There are many different research methods to choose from. This play will help you identify the best method(s) for gathering the insights that you need and ensuring the salience of the insights you collect.

Who Are the Key players in the Picking a Research Method play?

ROLE	WHO’S INVOLVED	RESPONSIBILITIES
DRIVER	User researcher	Define study timeline; Define the method; Conduct research.
CONTRIBUTOR	Experience practitioners, cross‐functional teams	Contribute research questions and domain‐specific insights; Provide existing knowledge on users; Provide stimuli for any studies; Define budget.

THE HOW

To effectively pick a method, you will need to be mindful of:

1. The CONTEXT of Your Research

Identify your user experience design phase to determine what types of insights (formative, summative, or sensorial) you need and the best research method to use to find them.

2. The PURPOSE of the Study

Different methods will produce different types of data and insights. Therefore, in addition to identifying the type of insights you need, it is also important to define your purpose—how you will be using these insights. Will you be using the research to define product requirements? To make improvements on an existing product? To decide which ideas and user problems to strategically invest in?

According to Chrisian Rohrer, user research methods can be placed along two spectrums: attitudinal vs. behavioral and quantitative vs. qualitative.

• Attitudinal methods focus on what users say and share. These methods are ideal for quickly collecting insights from the users’ points of view or for when you need an explanation of why users do or think something. The caveat is that attitudinal methods rely on self‐reported data, which may not always be accurate.
• Behavioral methods are based on observation and focus more on understanding what users do and how they do it. This can be ideal for discovering user needs and behaviors.
• Quantitative methods focus on numbers and scores. These methods are ideal for finding trends or establishing standard measures with larger sample sizes.
• Qualitative methods focus on gaining a more descriptive understanding of behaviors that are hard to measure. They are ideal for diving deeper into the surrounding context and discovering the “why” behind what users do.

3. The RESEARCH QUESTIONS You Want Answered

The types of questions you want to ask will also affect which method you use to gather the insights. Take inventory of the research questions that you have gathered throughout the design phases, and see if they call for attitudinal, behavioral, quantitative, or qualitative data.

4. The LOGISTICS That Affect Your Study

Two types of logistics have to be factored in during the selection of the method: timelines and budget.

5. The Right METHOD Based on Your Needs and Priorities

Narrow down the ideal method(s) based on the parameters you’ve identified in the previous points. In the case where there is no exact fit, rank the parameters in order of impact and feasibility to loosen the criteria and find the next best option.