As economies tighten and nearly every company competes on its digital experience, UX research has become a critical tool for business survival. Why? Because despite the economic challenges, users still expect the same level of user experience (UX) from businesses, if not more. And they are okay with switching to competitors if brands don't meet their expectations.  

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According to recent research from Zendesk, up to 61% of customers will take their business elsewhere after just one bad experience. So, no brand can afford the risk of bad user experiences. And to deliver flawless UX, you need to understand your user's needs and expectations; user research is the only way to do that.

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After all, "If you're not talking to your users, you're just making assumptions." - Leah Buley, UX Designer and Author.

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In this article, we'll explore the latest UX research trends and how they can help businesses stay ahead of the competition, deliver exceptional user experience, boost their long-term revenue, and help them launch new products and services with success.  

1. UX Research Will Get Woven into the Fabric of the Company, not a One-off Project

According to recent statistics, 80% of internet users are willing to pay extra for a good user experience, and 32% of users will leave a brand they love if they have one bad experience. Additionally, a report by Salesforce found that 80% of customers say that the experience a company provides is as important as its products or services.  

As businesses strive to stay ahead of the competition and meet the ever-evolving needs of users, the traditional approach of conducting research at the beginning of a project is no longer sufficient. Instead, businesses recognize the value of conducting research throughout the product development lifecycle.  

This approach, known as continuous research, allows businesses to gain insights into user behavior and preferences at every stage of development and help them make data-driven decisions that improve their user experience.  

Additionally, product discovery, which involves identifying user needs and problems before starting development, is becoming an increasingly important part of the UX research process. By engaging in product discovery and continuous research, businesses can create products that truly meet the needs and preferences of users and deliver a better overall user experience.  

In 2023 and beyond, most businesses will prioritize continuous research and product discovery to succeed in a constantly evolving market.

2. User Research Will Become More Inclusive

Every product leader understands that the success of a product experience depends on the quality of the research behind it. And that's why inclusive research practices are essential to creating impactful products. So, this year, more leaders will explore ways to reduce bias in research.  

This involves intentionally involving people from diverse cultural backgrounds and geographical locations in research studies. This approach leads to more nuanced findings and insights that help build products that people of all backgrounds will love to use.  

To achieve this goal, researchers need to make a conscious effort to recruit participants from diverse backgrounds and demographics.

With Entropik, you can easily do that as we have a panel of 60 million + respondents from across 120 countries which gives you access to run user research across geographies in a scalable and agile way.

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3. Investment in UX Research Must Deliver Clear Business Benefits

As we face economic uncertainty and a turbulent market ahead, most companies are tightening their budgets and prioritizing investments that provide clear business benefits. As businesses navigate these economic challenges, product and UX leaders are becoming more strategic in their investments to ensure they deliver a healthy ROI.  

For example, if a business invests in UX research to improve website usability, the outcomes should drive clear business benefits, such as increased website traffic and higher conversion rates.

This trend is expected to continue throughout 2023 as businesses seek to maximize profitability and optimize their investments.

So, most UX and product leaders will invest in cutting-edge tools and technologies to create a seamless user experience. But they will only invest in the ones that can deliver tangible business benefits. This will be a major trend in the coming year.

In short, investing in UX Research is vital, but investments must quickly deliver clear benefits and ROI, or they will be axed.  

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4. Wider Adoption of AI-powered UX Research Tools

One of the biggest user research trends for 2023 is the increased adoption of AI-powered research tools. As machine learning algorithms continue improving, AI becomes an increasingly valuable tool for user researchers. AI can help researchers analyze enormous amounts of data quickly and accurately, providing nuanced insights into user behavior and preferences.  

With AI, researchers can gain nuanced user insights that might be difficult to uncover using traditional research methods. For example, AI can help researchers understand users' emotional responses to different designs or experiences. By analyzing their eye movements and facial expressions, AI can help researchers better understand user reactions. As AI becomes more accurate and widely used in user research, UXers will be better equipped to create experiences that meet the needs and preferences of users.

In the coming years, we expect to see an increase in the adoption of AI-powered tools. These tools will help researchers analyze user behavior and feedback quickly, allowing them to gain deeper insights into user needs and preferences.

However, it's important to note that AI-powered user research tools will not replace human researchers. Instead, they will work in tandem with researchers to provide more efficient and accurate data analysis.  

UX researchers will still be needed to design and oversee research studies, interpret the data, and draw conclusions based on the insights gathered.

Overall, the use of AI-powered tools in UX research has the potential to revolutionize the field, providing more insights into user behavior than ever before. As these tools become more widely adopted, we expect to see improvements in product design and user experience, leading to better products and happier customers.

Wrapping Up

User expectations are constantly evolving, and UX research needs to evolve and adapt to these changes. To deliver an exceptional UX, you must quickly adapt to the newest changes and trends. The organizations that will do that will create successful products, stand out from the noise, win loyal customers over, and boost their revenue. And that’s why every UX and product leader needs to implement and prioritize these UX research trends in 2023 and beyond.

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