User Experience
Primary Research
Plain English
serviceUser ResearchUnderstand user behaviour, validate ideas, and make clearer product decisions with evidence you can act on.Open service you collect directly from users.
Definition
Primary serviceUser ResearchUnderstand user behaviour, validate ideas, and make clearer product decisions with evidence you can act on.Open service is glossaryDataData is raw, uninterpreted information collected and stored so it can be analysed, processed, or used to inform decisions. On its own it carries no meaning; context and interpretation are what make it useful.Open glossary term collected directly from users through methods like interviews, guideSurveysCollecting structured feedback at scale to understand user attitudes, sentiment, and self-reported behaviour.Open guide, or testing.
In practice
Used to gather first-hand glossaryInsightAn insight is a meaningful understanding that explains why something is happening and what it means.Open glossary term about glossaryUser BehaviourUser behaviour refers to how users interact with a product, including actions, patterns, and decision-making processes.Open glossary term and needs.
In context
It is worth doing only after the existing evidence is exhausted. Asking users something the analytics already answered spends goodwill on a known quantity.
The reality
It can be time-consuming and resource-intensive if not focused.
Compared with
Primary Research vs Secondary Research
Primary serviceUser ResearchUnderstand user behaviour, validate ideas, and make clearer product decisions with evidence you can act on.Open service generates new evidence specific to your users and product. Secondary analyses what already exists. Secondary is faster and cheaper; primary is the only route to answers about your particular situation.
FAQ
Common questions
A few practical answers to the questions that usually come up around this term.
What is primary research?
It is glossaryDataData is raw, uninterpreted information collected and stored so it can be analysed, processed, or used to inform decisions. On its own it carries no meaning; context and interpretation are what make it useful.Open glossary term collected directly from users.
Why is primary research important?
It provides direct, reliable glossaryInsightAn insight is a meaningful understanding that explains why something is happening and what it means.Open glossary term.
What are examples?
Interviews, guideUsability TestingObserving users complete tasks to identify usability issues, friction, and barriers to success.Open guide, and guideSurveysCollecting structured feedback at scale to understand user attitudes, sentiment, and self-reported behaviour.Open guide.
What is a common issue?
Collecting too much glossaryDataData is raw, uninterpreted information collected and stored so it can be analysed, processed, or used to inform decisions. On its own it carries no meaning; context and interpretation are what make it useful.Open glossary term without clear goals.
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