#QUANT VS QUAL FREE#

While quantitative methodologies are meant to provide researchers with objective, measurable results, when applied to real contexts, they are not free from subjective interference. They can help UX researchers analyze the reasons for the paths users choose, the shortcuts they use, and the hacks they leverage while listening to their train of thought. Qualitative methodologies (observations, interviews, contextual inquiries), on the other hand, answer the question of Why? and can drive insights for further user research.

They will help you compare interfaces, features, navigation paths, or study conditions, as well as differences between user testing Personas. Quantitative UX research methods can answer the questions of what, how many, & how much. The difference between the approaches chosen should reside in the answers each type of usability study, quantitative or qualitative, can help you obtain. What do we mean when talking about quantitative or qualitative user experience and usability research methods? Is it all about just adding numbers to reports, proper sampling or opportunities to observe user’ needs? When someone announces their love for a quantitative approach, do they mean proper statistics sampling, accurately measuring time on task and mapping click paths? Do countless interviews with users imply a preference for a qualitative user testing methodology? What is the best way to avoid going from one extreme to another?įirst of all, lets define the terms and avoid semantics. And it is not a good way to do research, either. But, as we know from everyday experiences, the “Divide and conquer” approach is not helpful in solving problems. “I don’t believe in a quantitative approach”, “We need to quantify this”, “Can we put this in numbers?”, “I only do qualitative interviews”, - are the phrases one hears quite often. Which path to take, which approach is more preferable for the stakeholders, management, and usability researchers? Which one will enable low hanging fruit and which will bring strategic advances? The question arises in almost every company, every UX study, every project. It lies in a struggle that is much older than the field of Usability, User Testing, and Design Research.Īnd it is still unresolved. The conflict between qualitative and quantitative user experience research methodologies has its origin in a time when computers were only a dream, and with the emergence of the social sciences over a century ago.

Quant vs qual