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Design and UX

Experience research guide - what is ux and cx research.

Originally published in 

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They sound similar, they’re closely related, and they’re both crucial to your business, but CX and UX are indeed separate things.

User experience (UX) is a subset of overall customer experience (CX) – and both are key investments for businesses aiming to deliver value, grow market share, and retain customers. In fact, 64% of CX leaders expect a budget increase for CX initiatives in 2024.

Improving customer experience starts – and never ends – with having the right data to inform your strategy and it’s a moving target. Nearly all of CX leaders (99%) report they have changed their digital CX strategy over the past 18 months.

Quality data and thorough research are the backbone of CX strategy.

So, what is UX and CX research then, and how does it factor into your brand’s future?

Let’s explore the relationship between these important experience types, the goals of UX and CX research , and important metrics to help you get it right to drive business growth and increase customer satisfaction.

‍ You'll learn:

• Is CX similar to UX?
• How does CX and UX work together?
• What is UX and CX research?
• What is the goal of UX research?
• What is the goal of CX research?
• What is part of UX research?
• What is part of CX research?
• What are the metrics for CX and UX?

Is CX Similar to UX?

Before we jump into the differences between user experience and customer experience research methods , let’s look at the definitions for UX vs CX nngroup , by Nielsen Norman Group (NNGG):

• “User experience (UX) encompasses all aspects of a person's interaction with a company, its services, and its products.”
• “Customer experience (CX) describes the totality of the interactions that a user has with an organization over time.”

Consider this hypothetical example to better understand UX and CX differences:

You launch Amazon’s mobile app and decide to buy a t-shirt. That process – navigating the selection styles & sizes, adding it to your cart, and clicking “Buy Now” – are all parts of the user experience.

But your interactions with Amazon don’t stop there. What if you need to return the shirt? Can you get someone on the phone if you have a question? How do you feel about the emails you receive from Amazon? All these components and more make up the customer experience.

“UX is more focused on one distinct platform or site, or a singular touchpoint,” says Nate Ginesi, Director of Experience Architecture at Whereoware. “Whereas CX has to do with all the touchpoints a user may encounter.”

So, UX and CX are interdependent, working in concert to create more valuable customer interactions.  

How Does CX and UX Work Together?

When considering the CX UX design of your website, it’s important to remember that CX and UX work hand in hand.

“At Whereoware, our UX design is always informed by multiple factors,” says Ginesi. “Think: visuals, usability, and accessibility. Ask your team, can everyone understand and use our platform? Do things act as they’re expected to? It’s like, when you see a handle on a door, you know to pull it and expect it to open. The user’s journey must be equally as clear.”

Even as best practices evolve and companies fine-tune their user experiences, there’s always a new challenge around the bend.

“If you incorporate, say, a chatbot on your site to help with customer service, you have to make sure it’s useful,” says Whereoware’s Creative Director, Tim Frost. “Customers will rightly expect a seamless experience every time.”

UX may be a subset of CX, but it’s a crucial one - when the UX is bad, the CX always takes the hit.

What is UX and CX Research?  

“We’ve seen incredible things happen when you listen to the customer,” Tim Frost shares.

So, now you’re ready to uncover the best user experience and customer experience research methods. The goal of UX research is to understand the best ways to improve a product's design or functionality, where as CX research aims to improve all aspects of a customer's total experience and create a loop of continuous insights, optimization, and value.

Where do you start? UX research terms can be broken down into two categories qualitative and quantitative:

• Qualitative research tries to understand how customers feel and what they think about their experiences. It uses methods like interviews, group discussions, diary entries, and surveys with open-ended questions.
• Quantitative research collects data about how people act, using numbers and statistics. It is based in data and experimentation to measure performance and results of optimization efforts. It includes methods like testing how easy a website is to use analyzing where customers drop off, and experimenting with two versions of a webpage to see which one works better. Qualitative research is more opinion-based and supported by quantitative data to back it up.

Ultimately, CX research tells businesses how to better serve their customers, and it’s a necessity.

Devoted customers will pay 50% to 200% more to stay with your brand — with CX being the key to that loyalty. And while traditional approaches to research focus on interviews and surveys, technology is fueling new ways, enabling businesses to view, measure, and analyze digital experiences in real time.  

What is the Goal of UX Research?

The primary goal of UX research is to improve both the design and functionality of a product, thereby elevating the overall user experience.

By employing various types of UX research , we continuously ensure that the user encounters no points of frustration," Tim Frost explains, “As usual, data and experimentation lead the way in how to remove frustration. We’re trying to understand users' needs, preferences, and challenges to inform how to make a more intuitive and satisfying product experience.

What is the Goal of CX Research?

The goal of CX research is to examine the entire customer journey, including every interaction with customer service and the brand at large to improve it.

With these insights in hand, companies can enhance the total customer experience, fostering lasting brand loyalty.

A significant 58% of American consumers say they will switch companies because of a negative customer service experience. That makes CX research invaluable – let’s dig deeper in how to approach it.

What is Part of UX Research?

UX research aims to understand users' needs, behaviors, and motivations to inform the design process.

While there are numerous angles, NNgroup lays out several key UX research methods :

• A/B testing: A classic form of experimentation in which two different versions of something are compared to see which one is most effective.
• Card sorting: A research method that helps you discover how people understand and categorize information.
• Clickstream analytics: Analyzing the sequence of pages a user visits, unveiling typical navigational routes, or potential journey blocks.
• Focus groups: A qualitative research method that focuses on a small group of people to explore their opinions, perceptions, and attitudes on a specific topic.
• Prototype testing: The process of testing an early version of a product or feature with real users.  
• Qualitative usability testing: A type of usability testing that aims to collect observational data about user behaviors and interactions.
• Quantitative method: A numbers-focused type of research that gathers metrics, including success, conversion, and task time.
• Surveys: A research method in which a participant responds to multiple-choice or open-ended questions.
• Usability testing: A method of testing the effectiveness of a product or feature by observing how users interact with it.

“You want to collect as much data as you can as often as you can during the UX research process ,” says Ginesi. “It’s a continuous process. You’re conducting research, tracking, analyzing, and then providing insights to build on those findings.”

What is Part of CX Research?

CX research methods often overlap with UX research method s, but CX research aims to provide an understanding of a customer’s full journey and interactions with a brand, focusing on broader aspects of the customer-brand relationship.

Common CX research methods include:

• Customer journey mapping: Creating a detailed visual representation of customers' different stages when interacting with a company or product.
• Customer satisfaction surveys: An essential method for gauging levels of customer satisfaction, calling out what aspects meet or exceed expectations.
• Diary studies: The use of real-time experiences to see how customers interact with products and services and the range of thoughts and emotions evoked overtime.
• In-depth customer interviews: Lengthy conversations to better understand a customer’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors, motivations, and actions.

“Your CX research really needs to cover all the bases,” says Frost. “We want to understand all the ways customers engage with a brand.”

Up next – how do we measure CX and UX factors?

What are the Metrics for CX and UX?

Ultimately UX and CX research boils down to key metrics. Similarities between the two exist, but UX metrics are analyzed with a tighter scope.

“UX focuses on task success and error rates,” says Ginesi. “How many times has someone failed on a task? What are the clickthrough and conversion rates?”

Ginesi says the best metrics will show exactly where your customers are succeeding or failing to accomplish their goals.

Common UX metrics include a mix of behavioral (how users interact with your product) and attitudinal (how users perceive your product) categories:

• Time-on-task: How long a user spends doing a particular activity.
• Average session length: How long a user spends on your site or app.
• Abandonment rate: The ratio of abandoned purchase attempts to initiated transactions.
• Error rate: How many mistakes a user makes when completing a certain task.
• Net Promoter Score (NPS): How likely customers are to recommend a product or service.
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Score: How satisfied a customer is with a particular interaction or overall experience.

