User Research and the Benefits of Involving Users’ at Each Step of the Design Process

The term User Research and User Testing is not glamourised enough in the industry ecosystem to engage it as an equally important role when compared with the role of User Experience. However, user experience design is incomplete without user research and user validation process.

In design, user research and user testing is the only phase which provides a litmus test to our design brief and outcome respectively. Whereas each step of design process needs to be validated by the user rather than assuming a user’s perspective. Let’s not undermine the quality of feedback we obtain while we validate each step of the design process.

Is our way of design practice passive or active? How frequently we converse with users or involve them in our practice? Easier said than done but the involvement of user is a great investment while we design products and services. The idea of design and user feedback is to give different views on how we operate and interact with different forms of creation.

Benefits of involving users’ at each step of design process: A BETTER GRIP not only for yourself but for your user!

So what exactly happens when a user is with you all along the process:

• Helps eliminate assumptions
• Disseminate insights
• Communicate in conversations & scenarios
• Show emotions & reactions
• Gives more details and actionable insights

All the above points leads to a better value proposition, idea, scenario, user control, interface, navigation, content, interaction and usage of the product and service we design.

From a business and client’s standpoint it is a great investment beforehand to be market ready and to be sure on creating value and revenues.