Google’s Approach to Cost-Effective User Experience Research

Google’s recent Search Off the Record podcast reveals how even small businesses and solo creators can use DIY user experience research (UXR) to uncover valuable insights, improve usability, and boost customer satisfaction—on a budget.

Key Points of the Discussion

Foundational principles of UXR: Understanding what UXR is, why it matters, and how it’s different from academic research.
Recognizing the need for UXR: Key signs indicating when a product might benefit from user experience research, such as high bounce rates or user complaints.
DIY UXR methods: Practical methods that even small teams or solo developers can use without major resources, including cognitive walkthroughs and heuristic evaluations.
Approaching user data effectively: Combining qualitative and quantitative data to gain insights and using tools like data visualization and reenacting user actions.
Reliable resources for beginners: Recommendations, including the Nielsen Norman Group, to access established standards and guidelines in UXR.

User experience research (UXR) might sound like a complex field requiring a full team of specialists, but that’s far from the truth. In the recent Search Off the Record podcast episode, Google’s Lizzi Sassman and UX researcher Iva Barisic Hafner unpack the DIY approach to UXR. Their discussion reveals that UXR can be accessible, impactful, and affordable—even for small businesses or solo projects.

1. What Is UXR and Why Does It Matter?

User experience research, or UXR, is the process of understanding users’ feelings, thoughts, and actions as they interact with a system, such as a website, app, or product. UXR serves a critical function for product teams aiming to improve their design, usability, and overall user satisfaction. It’s about learning what works for users and identifying friction points.

“User experience is basically like a fancy name for a person’s thoughts, feelings, and action before they start interacting with any system, while they interact, and after it. It doesn’t mean just user interface. It doesn’t mean just usability. It’s just like this general fluffy thing that goes around the use.” — Iva

Iva explains that UXR doesn’t need to be highly formalized; the key is to uncover pain points and opportunities for improvement that align with user needs. Especially in today’s market, where alternatives abound, poor UX can deter users from returning or recommending a product.

Example:

Let’s say a hypothetical language learning app for busy professionals, called “Lingoden” offering short, interactive lessons, quizzes, and practice conversations to help users improve their language skills.

For Lingoden, UXR is essential because it allows the team to see where users are getting stuck or frustrated, making it easier to improve the app’s navigation and features in a way that keeps users engaged and motivated.

2. When Should You Conduct UXR?

One crucial takeaway is that nearly every product can benefit from UXR, as no product is perfect. But, with limited resources, it’s essential to prioritize. Common signs that UXR may be necessary include:

High bounce rates or low conversion rates
Negative user feedback
Unexplained drops in user engagement

For smaller companies or teams, conducting full-scale UXR might not be feasible, but simple techniques can offer invaluable insights.

“So how do you know that you need one? Well, it's easy because almost always you need one, right?" — Iva

"There is no such thing as a perfect product.” — Iva

Example:

Lingoden is seeing a high dropout rate among users after the first few lessons. The team receives some negative feedback about confusing menus and wants to understand why this might be happening. By focusing on these issues in their UXR, they can make targeted improvements, such as simplifying navigation or restructuring the initial lessons to increase user retention.

3. Practical DIY UXR Methods

Lizzi and Iva outline two main UXR methods that can be effectively employed without users’ direct input:

Cognitive Walkthrough: This method analyzes the user journey step-by-step. The goal is to envision the product’s ideal flow and identify areas where users might get confused. As Iva explains, it requires walking through the product from the user’s perspective, noting any potential issues.

“The whole idea of this method is that, first, you start by describing to yourself exactly who your users are and what do they know and what do they not know." — Iva

"Then you make a list of tasks that users are accomplishing with your product." — Iva

"And then, at every point, you ask yourself, ‘Will they do this or not?.” — Iva

Heuristic Evaluation: This method involves checking the product against a list of standard UX principles, like good contrast or intuitive navigation, rather than creating everything from scratch. These principles, as Lizzi and Iva discuss, are often available through resources like the Nielsen Norman Group.

“You take a list of standards. You take all screens, and this list of standards can be anything that's relevant to your product." — Iva

“All you do is like you take this list of principles, you take every single screen of your product, and then you just check that all these principles are satisfied for every screen. And that’s all. So it’s very, very simple." — Iva

These DIY methods are cost-effective and allow small teams to identify and address common UX issues independently.