When measuring your CX success, also consider NPS and CSAT scores. Another key performance indicator is the Customer Effort Score (CES). CES often answers the question “How easy was it to solve your problem today?” with a 5- or 7-point scale system.  

Other common CX metrics include:

• Churn rate: The percentage of customers who do not renew or cancel their contracts with a company over a given period.
• Retention rate: The percentage of customers a company has retained over a given period.
• Customer lifetime value: The total revenue a business can reasonably expect from a single customer account.

Both UX and CX research take the shape of many forms, and all of it is important for growing a successful business. But it’s also changing, undergoing evolution towards a more predictive, AI-fueled and data-driven approach

But no matter what technology emerges, one thing is certain: competitive advantages await the businesses that best understand what their customers want and need.

For the past two decades, Whereoware has built elevated and personal user experiences that grow our partners bottom line. Reach out to connect to a UX/CX expert.

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Customer Experience (CX) and User Experience (UX) Research

When it’s important to know the mind of the consumer – no matter the product or service – the best source for meaningful insights is the consumer themselves. The world of market research is a continual pursuit to gain meaningful windows into the daily lives of users with opportunities to inquire and listen to their thoughts and perspectives.

Great user experience and customer experience (UX/CX) studies also allow for observation of their actions, body language and general interactions and reactions to inform makers and innovators about how their features and benefits are perceived and received in the real world. It’s important to understand when a product or service is useful to the consumer and when it is more of a hassle than a help. A search for this knowledge is the foundation of the user experience industry.

Here we uncover the pillars of user and customer experience and how working with the right research facilitation, participant recruiter and focus group or venue partner can positively amplify the impact of your studies.

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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: exploring cx and ux research, chapter 2: best practices and the range of methodologies within cx and ux research, chapter 3: finding the right participants for your cx or ux study, chapter 4: how the expert team at fieldwork handles cx and ux project logistics, chapter 5: finding proper venues for cx and ux research in the us and around the globe, chapter 6: the future of cx and ux research.

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Consumer Insights

Consumer experience research is informed and carefully curated interpretations of actions, feelings and mindsets about a product or service. It is compiled with the aim to increase the effectiveness for the consumer while simultaneously increasing the profitability of the company or organization who owns the product or service. Consumer feedback can be needed at multiple stages from concept testing to iterative design; evaluation of a legacy product or service in the market or the hands-on testing of a prototype and more. Insights are compiled to provide meaningful information about which components are especially useful to consumers, and where pain points lie in the design and function. These insights allow businesses to fine-tune deliverables to better fit market needs and consumer preferences within a target audience to yield more sales and build customer loyalty.

User Experience

The world of user experience revolves heavily around obtaining consumer insights and applying the collected data to the design and interface of a product, also known as usability testing, UX testing, or user testing. The goal of usability testing is to identify issues, collect user feedback and determine the participant’s overall satisfaction with a product. The results can directly feed into an iterative development loop or can be a one-off proof of concept or design.

As an essential part of creating a successful product, UX testing is used throughout almost every vertical. For example, the healthcare industry is reliant on usability testing to ensure that life-saving products, such as glucose meters, or wearable devices work properly, perform reliably and have instructions which drive proper function and ease of use. Other businesses like banks, retailers, and food providers all take full advantage of usability testing to provide products and services that are easy to use, look great, taste good and more.

User Interface Testing

A smaller, yet equally important subset of the UX industry, is user interface (UI) testing. User interface testing is the process of observing how users interact with an online platform or software, or software as a service (SaaS) product and is usually focused on looks, design and measuring the level of ease in intuitive use. The goal of UI testing is to identify where users get stuck, lost, or confused when using a new app, website, or other digital media. From there, UX practitioners can rearrange the interface design to satisfy the needs and preferences of the users.

Hand in hand with UX/UI testing comes prototyping to bring new ideas to life after initial research and development. A prototype is a primitive version of a product in the design phase.

Prototyping is used to test the flow of a product design and receive feedback from users before constructing a new prototype based on user preferences.

Human Factors Testing

Another type of user experience is the field of human factors design, also known as human-centered design. Known in academia as “the science of people at work,”  Human factors testing  aims to isolate and study the psychological and physiological principles that influence the design of products, processes, and systems. A product created with human factors in mind can be used in a way that is most optimal for the human body and therefore creates a more positive user experience.

Human factors design plays a large role in the development of medical devices. The goal of human factors in medical device design is to minimize user-related hazards to increase the likelihood that a patient or caregiver will use the device safely and effectively. Some beneficial outcomes of designing medical devices with human factors in mind include:

• Easy-to-use devices
• Easy-to-read controls and displays
• Clear instructions for set up and use
• Better user understanding of the device’s status and operation
• Better user understanding of a patient’s current medical condition
• More effective alarm signals
• Easier device maintenance and repair
• Reduced need for user training and retraining
• Reduced risk of user error
• Reduced risk of adverse events

Because of this direct to consumer shift, hospitals, drug companies, healthcare device development companies and many other types of businesses in the medical periphery are looking for more feedback from the public. In these instances, the goals may include a large sample of respondents who are reasonably able to attend focus group meetings or personal interviews.

Cory Lebson , Lebsontech LLC

We use discovery research to start the process and figure out what the problem is first. Talk to your user, uncover the problems, and solve them based on the user’s pain points within the experience.

Joel Barr , CDK Global

Monitoring the way people react psychologically and behaviorally is exciting. The way we visually process is an interesting behavior, and instead of relying on self-reports, we can observe how users process a task which is a huge advantage.

Jim Coyle , Miami University

When a project starts off, we aim to build a really great relationship with our stakeholders so that we can truly understand what we’re looking to learn and how those learnings will be applied. We also want to have a solid understanding of the relevant hypotheses that exist so that we can develop a very particular set of questions to explore.

Michelle Ronsen, Curiosity Tank

Data collection is such a small piece of what we do. It’s the storytelling, it’s the translation and it’s bringing people along. The sign of a great UX researcher is their ability to tell the story of the data rather than simply giving people data to react to.

Zoë Glas , Google

CX and UX research is conducted in a wide range of industries, and, depending on the trade, research practitioners have a variety of ways to target the needed data. In order to gain the most valuable insights, professionals within each industry have developed best practices and individual skills to uncover the deepest insights and feedback for the best business impact.

Researchers employ various methodologies depending on the goals of the study. Each research method has a way of extracting pertinent information and valuable user insights. A few methods prevalent for UX and CX research include:

• User surveys
• User interviews
• A/B testing
• Card sorting
• Ethnographic studies
• Brand tracking studies
• Voice of Customer (VOC) studies
• And yes, focus groups

Because of this wide range of research and employment of multiple methodologies, both interactive and observational environments are needed:

• Multi-Location Synchronous
• Multi-Location Asynchronous
• Face-to-Face Focus Groups and In-depth-interviews, or IDIs
• Virtual Focus Groups and In-depth-interviews, or IDIs
• On-Site Testing
• In-home usage testing (IHUT)

Different types of studies may also require shorter or longer commitments. Feedback for a product review can be done in as little as a one-time 45-minute engagement, but longitudinal research and development studies may require multiple feedback sessions from the same group of participants. Conversely, iterative studies for the same project may require that no participants are recycled as the research moves through the next phases.

The Right Participants

As the need for CX and UX research continues to grow, so does the need for qualified research participants. Securing the most qualified and engaged research participants is an essential part of obtaining true insights to guide business next steps. Quality feedback directly impacts the quality of insights gained from service-oriented reviews, product usability, exploration of possible product updates, discoveries around product use, and especially user experience from web-based services or emerging technology.

Recruiting participants for CX and UX studies can be different from recruiting for other qualitative studies or focus groups. Understanding these nuances can be key to enlisting the right audience for participation.

