Foundational Research: The Bedrock of UX

If you’re building a house, you wouldn't start constructing without understanding the ground you're building on, right? That's exactly what foundational research does for UX design. It gives you the solid base you need to create products that truly resonate with your users.

Foundational research is more than just gathering data. It's about building empathy, spotting opportunities, and setting the stage for informed design decisions. Understanding foundational research in UX is crucial for creating user-centered designs.

What is foundational research?

Foundational research is the detective work of UX. It's about digging deep to understand your users, their needs, and the context in which they'll use your product. This type of research helps you build a solid base for your design decisions.

Why is foundational research important for UX?

Foundational research is crucial for UX because it helps you avoid costly mistakes. When you understand your users from the get-go, you're less likely to waste time and money on features they don't want or need. It's like having a map before you start a journey – you're much more likely to end up where you want to go.

What is the main focus of foundational research?

The main focus of foundational research is threefold.

• Understanding users: Who are they? What do they want? What frustrates them?
• Exploring context: Where and how will people use your product?
• Identifying opportunities: What problems can you solve for your users?

Key principles

The purpose of doing foundational research is to build empathy with your users. It's about stepping into their shoes and seeing the world from their perspective. This understanding helps you create products that truly meet their needs, not just what you think they need.

What is an example of fundamental research?

Let's say you're designing a new banking app. Foundational research might involve interviewing people about their banking habits and pain points, and observing how people manage their finances in their day-to-day lives.

This research would help you understand what features to include in your app and how to design them in a way that makes sense to your users.

What is the foundational research process?

The foundational research process typically follows these steps.

1. Define your research goals
2. Choose your research methods
3. Recruit participants
4. Conduct the research
5. Analyze the data
6. Share your findings

When to conduct foundational research

You should do foundational research at the start of a new project or when entering a new market. It's also useful when you're facing a complex problem or when you notice a big gap between your product and user needs.

Tips for conducting foundational research

• Be open-minded. Leave your assumptions at the door.
• Listen more than you talk. Let your users guide the conversation.
• Look for patterns, but don't ignore outliers. They might offer valuable insights.
• Use a mix of research methods to get a well-rounded view.

What are common user research methods associated with foundational research?

User Interviews

User interviews are one-on-one conversations with your target users. They help you understand users' thoughts, feelings, and motivations in depth.

Foundational Research Tools for User Interviews - Looppanel

Looppanel is a user research tool that makes conducting and analyzing interviews a breeze. It records and transcribes your interviews, and uses AI to help you spot patterns in your data.

Here's how it supports foundational research.

1. Automatic Transcription: Looppanel records and transcribes your interviews, freeing you to focus on the conversation. This feature is crucial for foundational research, where catching every nuance is key.
2. AI-Powered Analysis: The tool uses artificial intelligence to spot patterns in your data. This can help you identify common themes across multiple interviews, which is essential for building a comprehensive understanding of your users.
3. Collaborative Note-Taking: Multiple team members can take notes simultaneously during interviews. This feature ensures you capture diverse perspectives, enriching your foundational research.
4. Sentiment Analysis: Looppanel can analyze the emotional tone of responses. In foundational research, understanding not just what users say, but how they feel, is vital.
5. Repository Search: Looppanel offers a powerful search function across all your research data. This feature is invaluable for foundational research, allowing you to quickly find and reference specific insights across multiple interviews. You can also ask the AI questions on your data and insights, and it’ll respond with astute answers, including citations to the data sources!

Usability Testing

Usability testing involves watching users interact with your product to identify any usability issues.

Foundational Research Tools for Usability Testing - Maze

Maze is a rapid testing platform that lets you run unmoderated usability tests. It provides detailed reports and heatmaps to help you understand how users interact with your designs.

• Unmoderated Testing: Maze allows you to run unmoderated tests, reaching a broader user base quickly. This is great for foundational research when you need to understand a wide range of user behaviors.
• Heat Maps: The tool generates heat maps showing where users click and how they navigate. This visual data can uncover patterns in user behavior, informing your initial design decisions.
• Funnel Analysis: Maze provides funnel analysis, showing where users drop off in a process. For foundational research, this can highlight major usability issues early on.
• Open-Ended Feedback: Users can leave open-ended feedback, providing qualitative insights alongside quantitative data. This mix is crucial for building a complete picture in foundational research.

Card Sorting

Card sorting helps you understand how users organize and categorize information. It's great for designing intuitive navigation systems.

Foundational Research Tools for Card Sorting - Optimal Workshop

Optimal Workshop offers a suite of user research tools, including a card sorting tool that makes it easy to set up and analyze card sorting exercises.

• Remote Card Sorting: You can conduct card sorting exercises remotely, reaching a diverse group of participants. This is key for foundational research, where you want a broad understanding of user mental models.
• Multiple Analysis Methods: It offers various analysis methods, including dendrograms and similarity matrices. These help you spot patterns in how users organize information, informing your initial design frameworks.
• Participant Grouping: The tool allows you to group participants based on demographics or behaviors. This feature helps you understand how different user segments might have different mental models.
• Hybrid Card Sorting: You can conduct both open and closed card sorts. This flexibility is useful in foundational research, where you might start with an open sort to understand user thinking, then validate with a closed sort.
• Customizable Cards: You can use text, images, or both on your cards. This versatility allows you to explore how users categorize different types of content, crucial for comprehensive foundational research.

