The goal of UX research in e-commerce: how research answers the question “why will they buy?”
The primary goal of design research is to bring the design process to life from the perspective of the end user — the shopper. It’s about building an ecosystem around the person who interacts with your online store.
The results of UX research prevent us from designing for design’s sake or creating what we think customers will like.
UX research can tell us the context in which a shopper will use your online store and how they will interact with it. It shows what people notice, what they don’t see, what confuses them, what builds trust, and what breaks it. This is exactly how research answers the real e-commerce question: what needs to be done for people to buy your product in your online store?
UX research serves many purposes in the design process. It helps us identify and confirm or disprove our assumptions, find common traits in our target shoppers, and recognize their needs, goals, and behaviors.
This always leads to improved business processes and shopping flows, resulting in increased profits. Therefore, UX research is essential for online stores that want to grow and increase their company’s profitability.
If people are using your website to browse products, compare options, add to cart, or check out, understanding their behavior and interactions is crucial for modern e-commerce businesses.
The design of your UI and user interactions can be a powerful trigger for boosting your sales — or not. However, none of this will be effective without thorough UX analysis.
Kate Kolody
Senior / Lead Digital Product Designer · E-commerce / DTC / Growth · Subscription / Shopify / Conversion