TIP: When studying the usability of a new device for diabetics, you may want to take into consideration respondents’ past use of similar products and ensure they are willing and able to share their feedback on their experiences which may include personal medical histories.

Regardless of the use case, properly sourced and well-vetted research participants deliver the best quantitative and qualitative data necessary to produce actionable insights. But when it comes to recruiting the right people, having access to a large community of potential respondents and expertise on the recruiting team makes all the difference both for when a larger group is needed and when a very specific and small number of participants is warranted.

How Much Is Enough?

While an increase in technology is driving a need for a larger sample group for some studies, some  research projects require participation  from a very specific population, and often, the qualified respondent pool is lean. Even if in the preliminary phase of a study a general respondent is acceptable, the scope may be narrowed down to an extremely niche group in follow-up or iterative phases of the study. An expert recruiting team has appropriate tools to find your intended audience.

TIP: As research and development iterations proceed, the research participant pool may need to be slimmed down. At some point, the participant criteria may evolve. When this respondent field narrows,  expert recruiters  can adapt and  manage logistics  to efficiently deliver the right people to your study.

Database And Knowledge Base

While a qualitative participant recruiting firm who boasts a large proprietary database might seem to be irrelevant for a study requiring 12 participants, the truth is actually quite the opposite. Access to a properly maintained and active proprietary database can produce significantly higher respondents. It is also important to work with a knowledgeable recruiting team experienced in finding the right respondents who may not be in their database through channels like social media. Sourcing quality respondents for either qualitative and quantitative studies starts with properly maintained respondent databases. Any professional recruiting partner has a healthy mix of  hyper-local , national and  global research recruiting options . Additional recruiting or screening beyond this database is important, but starting with a well maintained database is key to saving clients both time and money.

Recruiters with definitive research experience know how to effectively use their resources to find specific participants by quickly expanding their reach beyond their databases and relying on  carefully built networks within multiple communities . A successful respondent recruiting team has networks that include a wide variety of participants ranging from professionals to chief executive officers; high-tech users to pet lovers and more. When input is needed from a myriad of participants around a variety of fields, professional research recruiting is recommended to deliver qualified prospects in alignment with project targeted goals.

Security And Privacy

Successful CX and UX research recruiting requires a strong commitment to privacy and security protocols. The recruiting field is changing rapidly with security requirements, data tracking protocols, changes to  HIPAA requirements , and other similar industry standards. Professional recruiters work hand-in-hand with researchers, moderators, and end-clients alike to ensure the precise study requirements are met, privacy is maintained and trade secrets are guarded.

Diversity And Accessibility

It is important to collect respondents from as many different backgrounds as possible in order to receive representatively diverse feedback. Participants in remote locations, or those with less experience with technology or disabilities, can offer insights that may otherwise be missed. Some studies will champion these more challenging populations and reaching a particular group of individuals may require targeted methods of recruitment. Engaging a range of diverse participants opens up studies to  hard-to-reach populations  and further advances the quality of insights and feedback received while conducting customer experience and usability research.

Quality research outcomes start with the quality of the recruit. We control the quality of our audience by pulling from our community and making sure that we’re speaking to folks that are qualified and ready to give their full attention to the actual user experience. Those are really the key criteria for high-quality data.

At MLN, we take a kid-centric approach to taste tests and UX research. We know how to get kids to open up, be honest, and talk about what they really think. Fieldwork shares our philosophy. When we work on projects with them, we really feel we’re all part of an enthusiastic team working together. Over the years they have built a great community of kids from all kinds of different backgrounds and with different perspectives.

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Often CX and UX research studies include clear desired outcomes and specific questions to be answered for business impact. Whether there is a linear plan for conducting this research or a more flexible iterative concept for moving through research phases , a practical plan is required for effective project execution. The more straightforward a study appears, the more DIY research recruiting efforts can be appealing at first glance. Without an experienced recruiting vendor, many small details of a research project go unnoticed until the last minute, causing disorganization, loss of time, and result in unforeseen costs and other poor outcomes.

Choosing a reliable qualitative recruiting partner to handle the organizational needs of the research study process is how the pros keep projects on time and within budget. They do this by: 

• Managing participant incentives
• Maintaining confidentiality
• Establishing security protocols
• Ensuring ongoing participation in future iterations

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Participant Incentives

Regardless of whether you are planning a traditional monetary incentive or creative incentive such as donation to a specific charity, brand-related discounts or actual products or services, the communication needs to be well managed. A proper incentive plan maximizes the chance that participants will follow through and stay engaged – increasing the likelihood of significant respondent data for insight and analysis.

Many research teams think of the organization of incentive disbursements as a final checklist item of a project. However, a significant part of recruiting for a research study involves providing participants with motivation to stay engaged throughout the entirety of the process. Clear and easily referenced guidelines for how and when incentives are achieved and received does a lot to not only keep a project organized, but maintains the focus on the issue at hand. In the case of multiple-phases of CX or UX focus groups, questionnaires, trials or tests, this can be especially true as the length of participation time extends.

Questions To Ask:

• How and when will respondents be incentivized?
• Who will handle tax-related documentation and necessary paperwork?
• How is the incentive plan shared with the respondent?
• How is respondent incentive information made readily available to all parties?
• Who will be responsible for incentive distribution?
• Will there be multiple incentive types for different phases or targets?
• Who will be responsible for handling participant questions or troubleshooting payment logistics?
• Within what timeframe will any incentive discrepancies be addressed?

Confidentiality

Along with participant incentives comes the careful administration of confidentiality and/or non-disclosure agreements. Clear communication with respondents appropriately underscores the importance of confidentiality. Participation in the study should only be finalized upon verification of completed agreements.

• Who will manage the administration of necessary agreements?
• Should the sponsor client name be withheld from participants or is it required to be disclosed?
• How and for how long will project documentation be stored?
• Are there specific requirements to be followed when destroying project documentation?
• How will the research venue, in-person, remote or virtual, enforce confidentiality while testing is taking place?

Security Issues

Many research projects contain sensitive information on upcoming products and services, provide insight for competitive business discovery and more. Security standards are vital to project success, and in some cases, legal compliance.

Regardless of where the study takes place, proactive and properly matched security protocols deliver the expected standards with maximum efficiency. An added benefit of this approach offers additional peace of mind. A no-phone or electronic communication usage policy may need to be addressed for the duration of user interviews or focus groups to avoid the risk of participants sharing confidential information. Precautions include everything from delivery and return of prototypes, sealing testing rooms when not in use, security of each part of the facility used (kitchen, restrooms, breakrooms, lobbies, etc.) and more.

• What technical considerations should be included in planning?
• How are security expectations communicated to respondents?
• Who is responsible for addressing compliance requirements (security/privacy, legal, HIPAA, GDPR, CCPA, trade secrets, etc.)?
• Who will manage physical security issues throughout the project?

Future Iterations And Participant Retention

As customer sentiment changes rapidly and technology continues to evolve, CX and UX testing often require multiple iterations to stay current. Economic shifts, brand disruptors and seasonal changes can drive a need to check-in with consumers more often. On the technology side, evolutions in artificial intelligence, innovative applications and user demands drive a fast pace for changes in user testing. CX and UX research has now become less of a single event and more of a longitudinal effort. Because of this, thoughtful preparation is needed to maintain relationships with participants so they can be relied upon for future iterations of a study.

• Does it make sense to revisit the same respondents or are fresh respondents required?
• How long can project records be maintained for future needs while still being in compliance with legal document management requirements?
• Who has the ability to recontact the same respondents should the need arise?
• How can a study be set up so respondents can agree to be recontacted in the future?

Edge-first design starts with edge-first research. Consider the commonly-used paradigm of the 80-20 Rule – if we design for 80% of our customers or target market, then we’ll create something useful and usable to the majority of folks who may want or need to actually use what we’ve designed. The thinking being that eventually, in a later release or iteration, we’ll get around to designing inclusively for the other 20%. Anyone who has ever released a product to market – software, hardware, service, or otherwise – knows how much more expensive it is to re-tool and try to tack on “accessibility features” later on down the road. Yet we all keep marching to the beat of the 80-20 Rule’s drum, starting our work by focusing on that huge hump in the bell curve of users – the 80% in the middle. What if we start with the 20%, though? What if the research done at the beginning of a project, which helped the team see who or what those “outliers” are in the edges of the bell curve, was inverted, so that once those 20% of what we call edge cases is identified, that the team then leans into those edges, focusing on ensuring those folks’ needs are met. Logic follows that by meeting the needs of the edges first, then you will naturally design for that 80% majority, as well – all those folks who don’t have extreme or edge use cases, who are trying to use your product or service – gasp! – the way you intended them to, and under ideal conditions! This is why I advocate for edge-first design, and that starts with edge-first research.

At Bold Insight, we do a lot of human factors testing on proprietary medical devices and equipment. It is extremely important for us and our clients to utilize trusted facilities and recruitment partners that will accommodate our unique asks, such as locking up test rooms at the end of the day so used client materials do not accidentally get thrown away. It is also important for us to work closely with the facility staff to understand the best ways to provide our team with project or recruit updates, so we have minimal disruptions in the backroom during sessions or discussions with our clients.

Very soon, I see the user well-equipped to easily build or customize a system to fit their personal needs. Because of this, the future of CX and UX research will be to bring the human lens to the data in order to interpret it. The promise is that people will communicate with machines seamlessly in the future, but right now, we talk to Siri differently than we talk to Google and Alexa. Creating that seamless future is then up to us. We would focus on the whole human more than their interactions on a particular web page. We would conduct research that doesn’t seek to agree with a user’s station in life, but to accept where and what is interacting with our system. We would solve for what we don’t know that we don’t know, instead of a specific string of language. Given the myriad of applications and options, we have an opportunity to put the interface in the passenger seat. I would be happy to see that. A future that allows machines to do the contorting, to accept the human, and not the other way around. The human will always persist and so out of a counter-culture of reels and fantasy will arrive a new culture of transparency and acceptance. The researcher would be at the helm of that revelation.

Location And Venue

Proper locations can run the gamut from casual environments, creative spaces, technology centers, living room feel scenarios or replicated restaurant or retail experiences. Medical environments and proper spaces for human factors testing can require further attention to detail. No matter what the proper venue is for a study, the professionalism and implied neutrality of the environment should be clear. 

No matter where in the world you conduct research , or how many focus group venues you need synchronously or asynchronously conducting your study, bringing qualified participants into a facility ready to professionally host is essential to project success. Ask yourself these questions when determining the right location for your research:

Ask yourself these questions when determining the right location for your research:

• Does the environment create a bias for the respondent?
• Can the space accommodate the technology we are testing?
• What onsite services or equipment do I need?
• What onsite experience do I want to give the participant?

There are certain circumstances when you want to be in a specific location, it’s important to identify a research partner who can support you. Experienced recruiters can do the legwork to source quality participants, handle NDAs, logistics, payment, and hosting.

The goal of a seasoned research partner is to ensure clients can execute a focused discussion free of distractions. Respondents should feel comfortable and relaxed, and yet be clear on expectations of providing candid responses and real-world feedback about the product, services, brands or devices they are reviewing. Regardless of the research location, the experience should be seamless for researchers, observers and participants alike.

Fieldwork Modular Facilities Designed With Our Clients In Mind

Go Fast, Adapt, Move Forward

Consumer opinion changes at a rapid pace. In order for brands to gain the highest quality of insights they need, they must leverage multiphase research combining quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Due to the precise goals for CX and UX research, a clear understanding of objectives allows you to apply the best methodology strategy.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

As technology continues to evolve, the CX and UX industries are quickly adapting to the most recent developments and upcoming opportunities. One of the hottest topics rising on the tech horizon is the rapid development of AI and how it is integrated into gathering insights at a massive scale. What was once a futuristic idea is now swiftly evolving into an exciting tool that will open new doors to major advancements in the realm of user and customer experience.

From the ability to process and synthesize large amounts of user data instantly, to more simple tasks like automated A/B testing, AI provides researchers with the opportunity to exponentially speed up the timeline to implement findings required for positive business impact.

Despite collecting large amounts of data, disjointed customer experience remains a widespread marketing pain point. For brands looking to deliver seamless user experiences, use of singular research approaches are coming up short. They point to a need for better strategy to deliver higher quality customer journey intelligence. Enter Natural Language Processing (NLP).

Brands are learning how people interact differently with devices like Siri, Google Home, Alexa and more, to understand human language. As a sub-discipline of AI that converts text into data, NLP teaches computers to recognize speech and text in order to provide the most accurate session transcription from a deep algorithm focused on understanding human intent. For example, consider Siri hearing the word, “serious” in the human language. Technically, the user invoked the trigger word for this device. And yet, in context, AI can understand this is not the intent of the user and knows how to proceed. This deep work can be used in many ways throughout qualitative studies on potential CX and UX issues.

While this is not the only AI emerging technology in use for research, it does provide an understanding that companies are not necessarily looking for more data, but specific and actionable data. No matter what technological advances are made, consideration in the CX and UX fields will always be made to keep the stories of the individual at the heart of the learnings.

The Global Opportunity

The continued rapid growth of new products, software, and services under the umbrella of technology fuels the global economy. Despite disruptions, both challenger and established brands willing to quickly pivot take advantage of opportunities created by changes in consumer behavior.

With Opportunity Comes Competition. But taking advantage of changes in the market with quick reactions requires intelligence about HOW customer sentiment is changing and what that could mean specific to a brand, product or service.

CX and UX professionals will continue to be in high demand as companies look to improve their offerings with insightful feedback from customers and potential customers. These opportunities create a robust demand for CX/UX research which is unlikely to diminish. Each new product, app, service, or customer experience should be subjected to advanced user testing, sometimes with multiple iterations. Even after a product goes to market, brands must stay “in-the know” with consumers to anticipate market changes and take a proactive approach to changing consumer sentiment and experience.

Choosing In-Person Or Virtual Venues For Research

Companies with a clear understanding of the benefits of both remote and in-person methodologies choose the right venue for the right research project. Virtual research has its benefits . Verticals like medical, critical care and some technology may require face-to-face interaction for research.  No matter what venue choice , the right partner can facilitate both in-person and virtual research and recruit effectively for both.  What’s more, partners experienced in both methodologies and multiple technologies will maximize the engagement from participants regardless of the location of the research.

Even with emerging technologies, no matter the pace of your research, qualitative and quantitative efforts are blended to produce the best CX and UX research results. Careful consideration of research needs brings companies to the right conclusions.

No matter what the future holds for CX or UX research in terms of technology and methodology, each project will still center around human insight. Researchers will answer the challenges and look for best practices to discover truly authentic human responses to guide critical business decisions.

Partnering With Fieldwork

From hyper-local to super-global, Fieldwork is a solid partner for CX and UX needs . Whether participant recruitment and/or premier research locations to carry out your consumer experience or user testing, Fieldwork provides planning, resources and expert project execution to attain the highest  quality insights.

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Home • Knowledge hub • UX vs. CX research —what’s the difference?

UX vs. CX research —what’s the difference?

UX (User Experience) refers to the overall experience of a person using a product or service, including how easy or enjoyable it is to use and how well it meets their needs. In market research, UX research helps to understand how users interact with and perceive a product and identify improvement areas.

