At Biglight, we spend a lot of time analysing and understanding the ever-evolving needs and expectations of users and customers (and more importantly, the customers of our customers). Using our insight, we’re able to design experiences that not only meet those customer and user needs, but which take into account brands’ objectives.
At the heart of that process sits research.
Peering into the data and studying how users behave – be it in the B2B or B2C space – tells us a lot about not just current trends, but also about emerging trends and how customer behaviour is evolving over time.
Research offers us insight into the overall user experience. Is the marketplace converting or losing potential revenue? Are there tell-tale signs that users are frustrated by a certain aspect or function? Or is there a particular element which acts as “super-converter”, driving buying decisions and, as a result, growth?
That’s why our research teams play a crucial role in creating engaging and meaningful customer experiences for our clients – in both B2B and B2C. We are able to understand the “what” in customer behaviour through our market-leading conversion rate optimization (CRO) work and data analytics. Meanwhile, we can also determine the “why” in customer behaviour, through our qualitative and quantitative research work. We can then combine these two elements to draw a complete picture in order to recommend, design, build and test (both through research and A/B testing, iteratively throughout), a solution that meets both customer/user and business needs.
When it comes to creating digital user experiences, we believe that research should consistently be at the front and centre of decision-making, a tool that you deploy and utilise to continually evaluate and reshape your customer experiences.
Our research-centric approach allows us to both optimise and/or personalise experiences to maximise commercial outcomes for our clients. It also gives us the confidence to use leading-edge technologies to create and transform digital experiences.
When talking with our clients, the importance of having capable, dynamic research experts as part of the account team it’s always emphasised.
Here are some specific ways in which we have helped businesses create great B2B and B2C digital customer experiences:
1. Identifying pain points
We use research to help businesses identify pain points in their customers' digital experience, from simple issues such as slow loading times and difficult navigation to more complex problems such as poor CRO and lack of personalisation.
2. Developing customer-centric approaches
Research can be used to ensure a digital business’ UX has a laser-sharp focus on the needs and preferences of its customers. The goal is to create an engaging and personalised experience that drives growth at every opportunity.
3. Evaluating effectiveness
Through research, we help businesses to evaluate the effectiveness of their digital experience, identifying areas for improvement and testing new ideas. This helps ensure that the digital experience is continually evolving and improving to meet the changing needs and expectations of customers.
The research life-cycle
So how do we do it in practice? What is the life cycle of a typical research project?
The place to start is to identify the problem that needs solving (or the solution that needs creating) and how research can help. The questions we need to answer first are:
- What are we trying to understand through research?
- What research is needed?
The next step is to decide which is the best approach. At this point, we generally break research down into either discovery or evaluative – and from there, qualitative or quantitative:
- Discovery research happens when a problem or research question is a new one, or has grown, and we wish to build a depth of understanding.
- Evaluative research happens when there is something for a researcher to evaluate with a participant. Typically when there are designs or ideas for the participant to comment on in relation to their needs.
- Qualitative research uses techniques such as moderated interviews, focus groups, ethnographic observational work, diary studies or usability testing, amongst other techniques. This is carried out with fewer participants, (5-6 people per unique user group); and delves deeply into their needs, behaviours and experiences.
- Quantitative research uses techniques such as surveys, live site polls and response tests to capture feedback on a larger scale. The number of participants who take part in this research is based on criteria such as market size, and can be used to help clients form a business case for changes they wish to make.
We may use a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches, alongside data analytics and A/B testing to put together a programme of work that fully answers the clients’ question. Additionally, we often design iterative research that begins with discovery work to fully understand the customers/users; and moves through to evaluative. This discovery work will highlight needs and behaviours that can form the basis of metrics to evaluate designs and changes against later on.
When it comes to qualitative research, we use platforms such as usertesting.com and userlytics and work closely with recruiting partners to ensure we find exactly the right participants for the work. For quantitative research, we utilise tools such as Hotjar and Qualtrics and platforms like UsabilityHub.
Our approach of placing research at the heart of UX design means that some of the world’s leading brands trust and have us as close partners.
For example, we’ve helped adidas ensure its customer needs are at the centre of its rapid digital innovation programme. As part of our long-standing partnership, we have been embedded within the adidas global research team for almost five years, managing and carrying out a full programme of research across adidas’ digital pillars. We help the brand understand the motivations and needs of their customers and provide a range of services to help them innovate at pace and at scale.
adidas is just one of the major brands that we work with (you can see more here: https://biglight.co.uk/work).
The Biglight research team