UX User Research 101

User Experience is a team effort

Everyone impacts the user experience for example: if a developer introduces a new bug, or if a project manages doesn’t take into consideration user needs, accessibility or empathy.

A great user experience is an experience which meets the needs of your users and their expectations.
User Research provides you with methods to find out those needs.
Designs are assumptions until validated with end users(research).

Reasons why startups fail and how they could be avoided with UX research and design.

42% No market need – Proper user research identifies user needs in the market. Why they purchase / download your service or product.
19% Get outcompeted – If you do not research your users needs they will find a product that does.
17% Poor product – Empathy and accessibly are extremely important in product design. Your service or product should reach the maximum amount of people and do its task efficiently / satisfyingly
14% Ignore Customers – Launching a product is only a step in an exciting road of improvement to your product. Ignoring customers or not researching ways to improve will lead them to other products / services.

How and when should I do research on my product?

Do user research at whatever stage you’re in right now. The earlier the research, the more impact the findings will have on your product, and by definition, the earliest you can do something on your current project (absent a time machine) is today. Ideally you should be doing user research in all the stages of product design and development.