Exploring Beyond: Uncovering Insights through Secondary Research
What it means
Secondary research, also known as desk research, involves analyzing research conducted by others previously on products similar to the one you are designing. This information can be gathered from books, articles, journals, etc. For instance, if you’re designing a travel app, you could conduct secondary research on existing apps like TripAdvisor and Airbnb.
A few methods you can conduct your secondary research
Case Studies Review:
- Explore case studies related to similar products or industries.
- Understand the challenges faced and solutions implemented in those cases.
- What you can do: Search for articles or posts of research done by other UX researchers or other people on existing similar products.
User Behavior Analysis:
- Analyze user behavior data from existing products in the same category.
- Identify patterns in how users interact with similar interfaces.
- What you can do: Go through users’ reviews on similar products to know what they like about the app, what they don’t like about the app, what more features they would like to have in the app, and identify emerging patterns and preferences among users, etc.
Why and When
It is beneficial to gather information about similar existing products that users use, understanding their pain points, preferences, and areas for improvement. Before delving into user interviews, having some knowledge about existing app users provides domain information to understand the context better. This marks the initial step of User Experience Research (UXR) and, ultimately, User Experience Design (UXD).
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Example
Rather than providing a plain written example, I’ll solve a problem with you as we progress, ensuring we’re together in this journey. Let’s consider a mobile app for sharing family recipes, let’s call it TastyTales, and I’ll share my findings along the way.
Secondary research for TastyTales:
I did secondary research on CookPad and Pinterest. I know that Pinterest is not just a food/cooking-related app but people do use it for cooking inspirations and share recipes there and I wanted to know why that is.
Cookpad Research
- Positive Feedback:
Users appreciate Cookpad for its ease of use and convenience, citing its user-friendly interface.
The app is described as supercool, making it easy for users to find recipes and make special dishes with minimum ingredients.
Some users have been using the app for several years and consider it a new home for their recipes. - Negative Feedback:
A recurring concern is the app’s evolution over time, including changes in names and layouts.
Dissatisfaction is expressed regarding the introduction of a monthly fee for enhanced search results, leading some users to consider switching to other recipe apps.
The loss of user-entered recipes is a significant source of frustration for some users. This includes deleted ingredients and instructions that are seemingly irretrievable.
There is a desire for additional features, such as sections for recipe steps, to enhance user experience. - Mixed Feedback:
Some users express enjoyment of the app but suggest improvements, such as the ability to view recently uploaded recipes as a stream for a broader scope of ideas.
Pinterest Research
- Positive Feedback:
Users express love for Pinterest, considering it one of their favorite apps ever.
The app is praised for its versatility, offering fabulous ways to save and retrieve ideas. - Negative Feedback:
A common complaint is the abundance of ads, with users mentioning that every second or third photo is an ad. Some users find the frequency of ads and pop-ups distracting and express a desire for better ad management.
Issues with app functionality are highlighted, including glitches when clicking on photos, widget problems, and a wish to disable autoplay for all videos.
Changes in the app’s scroll-down feature are mentioned, with some users expressing discomfort with the fast image scrolling and a preference for the previous layout. - Mixed Feedback:
While users appreciate the app’s daily recommendations based on previous searches, there is a request to avoid repetitive suggestions for saved content.
Some users have experienced glitches, such as difficulty saving videos and app closures when saving pins, leading to frustration and a plea for improvements. - Feedback on Updates:
Users mention dissatisfaction with updates that introduce changes like turning off comments or restricting certain audio features. Some users find these updates unnecessary and feel that the app needs improvement. - Ad Density:
Concerns are raised about the high density of ads, making it challenging to use the app for its intended purpose.
Next we’ll learn about Competitive Analysis.
