When it comes to qualitative research techniques used in Conversion Rate Optimization, there are quite a few that give a good amount of insights on user reactions and feedback. One such method is usability testing.

However, as Ayat stated in her article titled 9 Tips to Conducting Accurate Qualitative Research, “qualitative research is only as good as the process and goals behind it.”

So you have decided to conduct a usability test for your product —so as to understand your product from the users’ perspective. You then realize that you have to come up with relevant questions to ask participants.

“That sounds like a piece of cake,” some may presume. 

Writing effective usability questions seems deceptively easy, but the harsh reality is it’s not as simple as you may think it is. There are quite a number of mistakes to avoid. 

With all the hype around video and voice recordings, it’s easy to think that note-taking is no longer necessary. Let’s face it, this is 2019 and digital devices have since remodeled the way we gather information in any research. But, some of us still swear by pen and paper —and this comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. 

Whether we are conducting a focus group, or we are carrying out in-depth customer interviews. Or, maybe we are conducting a usability test to eliminate the risk of creating a wrong website. Whatever the case, taking notes is, and will …

Gone are the days when designers, marketers and product developers solely depended on recruiting end-users to get relevant insights into their thought process and experience on a certain website.

Conducting usability studies and watching users navigate through the site had its own pros and it yielded an enormous value that ultimately helped UX designers and marketers deliver a superb user experience.