Any advice on which UX research methods to use?

Question

I'm relatively new to the field of UX, and just took on my first real-world project. I am helping an organization redesign their current website. As I create a research plan, I want to make sure I am using the correct methods at the various stages of my project. My understanding is that some methods are more suited than others depending on the stage of the project itself.

I just got the green light to move forward with the initial stages of the redesign process. I want to conduct some research that will help me create some user personas, empathy maps, problem statements, etc.

Considering I am working with a website that is already available to the public, I am thinking of starting with the following research methods:

• User interviews
• User surveys
• Competitive audit

My question: Does anyone have any input on if I should add/remove some methods for this particular stage of my project? Again, this is my first project so I chose these because they seem to be relatively simple methods that do not require any specialized technology.

Any input and advice on appropriate methods would be appreciated. Thank you!

Answer 1

If this is about an existing website and you've got Analytics set up, you already have lots of info. Starting with that is smart—it'll hand you insights from real users way faster.

Then, move on to a Heuristic Analysis. This way, you can pinpoint and fix what didn't work before, making sure you don't make the same mistakes in the new version.

The methods you're looking into are decent, giving you some solid insights, but they're really best for kickstarting projects or total overhauls when you've hit a wall. Remember, data from actual users always beats lab research, no exceptions. (Of course, I'm assuming you've got analytics in place. If not, get on it ASAP, so at least you've got some data to work with)