UX market research is also known as:

• User experience research
• User research
• Human-centred design research
• User-centred design research
• Usability research
• User testing
• User insights
• User-centred research
• Human factors research

CX (Customer Experience) refers to a customer’s overall experience with a company, including their interactions with its products, services, and staff. In market research, CX research is conducted to understand the customer’s perspective of the company and identify areas for improvement to enhance the overall customer experience.

CX research is also known as:

• Customer experience research
• Customer satisfaction research
• Customer insights research
• Customer-centric research
• Customer journey research
• Customer feedback research
• Customer engagement research
• Voice of the customer research
• Customer loyalty research

UX research has been used since the 1980s when computers became more widespread in everyday life. At that time, the focus was on improving computer software and hardware’s usability and making it more accessible to users.

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CX research has a longer history, as it has been used in the context of customer service and customer relations for many decades. The idea of CX as a key aspect of a company’s brand and marketing strategy became more prominent in the early 2000s as companies began to realise the importance of creating positive and memorable customer experiences.

As technology has continued to advance and customers have become more discerning, UX and CX have become increasingly important in market research. Companies use UX and CX research to gain insights into their customers’ needs, preferences, and behaviours and to create products and services that meet their expectations.

UX and CX are related but distinct concepts in business and market research. UX and CX are both important aspects of business and market research, but they have different goals, focuses, and outcomes. Both are crucial for ensuring customer satisfaction and driving business success.

• Definition: UX refers to the overall experience of a user with a product, including the usability, accessibility, and desirability of the product. CX, on the other hand, refers to the entire customer journey, from initial engagement with a brand to post-purchase customer service.
• Focus: UX research focuses primarily on the design and functionality of the product, while CX research looks at the entire customer experience, including interactions with customer service and the brand.
• Methods: UX research typically involves usability testing, user research, and surveys, while CX research may also involve customer surveys, interviews, and customer journey mapping.
• Goals: The goal of UX research is to improve the design and functionality of the product to create a better user experience, while the purpose of CX research is to improve the overall customer experience and build customer loyalty to the brand.
• Outcome: The outcome of UX research is improved product design and functionality, while the result of CX research is increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.

UX and CX research can be either qualitative or quantitative, depending on the research objectives and the type of data collected.

Quantitative UX and CX research often involve surveys, online polls, and other forms of data collection that generate numerical data, which can analyze and identify patterns and trends.

Qualitative UX and CX research typically involve more in-depth, exploratory methods such as interviews, focus groups, and observation. This type of research is designed to gain a deeper understanding of customers’ thoughts, emotions, and experiences with a product or service.

Brands may conduct UX or CX research to understand their customers better and improve their products or services. Here are some signs that a UX or CX research study may benefit a brand:

• Customer Feedback: If the brand receives a large number of negative comments or complaints from customers about the user experience or customer experience, it may be a sign that a research study is needed.
• Low Customer Satisfaction: If the brand’s customer satisfaction scores are low, it may indicate that there is room for improvement in the customer experience.
• High Customer Churn: If the brand has a high customer churn rate, or if customers are not returning to use their products or services, it may be a sign of a problem with the customer experience.
• Competitor Advantage: If competitors offer better user or customer experiences, research can help the brand understand how it can improve to remain competitive.
• Product Development: If the brand is developing a new product or service, UX or CX research can provide valuable insights into the needs and preferences of the target customer.

Consider the tables below for a smartwatch to show further the differences and parallels in UX and CX market research.

Examples of UX Research Questions

While there are some similarities in how UX and CX market research is conducted, the questions are often very different.

UX questions help to identify areas for improvement in the product and provide valuable insights into the user experience. The answers to these questions can inform design and development decisions to create a better user experience and improve customer satisfaction.

Here are some examples of research questions that might be asked in a UX market research study:

• How easy or difficult is it for users to navigate the interface of the product?
• How intuitive is the product design and layout?
• How well do the features of the product meet the needs of users?
• Are any areas of the product that could be clearer or easier to use?
• How efficient and effective is the product in performing its intended tasks?
• How satisfied are users with the overall user experience of the product?
• What are the users’ expectations of the product, and how well does the product meet those expectations?
• Are there any frustrations or pain points with the product that users would like to see improved?
• Are there any unmet needs or desires for new features users would like to see added to the product?
• How does the product compare to similar products in terms of user experience?

Examples of CX Research Questions

Conversely, CX research questions help to identify areas for improvement in the customer experience and provide valuable insights into customer needs and preferences. The answers to these questions can inform customer-focused initiatives and drive business success.

Here are some examples of research questions that might be asked in a CX market research study:

• How easily can customers find information about the product and make a purchase?
• How satisfied are customers with the purchase process, including delivery and payment options?
• How well does the company handle customer service inquiries and issues?
• How satisfied are customers with the post-purchase customer service experience?
• How well does the company meet customer expectations for product quality and performance?
• How do customers perceive the brand, and how does this affect their loyalty to the brand?
• What factors influence customer satisfaction with the product and overall customer experience?
• How does the customer experience with the product compare to similar products in the market?
• How well does the company understand and address the needs and preferences of its customers?
• How well does the company handle customer feedback and incorporate it into product development and customer service initiatives?

While UX and CX have different business area focuses, several research methodologies are complementary. By incorporating these complementary areas into UX and CX research, companies can gain a more comprehensive understanding of their customers and users and make informed decisions about product design and customer experience.

These include:

• Brand Research: Brand research focuses on the reputation and perception of a brand, which can impact the overall customer experience.
• Customer Segmentation: Customer segmentation helps to identify different customer groups and understand their needs, preferences, and behaviours, which can inform UX and CX research.
• Voice of the Customer (VOC): Voice of the customer research involves collecting customer feedback and opinions about products, services, and the overall customer experience, which can inform UX and CX research.
• User Persona Development: User persona development involves creating detailed profiles of typical users, which can help to inform UX design and CX strategies.
• Surveys: Surveys can be used to gather data and feedback from customers and users, which can inform UX and CX research.
• Behavioral Analysis: Behavioral analysis involves observing and analyzing user behaviours, which can inform UX design and CX strategies.
• Customer Journey Mapping: Customer journey mapping involves mapping out the different stages of the customer journey and understanding customer needs, preferences, and behaviours at each stage, which can inform UX and CX research.

Why should brands monitor UX and CX collectively?

UX and CX are important to monitor because they play a crucial role in determining the success and competitiveness of a company in today’s market. 

Monitoring UX and CX provides several benefits, including:

Customer Satisfaction: Monitoring UX and CX helps companies understand customer needs, preferences, and satisfaction and improve the customer experience to increase customer satisfaction.

Improved User Experience: Monitoring UX helps companies understand user behaviours and preferences and make improvements to the design and functionality of their products to enhance the user experience.

Increased Loyalty and Retention: A positive customer experience leads to increased customer loyalty and retention, which is essential for long-term business success.

Better Business Decisions: Monitoring UX and CX provides valuable insights into customer and user behaviours and attitudes, which can inform better business decisions.

Competitive Advantage: Brands that prioritise UX and CX can differentiate themselves from their competitors and gain a competitive advantage in their market.

Increased Revenue: Companies that invest in UX and CX can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, leading to increased revenue.

The frequency of UX and CX research can vary depending on several factors, such as the size and complexity of the product or service, the target audience, the research goals, and the research budget available.

For UX research, it is common to conduct user testing and research at crucial stages of the product development cycle, such as during prototyping, before launching a new product or feature, or when making major updates to an existing product. The frequency of UX research can range from one-off studies to ongoing research and testing.

For CX research, companies may conduct studies regularly, such as annually or bi-annually, to track customer satisfaction and feedback over time. This type of research can also be undertaken after key customer interactions, such as after a purchase or customer service interaction, to gather real-time feedback.

In general, it is recommended that companies continuously monitor and gather data on both UX and CX to make informed decisions and improve their products and services over time.

