The 7 Best Proven UX Research Techniques

In this content, we will talk about 7 different techniques that are each valuable, proven, and have achieved the status of being verified with real data in UX projects. We will discuss the techniques one by one. In our content, you will also understand why these techniques are successful.

1. Technique: Card Sorting
Although this technique is generally known in the UX field, it was actually used much earlier in psychological research. In this structurally simple technique, words or word groups are written on a card, and users are asked to categorize them (Category names may also be created depending on the form of the study). This technique, which was quite useful for psychology in the past, today helps in information architecture and in examining new products or moving in the right direction.

Today, there are many card sorting techniques, with abundant variety being a feature of our era in this area as well. What matters is choosing the right one for your studies; in addition to many online tools that can be used remotely, there are also tools that allow local use.

Why should this technique be preferred?

• Quite inexpensive in terms of research,
• Quite simple for participants and customers to understand,
• A method that easily provides user feedback for getting ideas in early UX projects.

2. Technique: Expert Review
In the expert review technique, qualities such as design, accessibility, and usability of the relevant product through the user interface are reviewed by a single expert. There is no fixed progression in this technique, and the technique can produce different variations from expert to expert or product to product. The key point of the technique is the expert. The more experienced our expert is in UX and usability, the greater their contribution will be.

Why should this technique be preferred?

• Twice as fast, easy, and cheap compared to other usability techniques,
• It is possible to obtain data with a single professional,
•  Quite useful as a guide for advanced UX research (it should be added that in the past, most companies handled the UX portion solely with this technique.)

3. Technique: Eye Tracking
Whichever system we are talking about, it will be quite useful to know where users spend their time while in your system. While its main contribution is to the user interface, it will also guide what you can determine as a priority in content. This technique, which is used in almost every field, is a UX technique that is quite useful in terms of price and performance.

Why should this technique be preferred?

• Compared to the past, eye-tracking systems take up less space and do not create confusion when combined with usability tests,
• Although costly, it is available at more reasonable amounts than in the past,
• With advancing data storage and tracking methods, they provide more reliable results,
• As in the past, eye tracking is still the favorite method of customers in terms of UX

4. Technique: Field Studies
When field studies are mentioned, the set they cover can spread over a fairly wide area, and counting them would be tiring for us and reading them would be tiring for you But we can summarize the whole matter with this sentence: observing users in their natural environments and converting their behavior into measurable data for the product being researched. This technique includes forms of study such as interviews, surveys, and ethnographic research.

Why should this technique be preferred?

• There is still no technique that can fully reflect the impact products have on users as well as field studies,
• It is the technique that researchers and developers are most curious about in terms of results for their products,
• When done correctly, it sheds light on the finest details, and feedback can be obtained about problem identification and solutions.

5. Technique: Usability Testing
This is a technique everyone is familiar with, encountered in preview versions of applications. It would not be wrong to say it is the oldest and most valuable technique that comes to mind when most companies think of UX. The main purpose in usability tests is to obtain data by observing users performing specific tasks on the product. This technique can be used for a single purpose or for a broader study.

Why should this technique be preferred?

• It is quite useful because data can be obtained by tracking properly informed users moment by moment,
• It is suitable for obtaining more detailed results for specific action plans,
• Customers can also participate as observers in the application of this technique.

6. Technique: Remote Usability Testing
This technique, which was quite expensive in the past, is now one of the most preferred techniques. Its biggest advantage is that it can be done easily without the need to create a laboratory environment. Compared to the past, it is also more cost-effective in structure. Sometimes even a network connection alone is enough. 

Why should this technique be preferred?

• Prevents the loss of time and money that would arise from a laboratory environment
• Allows for the creation of a wider testing network
• Produces more useful results than a laboratory in many respects

7. Technique: User Personas
While user personas vary according to the product and process, the focus within the technique is on work targeting the intended users. The technique focuses on users' goals, attitudes they exhibit, and characteristic features they possess. In addition to all this (of course), what users expect from products is also examined.
The biggest advantage of the user persona technique is that, being created from user research, it serves as a living guide useful in the design process. While each persona contains its own story, focusing on these during the creation process makes it possible to produce better work.

Why should this technique be preferred?

• Compared to old user profiles, it enables a more specific and deeper user preview,
• It is more practical because it provides continuously discussable data during the study,
• It can produce many enjoyable and interesting results, making it possible to obtain more memorable data.