61% of business professionals say demand for experience research is increasing
The demand for more insights is on the rise, as 80 per cent of business professionals say their organization is prioritizing or investing in customer experience (CX) design, according to a research from UserTesting.
Based in San Francisco, where it provides technology to assist with the way digital products and experiences are built, UserTesting said it combined two surveys that totalled more than 1,800 people to produce its 2023 Experience Research Industry Report. This marked the 10th year the company has fielded its CX survey in particular.
UserTesting found that more than half of respondents said they can barely keep up with demand for insights from their organizations. Perhaps as a result, 40 per cent said their research budgets have increased and 50 per cent are holding steady.
The results of experience research aren’t gathering dust on a shelf, either. The vast majority, or 80 per cent, said user feedback is being incorporated into daily processes and decision-making.
While brand perception, revenue and cost reduction were all cited as areas where experience research offers value, the impact on customer satisfaction reigned supreme, cited by three quarters of those surveyed.
“What remains vital is building experiences that feel human—frictionless, simple, and convenient,” the report’s authors wrote. “Having empathy for your customers should be a crucial part of your experience design strategy– organizations need to keep pace with changing customer expectations to meet their revenue, usage, and loyalty metrics as well as their goal of offering highly-competitive products and experiences.”
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The UserTesting report reflects the ongoing maturity in thinking around CX and (not surprising given the company’s focus) the critical importance of making sure you get the details right before launching products and services into the wild. The frequency of testing, for instance, has nearly doubled since the first version of this study was produced in 2013.
To some extent, a surge in testing makes sense as more organizations expand digital experiences following the pandemic. The research also found remote testing has become much more commonplace, which is to be expected.
There has also been a growing recognition that experience research can’t be done off the side of someone’s desk but requires specialized talent. UserTesting found 64 per cent of firm have dedicated teams, which it dubbed “ResearchOps,” similar to DevOps teams of software engineers.
As this research continues, it would be interesting to drill down into some of the biggest areas of potential failure or errors that experience research uncovers. With artificial intelligence (AI) expected to greater role in almost all business processes, hopefully future iterations of the survey could also delve into the way humans and machines can collaborate in testing processes.
Overall, though, if you’re looking to convince senior leaders that more commitment to research is required to advance CX, this is a great asset to do so.
