User tests can provide insights on the website you want to improve or about a new product prototype. Surveys, on the other side, usually focus on knowing more about the demographics, usage behaviors, and opinions while analytics will give you numbers.
User interviews are a very interesting way to know and understand your users. Interviews give you the opportunity to talk to them, see where they work, how they think, and how they organize their daily tasks.
Techniques to know users even better
You can use various techniques to get closer to the users and consumers of your service. To create positive user experiences, you really have to understand your clients’ businesses, things that are important for them and the methods they use to achieve their goals.
For example, at amiando.com we provide a participant management and ticketing service for organizers of events like conferences. To understand event organizers, I need to:
- Read books about the event organizing business
- Listen to podcasts about meeting and event organizing
- Subscribe to blogs about conferences and events
- Read forums on the topic, for example on Linkedin
- Participate in meet-ups for organizers
Although all these activities are time consuming, you can create a good user experience and service only if you know how your users think, plan, and work.
Great illustration by ocularinvasion