Diary Studies

Diary studies involve participants logging their experiences over time, giving you insights into long-term user behavior and needs.

Foundational Research Tools for Diary Studies - Dscout

Dscout is a research platform that's particularly good for diary studies. It lets participants easily record their experiences using their smartphones.

Dscout is particularly well-suited for diary studies in foundational research:

• Mobile-First Approach: Participants can easily record their experiences using their smartphones. This makes it simple to capture in-the-moment insights, vital for understanding real-world usage contexts.
• Rich Media Capture: Dscout allows participants to submit text, photos, and videos. This multi-media approach provides a richer understanding of user experiences, essential for foundational research.
• Longitudinal Analysis: The platform makes it easy to analyze data over time. This feature helps you spot trends and patterns that might not be apparent in shorter studies.
• Guided Activities: You can set up specific tasks or prompts for participants. This feature allows you to focus on particular aspects of user behavior or experience that are crucial to your foundational research.
• Real-Time Monitoring: Dscout lets you view entries as they come in. This allows for adaptive research, where you can adjust your study based on emerging insights.

Surveys

Surveys help you collect quantitative data from a large number of users quickly.

Foundational Research Tools for Surveys - Typeform

Typeform lets you create visually appealing, user-friendly surveys. It offers a range of question types and powerful analytics tools.

• Conversational Interface: Typeform's conversational approach can lead to higher completion rates and more thoughtful responses. This is crucial when you're trying to build a comprehensive understanding of your users.
• Logic Jumps: You can create surveys that adapt based on previous answers. This allows for more nuanced data collection, important in the exploratory phase of foundational research.
• Rich Media Questions: You can include images and videos in your questions. This feature is useful when you need to get feedback on visual concepts early in the design process.
• Multiple Question Types: Typeform offers a variety of question types, from multiple choice to rating scales. This versatility allows you to collect different types of data to build a complete picture of your users.
• Advanced Analytics: The platform provides detailed analytics, including completion rates and time spent per question. These insights can help you refine your research approach as you go.

User Personas

Foundational Research Tools for Persona Development - MakeMyPersona

MakeMyPersona is a tool specifically designed for creating user personas, a key output of foundational research.

• Guided Process: The tool walks you through the process of defining key user characteristics. This ensures you cover all important aspects of a persona.
• Data Integration: You can input data from your research directly into the tool. This feature helps ensure your personas are grounded in real user insights.
• Visual Output: MakeMyPersona generates visually appealing persona documents. This makes it easier to share and reference your foundational research findings throughout the design process.
• Customizable Templates: The tool offers various templates that you can customize. This flexibility allows you to create personas that best represent your specific user base.
• Collaborative Features: Multiple team members can work on personas together. This supports a shared understanding of users across your team.

How Foundational Research is Different from Other Types of Research

Foundational research is all about building a deep understanding of your users and their context. It's different from other types of research in a few key ways:

What is the difference between directional and foundational research?

Directional research is about testing specific ideas or hypotheses. It's more focused and typically comes after foundational research. Foundational research, on the other hand, is broader and more exploratory. It's about understanding the landscape before you start designing solutions.

What is foundational vs applied research?

Foundational research is about building general knowledge and understanding. Applied research uses that knowledge to solve specific problems. In UX, foundational research helps you understand your users, while applied research might test specific design solutions.

What is the difference between foundational research and design research?

Foundational research happens before you start designing. It's about understanding the problem space. Design research, on the other hand, is more about testing and refining specific design solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is foundational research UX?

Foundational research UX is the exploratory phase of user research that happens before any design work begins. It's about understanding the landscape of your users' needs, behaviors, and pain points. This type of research helps UX teams identify opportunities and set the direction for the entire design process.

What does foundational research answer?

Foundational research answers the big "why" questions in UX. Why do users behave the way they do? Why do they need certain features? It helps you understand the root causes of user behaviors and needs. By conducting foundational research, UX teams can uncover insights that drive meaningful innovation.

Is foundational research a form of generative research?

Yes, foundational research is indeed a form of generative research. Both aim to generate new ideas and insights, rather than testing existing ones. In the context of UX, foundational research helps teams discover new opportunities and generate ideas for solving user problems.

Is foundational research qualitative or quantitative?

Foundational research can be both qualitative and quantitative, but it often leans more towards qualitative methods. Qualitative research in foundational UX research helps you understand the "why" behind user behaviors, which is crucial in the early stages of product development. However, a mix of both can provide a more complete picture of your users.

Qualitative or quantitative? Which is best for foundational UX research?

While both have their place, qualitative research often yields richer insights for foundational UX research. It helps you understand the nuances of user behavior and attitudes that quantitative data might miss. However, combining qualitative insights with quantitative data can provide a more robust foundation for your UX decisions.

How to use, analyze, and document foundational research?

Using foundational research effectively involves looking for patterns in your data, creating user personas and journey maps, and using your findings to inform design decisions. When analyzing foundational UX research, consider transcribing and coding your data, looking for common themes, and using techniques like affinity mapping.

Documenting your foundational research is crucial for sharing insights across your team. Create comprehensive research reports, use visuals to illustrate key points, and make sure your documentation is easily accessible to all team members.

Remember, the goal of foundational research in UX is to build a deep understanding of your users that can guide your entire design process. It's not just about collecting data – it's about turning that data into actionable insights that lead to better user experiences. By investing time in foundational UX research, you're setting yourself up for success in creating products that truly meet user needs.