If you would like to improve your user or customer experience, Kadence International would love to assist. Simply, get in touch or submit a research brief.

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Kadence’s reports give us the insight, conclusion and recommended execution needed to give us a different perspective, which provided us with an opportunity to relook at our go to market strategy in a different direction which we are now reaping the benefits from. Sales & Marketing Bridgestone

Kadence helped us not only conduct a thorough and insightful piece of research, its interpretation of the data provided many useful and unexpected good-news stories that we were able to use in our communications and interactions with government bodies. General Manager PR -Internal Communications & Government Affairs Mitsubishi

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What are CX & UX Research?

Customer (CX) & User (UX) Experience Researchers are vital contributors to a customer driven approach to product and service delivery. They possess the curiosity and communication skills that organizations need to best serve their customers and clients.

CX Researchers aim to become experts at understanding their customers. They’re sometimes described as “nerds about customer needs and interests.” Their role is to map the customer journey across all touchpoints with an organization, like their trips to the store, visits to a website or calls to customer service. They learn what piques our interests, what makes us happy, and also what can lead us to look somewhere else to find something we want. They share this information with their teams to improve their products and services.

UX Researchers do the same for users of all sorts of services and devices like the apps on our phones, the websites we visit, the cars we drive and even the electronic devices we use in stores, restaurants, train terminals, and everywhere else you can imagine. They use techniques like usability testing, card sorting and ethnographic field visits to understand things from the user’s perspective.

Both CX and UX Researchers provide crucial assistance to the User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) Designers that actually create and program the latest technological devices, interfaces and services we enjoy.

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User experience (ux) research: definition and methodology.

17 min read To build outstanding products and services for your customers, you need a thorough understanding of who they are, what they need and where their pain points and priorities lie. UX research helps you fully step into your customers’ shoes.

What do we mean by user experience?

User experience (UX) is a customer’s-eye view of your business as it relates to completing tasks and using interactive platforms and services.

It’s closely tied to the idea of customer experience (CX) , but rather than being a holistic view of your brand, it’s more focused on utility and usability testing – the hands-on side of things. You can think of UX as a sub-discipline of CX .

For example, CX research might consider how customers perceive a company’s customer service levels and how confident they feel in having their issues resolved. Meanwhile, UX research would focus on how successfully those customers navigate a self-service website, whether the language on that site is clear and how easy it is to use.

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What is user experience (UX) research?

User experience (UX) research is about diving deep into how customers interact with your brand on a practical, functional level, and observing how easily they can complete their tasks and meet their goals.

User research is the process of discovering the behaviors , motivations, and needs of your customers through observation, task analysis, and other types of user feedback . It can involve working directly with members of your target audience through UX testing sessions, remote session observation using digital tools, surveys to collect user feedback, and many more UX research methods and techniques.

Why is UX research important?

So what exactly is the value of user experience research? After all, you understand your business and its workings better than anyone. How can uninformed external users help you learn more?

The fresh perspective of your end-users is exactly why UX research is so valuable. Because they’re not already immersed in your language, processes, and systems, user testing participants are in the best position to help you see where things might be confusing to a newcomer who isn’t involved with your business.

Better yet, they can show you where confusion or frustration might lead a new or potential customer to miss out on product benefits, fail to convert, or even give up and look toward your competitors instead.

In areas like new product design and development , user research allows you to head off potential issues with products and services before they even hit the shelves. You can design the product correctly the first time, instead of having to fix it later when customers are unhappy.

Simply put, UX research is critical because it keeps you from wasting time, money, and effort designing the wrong product or solution. It’s valuable for all areas of your business and yields clear benefits for your product, your users, and your bottom line.

• Product benefits By asking your customers for direct feedback about a potential product, you can discover how and when customers prefer to use a product, what pain points your product will solve, and how to improve your product design .
• User benefits UX research is unbiased feedback, straight from the most valuable source: your customers. Because this type of research is not biased by investors, company leaders, or outside influences, it is the best resource for getting actionable product feedback.
• Business benefits Knowing what your users value helps you spend less time and money fixing flawed designs, speeds up the product development process , and increases customer satisfaction.

UX research helps brands and organizations to:

• Understand how users experience products, websites, mobile apps, and prototypes
• Evaluate and optimize prototypes and ideas based on UX research discoveries – and nail the design and experience early in a product’s life cycle
• Unearth new customer needs and business opportunities
• Find and fix hidden problems with products and services that arise in real-world use cases
• Make informed decisions through the product development process by testing various aspects of product designs
• Provide user experiences that outperform other businesses in your sector ( UX competitor research )
• Understand each user interaction across complete customer journeys
• Build a richer, more useful picture of your target audiences for better marketing and advertising

What’s the ROI of performing UX research?

The ROI of UX research is tricky to pin down because there often isn’t a direct, easy-to-spot correlation between time spent on it and resulting revenue. UX research can and does drive revenue, but it more directly influences metrics that show customer satisfaction, customer retention, and behavioral goals like user signups.

A simple way to draw a straight (if basic) line between UX research and its associated ROI is to calculate your conversion rate, where ‘conversion’ simply means completing the action you had in mind:

Number of people who took your desired action

—————————————————————       x 100

Total visitors/users

That percentage can be calculated and revisited over time to see how UX changes resulting from your research are having an effect.

Generally, when we talk about ROI, we’re talking about the highest possible rates of return you can attribute to an investment. But – while PWC research suggests that ROI on UX research can rise to as high as 301% – it’s better not to get caught up in absolutes with operational data like revenue.

Instead, it’s worth thinking more about the benefits that come out of tracking human behavior associated with improving your UX in general.

For example, IBM research states that 3 out of 5 users think that a positive user experience is more influential than strong advertising, while Forrester Research estimates that as many as 50% of potential sales fall through because users can’t find the information they need.

Thorough UX research can also cut a project’s development time by up to 50% .

Ultimately, when trying to track the ROI of your time spent doing quantitative and qualitative research on UX, you want to look at behavior and sentiment. If your main goal is website use, you should notice a decline in bounce rate as a sign of positive ROI. If you sell services, run regular CSAT surveys to determine how satisfied customers are with everything.

You might also find that data in unusual places. For example, if you spot a decline in chatbot requests around how to do or perform certain actions, or for information, then you know your new UX implementations are working as desired.

Those kinds of behavioral data points will shine a light on how worthwhile your UX research has been more readily than changes in revenue.

User experience research methods

The type of UX research techniques you choose will depend on the type of research question you’re tackling, your deadline, the size of your UX research team, and your environment.

There are three research dimensions to consider as you decide which methods are best for your project:

Attitudinal and behavioral

“Attitudinal” refers to what people say, while “ behavioral ” refers to what people actually do – and these are often very different. Attitudinal research is often used in marketing because it measures people’s stated beliefs and needs. However, in product design and user experience research, what people do tends to be more relevant.

For example, A/B testing shows visitors different versions of a site at random to track the effect of site design on conversion and behavior.

Another behavioral method is eye tracking, which helps researchers understand how users interact and visually engage with the design of an interface by following their gaze.

Qualitative and quantitative methods

Quantitative UX research studies collect and analyze results, then generalize findings from a sample to a population. They typically require large numbers of representative cases to work with and are structured in their approach.

Quantitative research uses measurement tools like surveys or analytics to gather data about how subjects use a product and are generally more mathematical in nature. This type of inquiry aims to answer questions like ‘what,’ ‘where’ and ‘when’.

Qualitative research methods, on the other hand, gather information about users by observing them directly, as in focus groups or field studies.

Qualitative research aims to understand the human side of data by gaining a sense of the underlying reasons and motivations surrounding consumer behavior. It tends to use small numbers of diverse (rather than representative) cases, and the data collection approach is less structured. Qualitative methods are best suited to address the ‘how’ or ‘why’ of consumer behavior.

