Custom User Research Services
When your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. While usability testing is our everyday tool, it’s not the right method for every research challenge. From early-stage market research to UX audits of live systems, we leverage and customize a wide range of methods to meet your needs.
2019 User Research Project Examples
Personas for Herman Miller
10 contextual interviews with customers of HM’s Design Within Reach furniture brand. Then a 1-day persona-building workshop at their HQ in Michigan.
Card Sort for United Nations
Card sort and first-click testing for a 2,500-person agency within the UN System. 12 moderated plus 105 unmoderated sessions. Informed the IA for a new HR portal.
Content Testing for GEICO
Content testing of the current digital claims flow plus prototypes. Drove research-backed changes to link/button text, form field labels and other microcopy.
Tree Testing for Nu Skin
Tested 3 navigation variations for Nu Skin’s main website, running participants through 14 findability tasks. Small-scale moderated testing plus 150 quantitative sessions.
Buyer Journey Research for PenFed
In-depth interviews with 10 recent home buyers about their journeys. Defined 11 key home-buying steps and identified pain points and highlights.
Heuristic Evaluations for Epsilon
Partnered with Epsilon to conduct UX audits for a top 20 global pharma company. Analyzed 2 consumer sites and 1 professional site. Prioritized 50+ recommendations.
UX Evaluation & Training for BI
A 3-phase UX evaluation of BI’s enterprise software: 1) current state field study with 3 site visits, 2) prototype testing with 3 user groups, and 3) UX training for 50 developers.
Intercept Testing for Travel Leaders
For concept testing of a new website feature, we wanted frequent travelers actively searching for a travel agent. We recruited them via intercepts on relevant web pages.
Replay Analysis for Baileigh
Using session replay technology, we analyzed 100 recent sessions on Baileigh’s website. Key findings on search behavior, product photo interactions and more.
“I thought the interview set-up, organization, and deliverables were all fantastic!”
Our Typical Process
While we customize each project, many of our UX research projects follow a variation of this 5-step approach.
Plan
We get up to speed and align on your project goals, audiences and KPIs.
Report
We deliver a summary report with all findings, solution ideas and recordings.
Workshop
We facilitate a 1-day on-site workshop with research observation, analysis, and ideation.
Recruit
We conduct a rigorous recruiting and screening process to find representative users.
Research
We moderate 1:1 research sessions, and often supplement this with quantitative research.
“Fantastic. I loved the the process to brainstorm at a very abstract level and then quickly distill that into real action items.”
Our User Research Methods
Here are some of the methods we use on a frequent basis. Often we mix and match methods based on the research goals.
Usability Research
Usability Testing | UX Audits | Intercept Testing
Audience Research
Personas | Journey Maps | Concept Testing
IA & Navigation Research
Card Sorts | Tree Testing | First Click Testing
Analytics & Experiments
Web Analytics | A/B Testing | Session Replay Analysis
Content Research
Content Testing | Content Audits | Keyword Research
“Working with Marketade has been an amazing experience. I highly recommended them to anyone!”
Organizations We've Helped with User Research & Design Thinking
