Design Research vs. User Research vs. UX Research
January 17, 2023
What is the difference between design research, user research, and user experience (UX) research? While there are significant similarities and overlaps among these types of research, they also have unique characteristics.
Design Research
To begin with, design research has the main objective of collecting crucial data and information at the beginning of the design process. This pertains to the creation of plans for a product, service, or experience that is yet to exist.
Thus, design researchers often carry out their most significant work during the initial stages of a project to aid in the development of a blueprint for the forthcoming product, service or artifact.
User Research
In contrast, user research aims to consistently gather relevant information and data throughout the entire development process.
Thus, user researchers contribute to all stages of the design process, working to create, refine, and continuously enhance the product or service.
User Experience (UX) Research
Lastly, UX research centers on the latter phases of the development process. The aim is to verify and improve the design of the already-existing product or service.
That is to say, UX researchers focus on identifying usability issues or pain points in the design and providing suggestions for improvement. This way, they evaluate and enhance the user experience of the product or service.
In a Nutshell
All three types of research (design research, user research, and UX research) have several things in common.
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EMPATHY. They aim to achieve a good understanding of the needs, behaviors, and motivations of users, in order to inform the design and development of the planned artifact.
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COLLABORATION. They place an emphasis on collaborating with designers, product managers, and other stakeholders to guarantee that the final product satisfies the needs of the intended users.
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RESEARCH METHODS. They draw upon the same pool of research methods, such as user interviews, usability testing, and surveys.
In addition to the scope of their impact, one of the principal differences between the three types of research, therefore, consists in where and when they exert said impact during a design project.
As shown in the figure, design research is concerned with producing the preliminary design. Design research typically occurs in the early stage of the design and has the most impact on the overall design strategy.
User research, on the other hand, takes place throughout the design project in order to continuously improve the design of the product or service, as well as to steer and inform the overall design process.
Finally, user experience research typically takes place in the later stages of the project in order to address existing pain points and deficiencies of the design, and thus improve the overall user experience when interacting with the designed product or service.