Qualitative Research Methods

Question 1

What Is Qualitative Research?

Answer 1

Qualitative research in UX is the study of subjective human experiences—focusing on personal stories, emotions, motivations, and challenges users face when interacting with a product or service. Rather than measuring behaviors at scale, it aims to understand the reasons behind those behaviors.

The study of user motivations, comprehension, and lived experience.

It digs into the why behind behavior, uncovering usability issues, emotional barriers, and unmet needs that aren’t visible in the data alone. Though it doesn’t rely on metrics, it provides critical insight into the desirability, accessibility, and usability of a system.

Question 2

What does Qualitative Research focus on?

Answer 2

1. Motivation: Why are users doing what they’re doing?
2. Comprehension: Do users understand the interface or content?
3. Emotion: How do users feel during the experience?
4. Accessibility: What invisible barriers exist (cognitive, visual, emotional)?
5. Usability & Desirability: Are users able to use it, and do they want to use it?

Question 3

What are some common measures of qualitative research?

Answer 3

• Pleasures or challenges of a task
• Preferences for different tools
• Comprehension of content
• Comfort with system or task
• Workarounds and hacks

These factors cannot be statistically measured

Question 4

What are the Data Types for Qualitative Research vs. Quantitative Research?

Answer 4

Qualitative: Words, Stories, Themes

Quantitative: Numbers, metrics, statistical data

Question 5

What is the typical Sample Size for Qualitative vs. Quantitative?

Answer 5

Qualitative: Small (5-20 participants)

Quantitative: Large (50-1000+)

Question 6

What is the insight type for Qualitative vs. Quantitative?

Answer 6

Qualitative: Exploratory, Deep, Emotional, Context-rich

Quantitative: Conclusive, Broad, Scalable

Question 7

What are the answers you’re looking for in Qualitative vs. Quantitative?

Answer 7

Qualitative: Why, How, What it means

Quantitative: How much, How many, What changed

Question 8

What are the use case for Qualitative vs. Quantitative?

Answer 8

Qualitative: Early ideation, accessibility, design iteration

Quantitative: Pattern detection, KPI tracking, A/B testing

Question 9

While Quantitative research validates assumptions and measure performance, what does Qualitative research uncover?

Answer 9

The root cause of the problem

Question 10

For example, if users a skipping a feature, analytics tells you that they skipped it, what does qualitative research tell you?

Answer 10

It tells you the why. the reason.

Question 11

What Is a Landscape Analysis?

Answer 11

A landscape analysis is an insight-driven, qualitative research method used during the discovery and planning phase of a UX project. It helps teams understand the broader market context, identify competitor patterns, and spot opportunities for innovation by analyzing existing products or services related to the one being designed.

Question 12

What is the purpose of a Landscape Analysis?

Answer 12

• Identify design patterns already familiar to users
• Spot unmet user needs or experience gaps across current offerings
• Understand market expectation and industry trends
• Evaluate both direct competitors and adjacent or non-traditional solutions

Question 13

What are the advantages of Landscape Analysis?

Answer 13

• Low-cost & quick to perform
• Useful for teams with limited access to users during early stages
• Broadens thinking beyond a single solution or competitor
• Helps uncover industry trends and opportunity areas

Question 14

What are the limitations of Landscape Analysi?

Answer 14

1. Limited to public information: You can’t see backend logic, actual user data, or internal strategies
2. Can be biased: Teams may unintentionally focus only on what they think is important
3. Often excludes stakeholder input: If not aligned with business goals or customer interviews, insights may lack strategic focus
4. Lacks user voice: You’re evaluating products, not people - so the analysis must be paired with user research later.

Question 15

What is a Heuristic Review?

Answer 15

also called Heuristic evaluation

Structured expert analysis of a product or service based on established usability heuristics or industry best practices.

Question 16

When is this a Heuristic review (a low-cost, high-impact) UX method typically performed?

Answer 16

1. At the end of a pre-sales phase, to scope effort and demonstrate UX needs, or
2. Immediately after a project kicks off, to create a prioritized backlog of usability issues.

Question 17

What is the purpose of a Heuristic Review?

Answer 17

• Identify usability issues quickly without needing access to live users
• Establish a baseline understanding of a product quality from a UX perspective
• Align teams around UX gaps early in a project
• Generate insight-driven recommendations for immediate or future design improvements.

Question 18

What are the strengths of Heuristic Reviews?

Answer 18

1. Fast and Low-cost: No user recruitment or formal testing setup needed
2. Highly actionable: Generates immediate recommendations, often tired to design heuristics
3. Good for early-stage diagnosis: Sets the stage for deeper research or design sprints
4. Can be combined with analytics: Aligns expert insights with behavioral data to validate issues

Question 19

What are the limitations of Heuristic Reviews?

Answer 19

1. Subjective to the evaluator: Results depend on the evaluator’s skill and familiarity with the product
2. Doesn’t capture user intent: No substitute for real user behavior and feedback
3. Not comprehensive: Focuses on known usability principles, not all edge cases or domain specifics
4. Needs prioritization: Some findings may be low-impact; requires judgment to separate critical issues from minor ones.

Question 20

When is it recommended to use Heuristic Reviews?

Answer 20

1. As a preliminary assessment before investing in user testing
2. During pre-sales to demonstrate UX value
3. When product teams want quick, expert feedback
4. As part of a UX audit to guide iterative improvements

Question 21

How do you conduct a Heuristic Review?