Example:

For the cognitive walkthrough, the Lingoden team could go through each screen from a user’s perspective, starting with signing in, finding lessons, and tracking progress. They might discover that users have to click through too many screens to access their lesson history, creating a barrier to re-engagement. Through a heuristic evaluation, they might also notice issues like inconsistent button sizes or low contrast in certain screens, both of which can be adjusted to improve usability.

4. Making the Most of User Data

Collecting data from users can enhance UXR efforts, but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. Iva highlights that UXR combines both quantitative (e.g., surveys) and qualitative (e.g., interviews) methods. Quantitative data can help identify widespread issues, while qualitative insights dig into users’ frustrations and needs.

“Five users is like a good amount … because it sounds very low, right, but then like the problem there is okay. Like you have to put a lot of thought into who your five users will be and how representative they are, and so on. From these five users, you know what are the pain points, but you don’t know how common they are because you didn’t check with all your users.” — Iva

"Every method will uncover a different type of information for you to make your decisions." — Iva

Data Visualization: Plotting data visually can reveal trends at a glance. This simple approach can often show whether you have “enough” data and highlight key user experiences that may need adjustments.
Reenacting User Actions: Testing your own site by replicating user actions can help you spot friction points that analytics might miss. This hands-on approach keeps the analysis grounded in actual user experiences.

Example:

Lingoden could survey users about their navigation experience to collect quantitative data, showing that 30% of users struggle with finding certain features. The team could then conduct a few interviews to gather qualitative insights and learn, for instance, that users have trouble locating specific lesson topics due to vague labels. They can validate these insights by reenacting user actions themselves, better understanding where the friction points occur.

5. Avoiding Common Pitfalls and Bias

Bias and subjectivity are inevitable in DIY UXR, especially for those evaluating their own products. Lizzi and Iva discuss how developers’ familiarity with a product can cloud judgment, making it difficult to see usability flaws. Iva advises honesty and self-criticism in any self-conducted UXR.

“You, we, become, as we develop our products, we really become experts in our products. And then it’s very hard to like take this novice view of our products.” — Iva

“If you genuinely want your product to be better, then you will also be honest in whichever method you’re applying.” — Iva

Iva also stresses the importance of avoiding bias in surveys or interview questions. Using established survey frameworks and question wording can help eliminate common issues that may skew results.

Example:

For Lingoden, the team may assume users want detailed grammar explanations in every lesson. However, a few user interviews reveal that most users prefer quick, practical phrases. Avoiding their initial bias, the team adjusts their approach, creating shorter, scenario-based lessons rather than in-depth grammar explanations, ultimately improving user satisfaction.

6. Resources and Tools for DIY UXR

For those new to UXR, Lizzi and Iva recommend the Nielsen Norman Group website, which provides industry-standard guidelines, tutorials, and articles on everything from user research to interface design.

“There are many UX communities around the world. But, actually, for me, the most useful website and the place where I learned the most about these things is a website from Nielsen Norman Group.” — Iva

This recommendation underlines that reliable resources can streamline UXR, saving time and avoiding pitfalls for newcomers to the field.

Implications and Benefits of DIY UXR

UXR doesn’t require a full team of experts or large-scale studies to be effective. Small businesses and independent creators can greatly improve user satisfaction by implementing straightforward, budget-friendly UXR methods.

Enhanced Usability: By identifying and fixing pain points, even on a small scale, products become more user-friendly, fostering customer loyalty.
Data-Driven Decisions: A blend of quantitative and qualitative data informs decisions without the need for exhaustive resources, providing a well-rounded view of user needs and frustrations.
Competitive Edge: Even basic UXR can differentiate a product in a crowded market, giving users a reason to return and recommend it.

With so many options available, a well-researched and intuitive user experience can be the deciding factor for user loyalty. Companies investing even minimal effort in UXR can create products that resonate better with users, standing out in a competitive market.

Conclusion

User experience research isn’t exclusive to large corporations with dedicated teams. By embracing DIY UXR methods, anyone can uncover valuable insights, make impactful changes, and build more satisfying products. As Iva concludes, there’s no need to create UXR methods from scratch—numerous resources and frameworks are available. With just a bit of commitment, even a small business or solo developer can engage in UXR, ultimately leading to a more intuitive, user-centered experience.

In Lizzi’s words, “I learned a lot on this episode,” and indeed, anyone can apply these DIY UXR techniques to see significant product improvements.