Qualitative vs. quantitative

• Research methods fall into two categories: quantitative and qualitative.

• Qualitative research centers on capturing subjective user experiences, aiming to uncover the underlying motivations, reasons, and behaviors.

• In contrast, quantitative research involves collecting and analyzing numerical data to identify patterns, trends, and significance, quantifying user behaviors and preferences, allowing for generalizations and statistical insights.

• Qualitative research typically employs a smaller sample size, often around 40 participants as recommended by Nielsen Norman Group.

Attitudinal vs. behavioral

• Attitudinal research seeks to understand user attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs, exploring the 'why' behind their decisions and actions.

• It often uses surveys or interviews to elicit user feelings, preferences, or opinions about a product or service, focusing on capturing emotional and opinion-based data.

• Behavioral research, however, concentrates on users' actions, employing observation methods like usability testing, eye-tracking, or heat maps to study user behavior.

Generative vs. evaluative

• Generative research aims to inspire creativity and generate new ideas, concepts, and insights to inform the design process.

• It involves activities such as brainstorming sessions, card sorting, and co-design with users to inspire innovative, user-centric solutions.

• Evaluative research, on the other hand, focuses on assessing the usability, effectiveness, and overall quality of existing designs or prototypes.

• It comes into play after creating a product prototype, helping to identify strengths and weaknesses by comparing different design versions through methods like A/B testing to ensure the design meets user needs and expectations.