User Research Has an Undeniable Return on Investment

Why should I, as a company CEO, care about our UXR maturity level?

From experience, we know (I don't mean our experience at Stride XL, but the experience of companies both here and primarily abroad) that research has an undeniable return on investment (ROI). Not all companies realize this, so education is still needed. When you know that research delivers results, why wouldn't you want to reach the highest level of what it can bring to the company? This means actively being interested not only in the current situation, but also in what and how to improve.

Can a UX/UXR team alone bring about change in a company?

That's a great question. A UX/UXR team can bring about change in a company on its own, but it's a more challenging path with many obstacles. If someone in management (top and C-level management) has an affinity for research, you've essentially won. This person will likely understand the value of research and be able to "sell" it. It works the same way with design. If you have a Vice President of Design or a CEO who is a former designer, integrating design into different parts of the company should be considerably easier.

The "bottom-up" approach is also not impossible. I recommend starting by showing the value of research on specific projects, tracking metrics, and mapping your allies and opponents within the company. If you convince them, "convert" them into early adopters, it will help you a lot. It will be a great advantage if you find out where their skepticism comes from (yes, with research). You can then better address and dispel their concerns.

Based on your experience, what is the UXR maturity level in Czech companies?

The level of UXR maturity in Czech companies is difficult to generalize. I don't even know if there is any solid research on this. If I had to guess, outside the IT/tech sector, there would be at most marketing research, not user research. In some places, not even that. Therefore, we cannot even discuss UXR maturity. The situation is much better in IT/tech companies.

What are the most common mistakes companies make in research? And how to avoid them?

Leaving aside companies that don't deal with research at all, we often encounter two main mistakes. The first is that the company only conducts validation research. This means that it focuses only on verifying whether their solution makes sense to customers or users, for example, by testing the usability of new designs. The second mistake is reducing research to just two or three activities – the aforementioned usability testing, in-depth interviews, and questionnaires. Although these methods are useful, they have their limitations and in some situations may be insufficient or completely inappropriate. Unfortunately, some designers overuse or even misuse them because they are relatively easy to perform.

With interviews and questionnaires, it is necessary to keep in mind several disadvantages. Firstly, what people tell us may not always be true. It is not just about intentional lying – respondents may not remember details or may adjust the truth to make themselves look better. If we do not uncover these "errors," it can lead to misleading conclusions. The second disadvantage is that we only learn what we ask about. Yet, there may be key pieces of information that the respondent will not share on their own. For example, the environment in which they move and perform the activities we are examining.

When we get into this environment in person, we may be overwhelmed by a wealth of valuable information. The same applies to directly observing the respondent at work. However, we cannot obtain these insights from the comfort of a computer screen during a remote interview. Therefore, it is important to combine various research methods and not underestimate the importance of contextual research in the real environment of users.

How do I determine our company's UXR maturity level?

You can determine the company's UXR maturity level using online tools – a set of questions, after answering which you will receive an assessment of the current state. I wouldn't place much weight on the assessment itself; the questions themselves are more interesting. You can often deduce the "right path" from them and make a list of things to improve. For example, if I ask you whether you have a one-person or multi-person research team, or whether you work with research information on a one-off basis (for the purposes of that research) or continuously and systematically, you will certainly recognize which answer indicates a more advanced level. From this, you can make a list of things to improve and start working on them.

Or, another option – write to us at Stride XL and we will help you. 🙂

One of the models used is, for example, Maze's Research Maturity Model. You can take an online UXR maturity test on their website.

You recently conducted UXR maturity training at Tipsport. How did the request for the training arise?

We have a long history of cooperation with Tipsport in the field of design and research training.The cooperation suits us mutually, so we continue it. People at Tipsport are moving forward in their knowledge, which is a natural development. They learn something, try it in practice, find out that not everything works as expected, and discover new needs. As a supporter of lifelong learning, I am pleased that Tipsport has the desire, time, and management support to advance their knowledge further.

How did the training go? What came out of it?

The training went well; we received positive feedback, which is always pleasing. Of course, I also took away a list of things to improve. Every environment is different, and we are very good at making adjustments according to the client's context. The participants took away notes on things they plan to try out in practice, which is the ideal scenario. I wish them luck in making it happen.