research tools, so little time: Our expert picks to save you the hassle
Written by Aaron Foxwell
In the world of product development, user research is crucial. It’s the difference between an experience that delights users or one that leaves a bad taste in their mouth. But with so many tools to conduct testing on the market, it can be overwhelming to decide which to use for your product. Whether you’re a startup launching your first product or an established brand refining your customer journey, selecting the right tool can drastically impact the quality of your insights and ultimately, your product’s success.
The importance of user research, and the tools that support it
User research allows you to observe how real people interact with and experience your product, whether a website, mobile application or physical. Studies show that 32% of customers worldwide would abandon brands they love - even just after a single bad experience. Looking at the impact it has on loyal customers, imagine what a bad experience would have on new ones?
PWC Consumer Intelligence Series
Whether you’re conducting proof of concept testing on a brand-new idea or quantitative usability testing to see how your users interact with your product, your choice in tool will differ. After you’ve chosen your methodology, tools can help to increase the effectiveness of and expediate your research.
Benefits of using UX research tools
But what should I use?
As an agency that frequently conducts user research across many methodologies (qualitative, quantitative, moderated, unmoderated etc.), PSYKHE has always been on the lookout for innovative tools that can support our research workstreams. Up until recently, we have primarily been using Maze as our go-to tool.
Maze boasts several features in its build that allows for quick and easy deployment for testing. An intuitive interface for easy assembly of tests, the ability to apply logic to questions, and various prototype integrations make it a prime candidate for our testing needs.
Having said this, we faced challenges with using the platform when it came to execution. Based on our experience, when audio, video recordings, and AI follow up question features are enabled together, it may negatively impact the speed of Maze during testing due to an increased memory load. And while the features offered are impressive, if the testing execution is slow when it matters most, it can significantly diminish their value. (Psst: Speak to us if you’d like to find out more about our experience conducting complex tests with Maze.)
This is when we as a company started to take a closer look at the multitude of research tools available. As practitioners, we started by looking at tools that would help us in the immediate term, but as we explored the landscape, we came across a variety of solutions to keep an eye on. These broadly fell into two categories: Specialised research tools and holistic research tools.
Specialised research tools
These tools focus on the execution of specific types of research, ideal for one-off studies or organisations looking to conduct research on a case-by-case basis. Usability testing, A/B testing, moderated qualitative interviews – regardless of the methodology there is a specialised tool for you.
The strength of these solutions lies in the ease and speed of execution. Platforms like UXtweak, Maze, Useberry and Lyssna offer convenient ways to setup tests, with “building block” mechanics where you can create anything from simple to complex logic flows. For an even simpler experience, platforms like Lookback and Optimal Workshop allow for unmoderated and moderated testing almost right out of the box – at the expense of more sophisticated features such as task completion screen selection and Figma integration.
Lyssna’s easy to use, “building block” test interface
Interested in our top picks? We’ve been keeping a close eye on Useberry, UXtweak and Lyssna for its ease of use and comprehensive testing features. Particularly with Useberry, we frequently require unmoderated testing platforms that let us record users interacting with products and track their clicks accurately through heatmaps. Although our picks may not boast cutting-edge AI features or data management at scale, their simple, easy to use interfaces and fast deployment are suited for our research needs.
Useberry’s high accuracy click tracking
We recommend these three research tools for quick and effective testing, but if you require more comprehensive research management platforms you may be interested in the next set of tools.
Holistic research tools
Holistic research tools combine wide-ranging methodologies with broader research capabilities. Unlike specialised research tools that focus on specific research types (e.g. moderated interviews), holistic tools cater for different methodologies and boast strong data management features. Let’s take a look at some examples:
Tools like Userlytics and Usertesting offer well-rounded, holistic testing methodologies such as surveys, moderated testing, A/B testing, tree testing, and many more. Although the setup of tests and learning curve may be steeper for new users, once mastered, you will likely not need to use other services for your research needs. Another one to keep an eye on is Qualtrics, where their ability to manage research at scale really shines. Being able to store previous research, synthesis, and quantitative / qualitative data as a “library” allows your team to quickly access and draw upon previous insights to be used at any time.
Qualtrics’ ability to manage research at scale
Finally, these holistic research tools often have advanced features such as AI-assisted synthesis and analysis. Although your team will likely want to deep-dive further into any insights gained through your usability testing, this serves as a strong starting point to help you streamline your analysis.
Userlytic’s AI assisted synthesis
Based on your research and organisation’s needs, you will likely be choosing between our recommended specialised research tools or more holistic platforms – but it’s good to be aware of services that are pushing the envelope. Here are a two special mentions:
Synthetic users
Imagine being able to run interviews or tests without recruiting participants. Synthetic Users offers a unique approach to UX research with its AI generated “synthetic” user personas. It enables you to quickly define AI personas to test and conduct interviews with – allowing for immediate research execution.
Of course, many limitations will come from not testing with real users. Ultimately there is no replacement for speaking and observing how people interact with your product. Nevertheless, it is interesting to keep an eye out on how GenAI will fit into UX research processes in the near future, and Synthetic Users is taking a step into seeing what can be accomplished.
Synthetic Users’ AI generated participants and interviews
Maze
While we mentioned Maze earlier, we wanted to highlight one feature that is uniquely promising on their platform: AI generated follow-up questions.
Maze allows for AI generated follow-up questions (up to 3) during unmoderated tests, allowing for the benefits of a moderator without having one at all. While the quality and relevance of questions that are generated remains to be seen, we will be keep an eye out on this feature as the technological capability of GenAI improves. AI generated follow-up questions may soon become a staple among testing tools to capture the benefits of moderators for unmoderated testing.
Maze’s AI follow-up question feature
Need help keeping track of it all?
Don’t worry, we’ve created a cheatsheet for you down below:
Incorporating user research early and often is key to success. Our cheatsheet is designed to guide you in selecting the right tools, helping you make informed decisions. By aligning your methodology, research goals, and organizational needs, you can choose the most effective tool for maximum impact. Make user research an integral part of your process—and watch your outcomes improve.
For more information on how we can support your product development, check out our offerings or get in touch to discuss what you have in mind!
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