Qualitative UX research methods

Several UX research methodologies can help UX researchers answer those big ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions, and influence the design process of any product or service you’ve got cooking. Here are just a few …

1. Participatory design

In participatory design, people are asked to draw or design their own best-case version of the tool, product, or service in question. This gives UX researchers the ability to ask qualitative questions about why specific choices have been made. If multiple participants make similar choices, it’s easy to spot patterns that should be adopted.

You might ask participants how they would redesign your website. While their responses will naturally vary, you might spot that several of them have moved your site’s navigation to a more prominent spot, or have moved the checkout from the left of the screen to the right.

2. Card sorting

Card sorting involves giving participants a range of cards that represent business-specific topics and asking them how they would sort them into groups. UX researchers are then able to probe into why their audience might group certain things, and make changes to existing offerings as a result.

If you have a wide range of products and solutions, card sorting would be a useful way to gauge how your target audience would naturally bucket them on your website. A furniture seller, for example, might use this technique to find that people are naturally inclined to group items by room, rather than by furniture type.

3. Diary studies

If you’d like to know how the UX of your product or service varies over time or throughout the length of its use, a diary study can help. Here, participants are given a way to record their thoughts as they set about using the product or service in question, noting things that occur to them as they go. This is useful as it provides real-world insight over a longer period than a one-off focus group.

Giving people access to an early build of an app and asking them to keep usability testing notes can highlight pain points in the user interface. In a one-off focus group, having to tap three times to get to an oft-used screen might seem fine – whereas participants are more likely to find it annoying in the day-to-day. This kind of longer-term usability test can provide really valuable insights.

Both quantitative and qualitative UX research methodologies can be useful when planning the design and development of your brand presence, as well as for usability testing when it comes to product and service design.

Context-of-use

By collecting and analyzing information about users, the intended use of the application, the tasks they perform with the application, and the technical constraints presented by the application, context-of-use analysis allow UX researchers to better understand the overall experience.

Typically, context-of-use analysis data is collected through research surveys, focus groups, interviews, site visits, and observational studies.

Context-of use-analysis is one method for identifying the most important elements of an application or product in the context of using that application or product. This type of UX research is typically done early in the product lifecycle and continued as data identifies which components of the product and UX are most critical.

Types of user research tools

There are many types of user research methods for discovering data useful for product design and development. Below are some common examples of tools user experience researchers may use to gather information and draw insights into mental models, or users’ thought processes.

UX research surveys or questionnaires can discover data at scale through in-person or remote polling, with specific questions designed to collate useful information about user experience.

User groups or focus groups are a form of a structured interview that consults members of a target audience on their experience, views, and attitudes towards the product or solution. They usually involve neutral parties, such as a moderator and note-taker, and are led by a researcher who asks open-ended questions focused on specific aspects of an investigation.

User interviews are one-on-one structured interviews with a target audience member, led by a UX researcher to understand more about personal experiences with the product. These user interviews can be directed to compare and contrast answers between users, or non-directed, where users lead the conversation.

Ethnographic interviews take place within the target users’ typical environment to get a better context-of-use view. Field studies and site visits are similarly observational in nature, and take place in situ where the product or service is used, but may involve larger groups.

This is not a comprehensive list of research techniques but represents some of the main ways UX researchers might perform usability testing or trial UX design.

When to conduct user experience research

Before launching a new product or service, understanding user preferences that could impact your design or development is key to success. The earlier user experience research is performed, the more effective the end product or service will be, as it should encompass the insights learned about your target audience.

As a product and service’s use and value evolve over its lifecycle, the user experience will change over time. User research should be undertaken on an ongoing basis to determine how to adapt to users’ new needs and preferences.

Five basic steps to conducting UX research

If you’re new to UX research, here’s a step-by-step list of what to consider before you begin your UX testing program:

• Objectives What do you need to find out about your users and their needs?
• Hypothesis What do you think you already know about your users?
• Methods Based on your deadline, project type, and the size of your research team, what UX research methods should you use?
• Process Using your selected UX research method(s), begin collecting data about your users, their preferences, and their needs.
• Synthesis Analyze the data you collected to fill in your knowledge gaps, address your hypothesis and create a plan to improve your product based on user feedback.

Qualtrics makes UX research simple and easy

User experience research and user testing are multifaceted and can involve a lot of both quantitative and qualitative data. To ease the process and make sure it is efficient and scalable, it’s best conducted using a highly responsive platform that allows you to collect data, analyze trends and draw conclusions all in one place.

Whether you need attitudinal or behavioral insights, Qualtrics is your go-to solution for collecting all kinds of UX data and making use of it in the context of your wider CX program .

Conduct in-person studies or send beautifully designed surveys easily and quickly, and view your results via custom dashboards and reports using the most sophisticated research platform on the planet.

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Related resources

User experience 20 min read, user experience surveys 9 min read, ux research tools 8 min read, user analytics 11 min read, rage clicks 11 min read, user experience analytics 10 min read, website user experience 14 min read, request demo.

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Customer vs User Experience Research

In this chapter we are going to cover the differences between cx and ux research, their applications, questions and key metrics to help you understand which one to perform and when..

Last update 29.11.2023

The increasing importance of customer and user research leads companies to start implementing both in their strategy in order to stay on top of the markets. But how to use which and how to leverage them for maximum effectiveness? In this chapter, we are going to explain the nuances of CX vs. UX research and learn to apply them correctly.

Difference Between CX and UX Research

The main difference between customer CX and UX Research lies in the scope of their research. 

Customer Experience Research (or CX Research ) is the process of collecting insights about customers’ interactions with the company at all touchpoints and using them to pinpoint areas of improvement. 

This kind of research aims to understand the process a customer goes through before, during, and after making a purchase or engaging with your product or service. It has a very broad spectrum and encompasses the whole customer journey.

User Experience Research (or UX Research ), on the other hand, focuses on understanding user behaviors and interactions a customer has specifically with the product, particularly digital products like websites and apps. It focuses on the usability, accessibility, and the level of satisfaction provided in the interaction. 

Here’s a quick comparison table of CX and UX Research:

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CX vs UX Research: Which Is Right For You? 

CX and UX research are rather interconnected fields and they often overlap due to their common areas of interest. However, they are still very distinct in their goals and characteristics. 

Here’s a quick overview of the benefits and use cases of each approach: 

CX Research

• Provides a holistic view of customer’s journey and their interactions with the product across various touchpoints
• Helps to identify factors that influence customer loyalty and retention
• Pinpoints areas of improvement when it comes to customer experience and helps to come up with solutions to increase customer satisfaction
• Highlights how different aspects of a brand are perceived, impacting brand reputation and positioning
• Helps to align business goals with customers’ unique needs

Choose CX Research when you want to:

👉gather feedback on existing experiences and identify areas for improvement in the customer journey.

👉 track customer satisfaction and experience trends over time.

👉spot any critical customer experience issues that you could’ve overlooked

👉understand certain metrics like Net Promoter Score or Customer Satisfaction, why they are so low, or how to increase them

👉reduce churn and enhance customer loyalty

Learn How to Conduct CX Research .

UX Research 

• Focuses specifically on users’ interactions with the product, empathizing ease-of-use and usability
• Provides a good understanding of users’ needs, expectations and problems and helps to come up with effective solutions in terms of your product
• Ensures that the product meets users’ needs and provides exceptional user experience
• Assists in identifying usability issues and informs improvements
• Saves money by testing designs during the design phase, preventing untested products from moving to development.

Choose UX Research when you want to:

👉understand your users and how they interact with the product

👉pinpoint usability issues and roadblocks that keep users from having a smooth experience with your product

👉test prototypes with users before development in order to identify issues early in the design process and save costs on doing that later on

👉launch a new feature and understand how intuitive it is for the user

👉make your designs more engaging and user-friendly by collecting user feedback and implementing new changes

CX Research vs UX Research Questions 

CX and UX Research questions have rather different focuses, with the first one reflecting the broader scope of customer experience while the second one aims at studying specific user-product interactions.

