UX research tools are a powerful way to analyze and improve your copy performance. With their help, you can track user engagement over time, analyze user feedback, compare copy options, and get a better understanding of what drives users to act. They can help you evaluate your copy’s performance in real-time and identify areas that need improving. You can then use the data you collect to make informed decisions and optimize your writing process – creating content that is tailored specifically to your needs and goals.
Ultimately, UX research tools are invaluable resources for any writing team looking to maximize success. By using these powerful insights as a guide, writers have the opportunity to craft impactful copy that drives results.
What is UX research?
UX research is a way to gather data about how users interact with our product. It helps us learn about user behavior, preferences, and motivations. Using a range of methods, we can collect qualitative and quantitative data to inform our design choices and create better experiences.
In today's digital age, where everything is just a click away, UX research has become a critical component of product design and development. It helps organizations of any size create products that offer real value, ultimately leading to business success, too.
For us writers, UX research can provide invaluable feedback on our copy. By testing different versions and observing users, we can learn what copy will work best. Once we pick the right messaging for our audience’s needs, it will naturally resonate with them more. And that, in turn, will drive better overall performance.
What are UX research tools?
Generally, UX research tools are apps or products that help teams conduct better experiments. These tools help streamline the research process and provide a centralized platform for organizing and analyzing data. A good, versatile UX research tool can support a wide variety of tests and experiments – from creating surveys to conducting user testing, analyzing data, and sharing insights with everyone involved. They come in a variety of forms, from side features available in your CRM or marketing tools, to robust cloud-based platforms dedicated specifically to research.
Who should use a UX research tool?
Anyone involved in the product design process – from designers and writers to product managers and marketers – can benefit from research.
If you’re part of a big organization and have UX researchers on your team, you can work with them to collect insights and data about the product areas you’re involved in.
Even small teams and startups can run tests. Some of the UX research tools available today are quite simple to use. And the insights they generate are easy to understand, even if you have no research background.
And yes, UX writers who want to learn about how their copy is performing – or make data-driven choices as they write – should absolutely use a UX research tool. Ultimately, it’s for anyone looking for an efficient way to understand their users’ needs or preferences.
Quality vs. quantity: Types of UX Research
Roughly speaking, UX research can be divided into two categories: qualitative and quantitative.
1. Quantitative research is focused on measurable, statistical insights. it’s more structured and aims to provide statistical evidence to support design decisions. Using these methods, we can gather numerical, unbiased data about how our product is performing. For example.
- Conversion rates: How many users upgraded their account, or what amount of users purchased a specific product.
- Clickthrough rates: What percentage of users clicked on a CTA, or what part of users performed a certain action.
- User engagement metrics: How long users stayed on a specific screen, or how many times they did a specific action.
2. Qualitative research, on the other hand, is more exploratory in its nature. It doesn’t generate numbers, but bigger insights and generalizations. While it’s not as precise as quantitative research, it lets us address bigger, more complex questions that can’t be measured. For example:
- Journeys and obstacles: How users navigate through the product, what their experience is like, and where they’re struggling.
- User perceptions: How users feel about your product overall, and what they like and dislike.
- User goals and needs: What users need from the product, and what specific tasks they’re trying to accomplish.
Both types of UX research are essential for understanding how users interact with your product and can help you identify areas to improve performance overall.
What UX Research Tools can you use?
There are dozens of UX research tools out there, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. We’ve chosen to share five of the top tools here, but we encourage you to explore and find the best option for your stack, goals, and budget.
- For hybrid research: Lookback is an excellent choice for hybrid teams who need to run research both remotely and in-person. Thanks to a suite of features, teams can easily observe studies, discuss them in real-time, and take notes in one place.
- For participant recruiting: Optimal Workshop is an ideal option for teams that don't have their own pool of research participants. With their 50+ million user panel, they make it easy to recruit participants for your research projects.
- For qualitative surveys: Userbrain is an excellent choice for teams that want to run remote tests and generate qualitative insights. The asynchronous nature of the platform makes it easy to collect data from a variety of users, without the need for live tests. Plus, the voice-over videos give you a better insight into user perceptions and help you identify areas of improvement.
- For quantitative optimizations: Optimizely is a powerful tool for quantitative optimizations. You can use it for A/B testing, generating click-through rate (CTR) data, and collecting other measurable metrics. Being able to track conversions and engagement helps you make informed, data-driven decisions.
- For versatile testing: Maze is a versatile UX research tool that can be used to run a wide variety of tests, from usability testing to surveys and more. You can easily run in-person tests or remote ones and get actionable insights quickly. Ultimately, it’s an excellent choice for teams that need to be able to run multiple types of tests and experiments.
Why use a UX research tool?
UX research tools can be extremely valuable for writers, as they help develop a better understanding of their audience and how their copy performs. You can use it to identify areas of improvement and optimize your writing process. In addition, you can easily compare different versions of your copy and evaluate their performance in real time. This helps you take a more strategic approach, creating content that resonates with your audience and drives results.
