User research is a crucial tool to ensure that the experiences we design truly meet people’s needs. Remember, you are not your user.

In digital product design, you’ll encounter terms like User Research, UX Research, Usability Testing, and User-Centered Design. All of these share the common goal of integrating users into the design process. After all, we design products for real people who often think and behave differently from us.

User research serves two purposes: (1) to ensure we design the right thing, and (2) to confirm we’re designing it correctly. The first goal involves understanding people’s needs so we can include necessary features. The second goal assess whether our designs for those features are user-friendly. These are often known as Generative Research and Evaluation Research, respectively.