Let’s take a look at some of the questions each discipline aims to answer to better understand how they differ:

CX Research Questions 

• How do customers perceive our brand as a whole?
• What are the main factors driving customer loyalty to our company?
• How satisfied are customers with our overall service, from initial contact to post-purchase support?
• Which touchpoints in the customer journey need improvement for better customer satisfaction?
• What are customers’ emotional responses to our marketing campaigns?
• How do customers rate their overall experience when interacting with our customer service?
• What factors influence a customer’s decision to recommend our brand to others?

UX Research Questions 

• How easy is it for users to navigate our website/app?
• What challenges do users face when completing a purchase on our platform?
• How do users interact with the features of our mobile app?
• What are the common usability issues encountered by users in our software?
• How intuitive is the user interface of our product for first-time users?
• What improvements can be made to enhance the user interface and user experience of our digital products?
• How do specific design changes impact user satisfaction and task completion rate?

CX and UX Research Examples 

To better understand the differences between CX and UX research, take a look at two examples below. They perfectly showcase the differences in the approaches and methods used for research, as well as their outcomes.

For this example, we’ll assume we are testing a digital streaming service. Here’s how the CX research would look like in that case:

The goal here is to improve the overall CX of the streaming platform. 

It could come up as a result of low retention rates or customer complaints. Or maybe you’ve distributed a Customer Satisfaction survey and realized people could be more satisfied with the experiences you provide. Now you need to understand what’s causing the issue and where you can do better as a company. 

Here’s where CX research comes in.

In this case, you’re using customer journey mapping, pricing evaluation, support reviews, and customer surveys to get a holistic perspective on the current CX situation and spot areas of improvement. 

As a result of your CX research, you get enough information to understand the behavior of your customers, their expectations, and common issues they face. Based on that you’re able to create actionable strategies for optimizing CX, increasing customer satisfaction and retention levels.

Here’s how a UX Research study would look like in that case:

In the case of UX research, your goal is much more specific and product-oriented. You’re looking to improve the usability and UX or your streaming service because you’ve recently noticed users are facing issues with it’s design and functionality. 

You’re using usability testing, interviews, and feature use diaries to understand how users interact with your streaming platform, where they face issues, what are their needs, and how you can satisfy them.

As a result of a UX research study you get a great overview of critical usability issues that need to be fixed, as well as uncover users’ hidden needs and pain points that you can tackle with your product to provide them a better experience.

Metrics for Success in CX and UX Research

Apart from the other distinctions of these two types of research, the metrics they use to measure success are also different. 

As we already know from the previous chapter of our CX research guide , CX research metrics are more focused on measuring customer satisfaction, the efficiency of the support team, churn rates, etc. 

UX research metrics, on the other hand, focus on evaluating the usability of the product, task success rates, the time it takes a user to complete a certain action with the product, etc.  

Let’s take a look at some of the examples:

1. CX Research Metrics 

• Net Promoter Score (NPS): measures the likelihood of a customer recommending a company, product, or service to others
• Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT): measures short-term happiness with a product, service, or specific interaction. 
• Customer Effort Score (CES): tracks the ease of customer interaction and problem-solving with a company.
• Time to Resolution: indicates the average amount of time it takes to resolve customer issues or support requests.
• First Contact Resolution: tracks the percentage of customer inquiries or issues resolved in the first interaction.
• Churn Rate: the rate at which customers stop doing business with a company.

Learn more about CX Research metrics .

2. UX Research Metrics 

• Task Success Rate: shows whether users are able to successfully complete certain tasks with your product.
• Time-on-task : measures the amount of time it takes a user to complete a certain task. 
• Error Rate : the number of times users did not manage to complete a task with your product
• Sustem Usability Scale (SUS): a questionnaire tool used to measure the perceived usability of an application.  
• Single Ease Question (SEQ): helps to assess how easy each task was for the user to complete.

Wrapping Up 

We hope that that quick comparison gave you a good overview of the distinctions and similarities between CX and UX Research. You can now strategically plan your research studies and prioritize the type of research that your company needs at the moment.

To support your research activities, make sure you have a good research tool at hand😉

UXtweak offers everything you need to conduct CX and UX research! Run surveys , conduct usability tests and interviews, analyze user behavior, and test prototypes –  all within one tool!

FAQ: CX vs. UX Research

Customer Experience Research (or CX Research ) is  the process of collecting insights about customers’ interactions with the company and using them to pinpoint areas of improvement.  This kind of research aims to understand the process a customer goes through before, during, and after making a purchase or engaging with your product or service.

CX (Customer Experience) research focuses on the entire journey of a customer with a brand or service, encompassing all touchpoints and interactions, while UX (User Experience) research is more specific, concentrating on users’ interactions with a product, such as a website, app, or software, to improve its usability and overall user satisfaction.

Yes, UX ( User Experience ) is a subset of CX ( Customer Experience ). UX specifically deals with users’ interactions with a product or service, focusing on elements like usability, accessibility, and the overall efficiency and pleasure derived from using the product.

How to Conduct CX Research?

Cx research tools, topics: customer experience research.

• 01. Customer Experience Research
• 02. How to Conduct CX Research?
• 03. CX vs. UX Research
• 04. CX Research Tools

Customer Experience Research

Cx vs. ux research.

• Card Sorting
• Tree Testing
• Preference Test
• Five Second Test
• Session Recording
• Mobile Testing
• First Click Test
• Prototype Testing
• Website Testing
• Onsite Recruiting
• Own Database
• Documentation
• Product features
• UX Glossary
• Comparisons

8 Top 
CX/UX Research Companies

A Quirk's resource guide covering the top companies that specialize in CX/UX research.

Understanding CX and UX can be complex but they are critical to improving how your audience interacts with your products, services and brand. There are many ways to measure and gauge CX and UX making it important to find a company that is equipped to handle all your research needs.

Companies that specialize in customer and user experience can offer a range of tools and methodologies including surveys, eye-tracking, biometrics and other technology-based techniques. Whether you need help with user experience, customer experience or both, these companies have the methods and resources to help.

Alpha-Diver

Founded 2011, hunter thurman, ceo.

E-mail  [email protected] Phone 1-513-891-3000 www.alpha-diver.com

B2B International

Founded 1998 | 200 employees, julia doheny, president, north america.

B2B International is a leading business-to-business market research consultancy that provides customized B2B market research studies to clients around the world. Our research has empowered 1,000+ B2B brands, including half of the world’s largest 100. Our specialist CX research provides clients with a deep understanding of the personas they serve, the path to purchase and what ultimately drives satisfaction and loyalty. B2B International is also the home of the B2B Superpowers Index, the world’s largest tracker of B2B buyer expectations of its kind. Get in touch to schedule an introductory call with one of our experts.

Phone (U.S.) 1-914-761-1909 www.b2binternational.com   

Founded 1976

John sessions, ceo.

Phone 1-800-443-7344 www.bellomy.com

Founded 1980 | 400 employees

Steve raebel, president.

Phone 1-800-863-4353 www.fieldwork.com/market-research-services

Founded 2021 | 13 employees 

Neil dixit, founder and ceo.

Phone 1-813-748-8882 Glimpsehere.com

The Martec Group

Founded 1984 | 75 employees, emily bielak, director.

Phone 1-248-327-8000 www.martecgroup.com

Founded 2017 | 20+ employees

Jim whaley, ceo.

Phone 1-212-653-8750 www.ovationmr.com

Founded 1966 | 1,400 employees

Laura craig, svp, product innovation.

E-mail  [email protected] Phone 1-732-906-1122 www.sago.com

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