Four UX Research Data Collection Methods
After setting up my UX research project to test the user experience for the Spotify Advertising Academy, I was ready to begin collecting data.
In addition to my observational data about how the Spotify Advertising Academy worked, I used four additional methods of data collection for this project, including
- Pre and Post Tests
- User Experience Survey
- Focus Group
- Interview
Pre and Post-Tests
Before and after tests are common methods of data collection in the field of marketing research.
We started by administering a knowledge examination before the students had any exposure to Spotify Academy to establish a baseline measure of our audience’s knowledge of key words and topics taught in Spotify Academy.
One week later, we administered the very same test again (called post-test A) immediately after the students took the certification course through Spotify.
Finally, after a month-long hands-on experience in Spotify Ad Studio, the platform that the Academy is based upon, the students retook the test (called post-test B).
These tests were a very effective way to quantifiably measure students’ overall improvement on a per-test and per-topic level.
UX Survey
Next, I designed a survey to test students’ overall experience with Spotify Academy based on four dimensions; overall satisfaction, clicking-intuition, the flow of content, and content relevance.
While creating this survey, I focused on collecting objective data than subjective data. Most surveys collect users opinions with questions such as “what did you think of this feature.”
The hardest part of creating our survey was to write objective questions that tested users’ ability rather than their opinion. For example, the image to the left shows a question that asks users what interactive feature would happen when users clicked on the graphic.
The answers to objective questions was valuable because provided us with fact-based data instead of opinion-based data.
Focus Group
Next, I designed and moderated a 10-person focus group, featuring 40% of our sample.
As the moderator, I learned how to ask questions that would spark cross-table conversation. The group shared their opinions that resulted in some of our most valuable insights for Spotify.
We recorded the focus group and used the AI-powered platform, Notta, to save time transcribing our entire conversation and mark speakers, key questions, and key points.
Client Interview
For the hands-on portion of our project, the students built a real advertising campaign in Spotify Ad Studio for a client called Clarity Enterprises. For my final method of data collection, I interviewed the client liaison to better understand the advertising experience from the client perspective.
The Wrap-Up
During this 4-month research project, the vast majority of my time was spent creating tools to collect data. One thing I’ve learned is that collecting good data takes time.
Before starting your data collection, make sure you review the steps for setting up a campaign to make sure you know what construct you need to measure.
If you have questions about setting up a marketing research project and choosing the right data collection methods that are right for the constructs you want to measure, reach out. I am happy to help.
