UX managers play an important role in ensuring that a company’s products meet user expectations. Research repositories can help UX managers achieve this goal in a variety of ways.
1. Tracks Your Knowlege Base
As a UX manager, you are always accumulating new knowledge. A UX research repository makes it easier to keep track of how large your knowledge base is. Checking the number of research notes in your repository is an easy way to see how your knowledge base is growing over time.
2. Aids Research Shift From Tactical to Strategic
It used to be that when UX research was begun at an organization, the ideas came from executives and the researchers were responsible for doing the usability testing. However, as more organizations have begun to realize the value of UX research, researchers are getting more opportunities to complete discovery research and generate their own ideas. You can gauge where your organization is in this process by tracking the research methods in your research repository.
3. Judge How Effective Your Research Is as a Learning Tool
One of the goals of UX research is for members of your organization to learn from it. Using a research repository allows you to track how many non-researchers are reading the insights your team has added to the repository.
4. Track User Representation
Your research repository makes it possible to keep track of which users you are communicating with. This makes it easier to ensure that all segments of your user base are represented equally in your research. This is essential for obtaining high-quality UX research. If you are only talking to a small segment of users, then the needs of the rest of your user base are not likely to be met.
5. Calculate Your User Exposure
Some of your research notes come from user sessions. Tagging your research notes according to the source makes it possible to examine those tags to determine your user exposure number. User exposure helps determine the UX maturity of an organization. This data can be used to set goals, such as the number of hours per year for UX design firm and corporate executives.
6. Measure Diversity of Methods
How diverse your methods are is another indicator of UX maturity. Usability testing is where most UX research begins. Each new method introduced makes it possible to explore new areas with your research. The more mature your UX research becomes, the better your toolset for addressing user needs gets. This allows your research to become a more integral part of your company’s overall operations. Tracking research methods in your repository makes it easy to determine your level of diversity.
UX research is a vital component of the success of any organization. Using a research repository makes it possible to keep track of what you have done, how much progress you have made, what your strengths and weakness are and where you need to go with your research. Using a research repository not only makes you a better UX manager but helps your entire team get better at UX design.
