The true cost of user centered design

The true cost of user centered design 

In today's competitive landscape, companies are constantly striving to deliver products and services that resonate with their audience. It's great when clients come to us enthused about User Experience. We know if you’re not thinking about the User Experience, the consequences could be severe. However, we often find the business culture and practices do not align with this priority.  

The quality of a User Experience only comes from engaging users in the design process. You can’t have a great USER experience without USERS. So, it’s important that we don’t simply satisfy ourselves with considering the user, but involve them through research. We find user research is not prioritised within the business or project scope. The business ‘already knows’ what the user needs. They have reviewed customer feedback, spoken to their customer service or marketing teams, and made assumptions. This is a great starting point. But these assumptions aren’t validated or deeply unpacked, and what about all the people who never became customers, what did they think or need? Wouldn’t understanding the people who didn’t convert add just as much, if not more, value to your business?

The number one reason given for descoping research is “it costs too much”. 

At true we try and find a solution to fit every budget, however their needs to be some investment from the business. Investing in research can have huge return on investment (ROI). Forrester found you can get four times your ROI from well considered User Research. Understanding how the user thinks, feels and behaves, means you can change this behaviour, increase retention, brand loyalty and your own time to market, by focusing on what is right.

Moderated and unmoderated user research are two distinct approaches to gathering insights, each offering its own set of advantages and drawbacks. Below we explain what the different research options are, when they should be used, what’s involved, and how they can be tailored to fit our clients’ requirements and budgets. 

Unmoderated research

Unmoderated studies require participants to complete tasks or provide feedback independently. A researcher sets tasks in advance but does not guide the session or have deep discussions. Unmoderated studies are conducted through online tools that provide videos of interactions and detailed quant metrics. They can cover range of features, from site structure, brand impression, to complex prototypes or live websites. They are predominately evaluative in nature, and are great for iterative, short studies, with tight time frames. 

There are several benefits of unmoderated studies, beyond being a cost-effective. Unmoderated studies can reduce potential bias introduced by a facilitator's presence. Participants may behave more naturally, providing a more authentic representation of their typical interactions. 

Studies are scalable, allowing researchers to gather data from a larger pool of participants without any geographical or time zone limitations. Participants can complete studies in their own time and simultaneously. Unmoderated studies normally last between 10 - 20 minutes and we aim for 50+ participants depending on the nature of the study.

Unmoderated research requires several activities to be completed. Below is a guide to some of the tasks we would undertake.
1.    Define objectives and goal – articulate what we aim to achieve, the approach, tools and techniques that will be used. 
2.    Create and launch study – Develop tasks and scenarios that align real-life situations.
3.    Analysis and synthesis – interpretate the raw data, identify patterns, trends, and common pain points, creating digestible insights.
4.    Share findings – Compile findings into a comprehensive report and create an action board to inform updates.

An unmoderated study could cost between £5k-7K, depending on whether live or prototype testing is required, and the amount of journeys tested. Unmoderated studies are great when you need to make tactical changes. They provide an evidence based rational, to push back on the noise generated from peoples’ opinions. They can help an organisation hone their products and services, to provide the best possible experience. 

Moderated research

Moderated studies have both a facilitator and participant present, allowing for a back-and-forth discussion, they can be done in person or remotely. During the sessions facilitators can easily ask questions, obtain clarification, observe behavior, and dive deeper into issues. Real-time discussion and problem-solving can uncover solutions that might be overlooked. 

Moderated studies generate a significant amount of qualitative data and detailed insight. Hearing users articulate their thoughts and challenges fosters a high degree of empathy. This deeper connection with the user's perspective enhances the design and decision-making processes throughout a product lifecycle.

Moderated studies can be generative or evaluative in nature.

Generative – used to discover new insight, create a deep picture of the user and their experience, or explore assumptions. We would recommend between 10 – 25 participants depending on your audience.  

Evaluative – used to test new concepts or ideas. You may have difficult problems you are trying to solve, which would benefit from some hands-on feedback. We would recommend 6-10 participants depending on your audience.  

Moderated research requires several activities to be completed, below is a guide of some of the tasks we would undertake to ensure valuable insight is gathered.
1.    Define objectives and goals – articulate what we aim to achieve, the approach, and how results will directly impact product success. 
2.    Recruit participants – including providing an incentive.
3.    Create discussion guides – a script of the questions you want to ask, ensuring you gather comprehensive and relevant information.
4.    Conducting sessions – Moderate the user sessions, paying close attention to user behavior, feedback, and emotions.
5.    Analysis and synthesis – coding and interpreting the raw data. Identify patterns, common themes, and key takeaways from the user interactions.
6.    Share findings – Compile findings into a comprehensive report that highlights key insights, create experience maps, personas, or action boards. Update road maps and strategy documents.

A moderated evaluative study could cost between £12k-14K, including recruitment and incentives. A moderated generative study could cost between £15k-25K, depending on the number of participants required and the goals you wish to achieve.

A lot of work goes into moderated research and a lot of value comes out. They can provide a rich picture of your audience, their behavior and experience. Which is the necessary insight needed to develop a successful product. The choice between the two depends on the specific goals of the research, the available resources, and the desired depth of insights. Utilizing either approach strategically can lead to well-informed decision-making, and a successful product or service.

When organisations don’t focus on the User Experience, there could be big consequences. It leads to missed opportunities, dissatisfied customers, undesirable brand perception, and ultimately a negative impact on the bottom line, not forgetting increased development costs. Without a clear understanding of user requirements, companies may find themselves making costly revisions to their products or services after launch. And remember, User Research has a demonstrated 4xROI!

If you’re starting a new project or want to understand your users better, get in touch to discuss how to keep the User Experience at the forefront. We’d love to help! Drop us a line at info@truedigital.co.uk.