:: Three Ways to Gather End User Insights When Primary Research Isn't Possible

Web design is always better when informed by primary research. First-hand exposure to end-user behavior, visited websites, and target audience lifestyle always produce insightful "nuggets" that make for more meaningful, online experiences. That being said, anyone who has ever worked on a real-world web project will tell you that primary research is not always possible. Timelines and project budgets are often prohibitive. Clients are also, often convinced that they know all there is to know about their target audience.

What is an information architect supposed to do when he/she is not able to gain first-hand exposure to end-users?

Here are three ways to gather insights about a target audience when primary research is "out-of-the-question":

1. Google Keyword Tool - The folks at Google have a great keyword association tool that they offer for free, because they want advertisers to use their service to launch "pay-per-click" advertising campaigns. The Google Keyword Tool is also terrific for research purposes, however, because it enables users to enter a topic, keyword, or URL, and get back the most relevant and popular keyword queries related to the search term that was entered. Why is this information useful? Let's say you are designing a healthcare-related website about the general topic of "pregnancy." You'd probably like to know what type of information is most sought, related to the topic. That's exactly what you'd find if you entered the word "pregnancy," into Google's tool. Imagine developing a taxonomy that facilitates access to the most commonly searched for topics related to the topic of "pregnancy." You'd also be one-step closer to optimizing your website for likely Google searches related to the topic.

2. Internal Search Logs - Web analysts often overlook internal search (site search) logs, when performing site analytics. Often, the types of keyword searches entered on an existing website can give clues about difficulties that end-users are having locating information. Try looking at the top 100, internal, site searches for a typical 3-month period of time. Categorize the types of searches being performed in a spreadsheet. Once you can generalize about the most popular types of searches (e.g. - "contact," "product," "service," etc.), you will better be able to design a taxonomy and architecture that facilitates access to the things that users are looking for via site search.

3. Competitive Research - You don't always have to reinvent the wheel. Your client may be so focused on innovation or internal processes, that they forget to look over their shoulder at what the competition is doing. In any given industry, there are taxonomy and UI (user interface) patterns that emerge as a result of SOMEONE's research or through conventions established from years of offering a particular online service. It is ok to leverage these patterns as a starting point...it isn't cheating.

The above techniques can help you get started desiging an intuitive user interface when research isn't possible. I still recommend performing usability testing, however, to ensure that your "informed assumptions" hold true.


Jonathan Lupo
VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab