Most companies conduct market research on an ongoing basis. The research helps identify, connect, and expand target audiences by guiding the development, evolution and change of a brand identity. While many of the methods used by marketers and experience designers are similar, their research objectives are complementary and not redundant. A close collaboration between the disciplines benefits both the organizations as well as the final product design.

One difference between marketing and experience research has to do with the number of participants in the research. The number of participants is known as the sample size. There are statistical methods to determine the sample size for a given research activity, which is important in scientific, social, and some commercial research/

Sites like Checkmarket.com, for example, provide calculators that help determine how many survey invites should be sent out, such that the number of those who actually respond, is representative of the entire target audience.

For example, if the target audience is 1 million, the sample size is 2,400. However, a lot more invites should be sent out, because few people respond. In this example, the estimate is that 12,000 invites will be needed to get to the sample size.

Very few experience design projects use quantitative research methods that require statistically significant samples. That's because:

• Tight budgets, schedules, and resources make it difficult to incorporate large-scale research activities in the development process.
• Often, in-depth conversations with a small number of participants is sufficient to surface clear and detailed use-patterns of needs and preferences.
• Quantitative user research methods, such as contextual inquiry, are not automated and require the direct involvement of the designer in the research activity. Obviously, this presents a scaling limitation.

Many of the products and services created today are data driven and have the capability to constantly collect massive amounts of use data. This is quantitative data, and it provides strong attitudinal and behavioral patterns of the entire user base. However, availability of such data is not an excuse to forego user engagement through direct research.

In Chapter 3, Business Context and Experience Strategy, we explored a number of research activities that focus on defining business objectives and product audiences, as initial steps to defining the best product experience. In the user research phase, the focus is on understanding the individual user and the context of use--why, when, and how a person will use the product or service.

The preceding figure illustrates the cluster of user research activities that could be performed early in the design process. Research results help the entire team plan the project and develop concepts. Defining research objectives is the overarching theme that governs which of the methods to use, how to design the activities, and how they might be applied to the design.

Experience design research is critically important, but is considered a practice-based type of research, which means that it yields meaningful results without having to adhere to the rigors of scientific inquiry.

In the relatively short history of experience design, it has not been practical for most companies to conduct massive research efforts, and in some cases - any type of research. One of the major challenges that still confronts experience practitioners remains the need to convince their clients to include the time and expense associated with sufficient research activities in the product development timeline.

The following diagram shows common steps required throughout the entire research effort, which spans planning the research, conducting it, and analysis of results.

User research takes time, a major concern to the schedule of any fast pace design project. It can also be expensive if travel is required. For many organizations, this is a show stopper. Any research activity requires consideration of the following :

Upfront planning--research design:

• Identify the appropriate research method for the project
• Identify which audience segments should be researched and where participants can be found
• Decide how many participants will provide a sufficient coverage

Upfront planning--logistics:

• Determine how many days or weeks each research activity will take
• Sequence research activities in the overall project plan
• Estimate research budgets
• Decide how to recruit participants, and determine the need to use a recruiting firm

Upfront research design:

• Create a recruiting screener
• Design research instruments
• Test research instruments
• Schedule sessions and travel

Conduct research:

• Travel time
• Accommodate the participant's schedule

Post-research activity:

• Process research materials, such as transcribing a recordings tag, and taking notes
• Analyze research materials
• Create a report on research findings

Incredibly, all research methods mentioned so far are fairly simple, and do not require specialized tools. Professional tools and services are, of course, available, but fundamentally, the barriers for conducting user research are minimal, and that's fantastic.