Answer 21

1. Summary
   Provide a quick aummary (1 sentence) of tasks that is performed for this heuristic violation.
2. Page Identified
   Provide the URL (or page title) that his heuristic violation is found
3. Strenghts
   Provide any positive factors about the task performed for this heuristic violation
4. Heuristics violated
   Provide the code of the heuristic (e.g., ACI-FIndabl) that this task ciolates using the guides found int eh Appendix of this document
5. Details
   Provide any other detail that hasn’t been captured above, or a short recommendation on how to resolve the violation
6. Screen shot of violation
   Provide a screen shot of the violation

Question 22

What is Contextual Inquiry?

Answer 22

A qualitative, generative ux research method used to observe and understand how users perform tasks in their natural environment.

It’s often described as:
“Think-aloud studies”
“Ride-alongs”
“Fly-on-the-wall observation”

Question 23

How does contextual inquiry differ from surveys or interviews?

Answer 23

Unlike surveys or interviews, which rely on user recall, contextual inquiry captures real behavior as it happens.

Question 24

What does Contextual Inquiry reveal?

Answer 24

Unspoken behavior, workflow inefficiencies, and contextual factors.

Question 25

What are the primary goals of Contextual Inquiry?

Answer 25

1. Understand task flows and decision-making in real time 2. Identify environmental and contextual influences on user behavior 3. Reveal implicit knowledge users may not be able to articulate 4. Discover opportunities for design that align with real-world needs

Question 26

What are the limitations of Contextual Inquiry?

Answer 26

1. Time and resource-intensive: Requires scheduling, travel (sometimes), and transcription/analysis time 2. Small sample size: Typically only 5-10 participants due to depth of engagement 3. Observer effect: Presence of the researcher may influence behavior 4. Not Scalable: Doesn't yield statistically significant data on its own

Question 27

What is moderated product validation?

Answer 27

a hands-on, qualitative UX research method where a researcher interacts directly with participants—either in a lab setting or in the users' natural environment.

Question 28

What is the goal of moderated product validation?

Answer 28

The goal is to observe users perform real tasks with the product, ask clarifying questions, and gather rich, contextual feedback in real time. This method is most effective during: - Usability testing - Prototype validation - Design iteration cycles

Question 29

What is unmoderated product validation?

Answer 29

Unmoderated product validation is remote, self-guided usability testing method where participants complete tasks without a live facilitator. Instead, they follow a predefined test script, and their behavior is recorded via screen capture, audio, and sometimes video.

Question 30

When is an unmoderated product validation useful?

Answer 30

It's a cost-effective and scalable option. when you're: - Testing with global users - Working with limited budgets or timelines - Needing rapid, repeatable feedback

Question 31

What are the advantages of unmoderated product validation?

Answer 31

1. Cost-effective: No travel, facilities, or scheduling costs 2. Faster turnaround: Studies can run overnight or in parallel with minimal oversight 3. Scalable: Easily test with dozens or hundred of users 4. Access to global participants: Reach people in different locations, time zones, and demographics.

Question 32

What are the limitations of unmoderated product validation?

Answer 32

1. Rigid scripting: You can't ask follow-up questions or adjust tasks mid-study 2. Limited context: Harder to probe edge cases or misunderstandings without real-time interaction 3. Higher risk of poorly framed tasks: Vague or biased instructions can invalidate results 4. No real-time troubleshooting: Participants may drop off or misinterpret tasks without feedback

Question 33

What is a remote moderated testing?

Answer 33

combines the depth of in-person sessions with the convenience of digital tools: 1. Conducted via platforms like Zoom, Skype, or Lookback 2. Allows real-time observation, clarification, and probing 3. Participants share their screen while the moderator guides them 4. Works well for both desktop and mobile experiences

Question 34

What Is Participatory Design?

Answer 34

Participatory design is a collaborative design methodology where users, stakeholders, and sometimes even cross-functional team members are actively involved in shaping the product experience. Rather than being passive research subjects, participants become co-designers, contributing ideas, models, and insights that inform the final solution. It’s a method grounded in democratizing design—valuing the lived experience and domain expertise of the people you're designing for.

Question 35

When is it recommended to use Participatory Design?

Answer 35

It is flexible and can be used at any phase of research or design. Common entry points: 1. After contextual inquiry: Invite users to co-create improved workflows or interfaces based on observation 2. During ideation: Host co-design sessions to explore multiple directions or solutions 3. During validation: End usability tests with brief sketch or feedback sessions 4. In stakeholder alignment: Collaboratively prioritize features, goals, or design directions.

Question 36

What are the key benefits of Participatory Design?

Answer 36

1. Increase empathy: Brings real user and business voices into the design process 2. Reduces bias: Challenged internal assumptions with external perspectives 3. Encourages buy-in: Stakeholders and users are more likely to support ideas they helped shape 4. Improves creativity: Uncovers novel ideas not limited by designer constraints 5. Builds shared understanding: Facilitates cross-functional collaboration and transparency

Question 37

What are the limitation and risk of Participatory Design?

Answer 37

1. Requires facilitation skill: Prepare structured activities and set clear expectations 2. Can be unfocused if not scoped: Align activities with specific design or research goals 3. Not all feedback is feasible: Synthesize input critically and align with technical and business constraints

Question 38

What is a Diary Study?

Answer 38

A method, either digital or analog, where customers track their own use and behaviors with a system

Question 39

What is a stakeholder workshop?

Answer 39

Methods of guiding conversations with business stakeholders on goals and opportunities of a system

Question 40

How can qualitative research be valuable for business stakeholders?

Answer 40

It’s a great way to show them firsthand what customers are feeling.