Niche audiences: how to manage audience research for your UX research
It’s no secret that UX research greatly impacts the outcomes of a project or business. Focusing on the user and their needs adds more value to your product, something we understand very well. As long as the user’s needs are met, it matters little to have a sleek, modern interface with 3D interactions and graphics. This is why niche audiences are so important.
Considering the costs in the digital industry today regarding the development and iteration of digital products, the most important thing is to start with solid and consistent foundations. This not only saves significant amounts of money but also prevents headaches or problems that could hinder the achievement of our goals.
As Susan Winschenk, psychologist and author of Neuro Web Design, puts it:
“3 out of the 12 reasons why projects fail are attributed to user experience failures”.
Once again, as we are accustomed to mentioning, the great importance of well-executed user research is evident as a guarantee of a good path for our product.
This same product may be used by different types of users, segments, or individuals. While there are general classifications, we must remember that not all users are the same and don’t do everything in the same way.
That’s why research must thoroughly understand and track users’ journeys at all times.
For example, in our research on a specific medical center looking to update its electronic medical records system, it might suffice to recruit healthcare professionals for our study. However, we need to be more specific. Our target group or niche audience should be as precise as possible and must share certain characteristics that are only common among them:
- Demographic characteristics
- Cultural characteristics
- Specific points of interest
Sometimes, to achieve greater objectivity in our analysis of niche audiences to be studied, we must evaluate other attributes that can help identify them more accurately. We should ask ourselves questions about specific job functions or issues like expertise/seniority of healthcare workers (in the case of sticking to this type of B2B research), considering the possibility that similarities in the use of the tool may be due to behavioral factors or firmographics.
Once these niche audiences are well-identified, a good process for recruiting participants to conduct interviews and better understand the circumstances is crucial. This process varies greatly depending on the type of analysis best suited to our study scope, as well as its complexity. However, for niche or specific research projects, where finding ideal actors for our study is challenging, traditional research may fall short.
How to recruit participants for niche audiences
To recruit participants, it is often necessary to:
- Create incentives for potential actors to participate in our research. These interview processes can be considered tedious by users, so offering a reward can improve the chances of successfully recruiting actors. We must understand that when conducting this type of research, the options for participants are very limited, and it’s not the same as when we conduct studies where the users we need are young people aged 18 to 35 who use a certain product, app, or service, but without any other special characteristics.
- Research and reach out to professional networks. Learning from clients about possible professional networks to delve into our recruitment focus allows us to streamline the process and achieve higher success rates. Technical forums related to a trade have a higher likelihood of providing participants for our research, as they are educational and offer knowledge about the particular trade (knowledge is power!).
- Use a participant recruitment platform or specialized service. One of the most optimal options for our research is the variety of platforms available to recruit volunteers for our interviews. With a large pool of volunteers, complex filtering systems, and fixed rates, these platforms enable niche studies to be conducted effectively, swiftly, and systematically. These platforms are built on the promise of mandatory incentives for users (managed directly by the platform), ensuring active participation. Some of these platforms also feature active feedback systems, subtitles, or dictation of statements, making it easier for UX researchers to gather information in a more streamlined and centralized manner. Some examples of these platforms include: User Interviews, Userlytics or Ethnio.
For us at Torresburriel Estudio, it’s very important to emphasize that good UX is only guaranteed through research conducted with active listening from quality participants. Recruiting them quickly is not always guaranteed, and the efficiency of the process can be crucial in obtaining the necessary feedback, thus ensuring that the user experience is pleasant.
This significantly helps UX designers create experiences that simplify the tasks the user seeks to complete, while also sequencing and phasing them in a way that makes sense to the user. Testing UX prototypes with users early and frequently is best practice.
Research with the highest quality candidates should be a priority for companies before investing additional money in development. In a world where information is abundant, we cannot rely solely on instinct and passion: empiricism through observation and research marks a before and after in business effectiveness.
This is a translation of the following article from our corporate website:
