Attitudinal and behavioral research methods in UX provide distinct yet complementary insights into user interactions with products and services. Much like the difference between qualitative and quantitative research methods, both are valuable and differ in approach and procedure.
Definitions of Attitudinal and Behavioral Research
Attitudinal research delves into the subjective experiences, preferences, expectations, and feelings of users, aiming to understand the 'why' behind their opinions and attitudes.
Attitudinal research gathers self-reported data from participants by asking questions about their thoughts, feelings, and opinions about a product or service.
In contrast, behavioral research focuses on the observable actions of users, tracking their actual behavior and interactions to gather data.
Behavioral research involves directly observing user interactions with a product, providing data on user behavior.
Together, these research approaches offer a holistic view of the user experience, blending what users say with what they do. A combination of attitudinal and behavioral research informs effective and empathetic design decisions.
Attitudinal Research: Asking Questions About Subjective Experience
Attitudinal research seeks to gather data about things that cannot be directly observed because they exist only in users’ minds — their thoughts, emotional reactions, preferences, and mental models. Since we cannot read people's minds, we must ask them questions designed to draw out those subjective experiences.
Biometrics such as facial expressions, skin conductance, temperature, pulse rate, and eye movements can provide some limited objective data about how excited or stressed a participant is. However, they don’t tell us what the user is really thinking or feeling — asking them questions is the most reliable way to study those aspects of the experience.)
Since attitudinal research deals with self-reported data, we must carefully avoid influencing their answers. When conducting surveys, questionnaires, interviews, or focus groups, it is imperative to craft questions that are neutral and unbiased, ensuring that the responses collected are genuine reflections of the participants' true feelings and opinions.
Leading questions, that suggest a particular answer or contain implicit assumptions, can skew results and provide a distorted view of user attitudes. “Would you agree that our UI has a clean, modern design?” is an (exaggerated) example of a leading question that most researchers know to avoid.
Since users have imperfect memories and may be skewed by social-desirability bias, asking questions about past behavior or future intentions can produce inaccurate results. Therefore, it’s important to avoid it as much as possible and use behavioral research to gather that type of data. Some limited use of questions on past habits or future intentions is okay as long as the data is treated as an imperfect estimate rather than an accurate measurement.
Examples of Attitudinal Research Methods
Surveys and questionnaires: These tools are used to collect self-reported data on user preferences, satisfaction levels, and the perceived usability of a product. They can be distributed widely, offering quantitative data that reflects the attitudes of a broad user base.
Interviews: One-on-one interviews provide insights into user attitudes, beliefs, and desires regarding a product. They allow for nuanced understanding through open-ended questions and follow-up inquiries.
Focus groups: Involving a group of users to discuss their opinions about a product, focus groups facilitate a dynamic exchange of ideas, revealing common attitudes and preferences among target users. Be on the lookout for groupthink, however.
Behavioral Research: Observing Users to Learn About Actions
Unlike attitudinal research (where the phenomenon studied exists only in the participant’s mind), behavioral research examines observable behaviors.
Behavioral research sheds light on how users navigate and use a product, revealing patterns and obstacles that might not be apparent by just asking them. This approach is crucial for optimizing user interfaces for better performance and ease of use.
Examples of Behavioral Research Methods
Usability testing: In this method, researchers directly observe users as they interact with a product to complete specific tasks. Usability testing identifies usability issues and areas where users struggle.
Eyetracking: This method tracks where and how long a user looks at different areas of a screen, offering insights into user attention and engagement.
Analytics: By aggregating data on where users click, move the mouse, or scroll, analytics provide aggregated user activity within a product, highlighting pages and features that users interact with naturally, as well as areas that are neglected.
A/B Testing: An A/B test compares two versions of a web page or app feature to see which one performs better in terms of user engagement, conversion rates, or other behavioral metrics.
What Users Say vs. What Users Do
What users say (attitudinal data) and what they do (behavioral data) are often quite different. Humans have imperfect memories; they may also struggle to explain their internal experiences clearly. They may even unconsciously alter their opinions to reflect social norms or agree with the researcher.
However, we need to have both types of data: both what people think or feel and how they act are inherent parts of their user experience. It’s valuable to learn how users perceive our designs, as well as what their real behavior patterns are. The mismatches between user attitudes and user actions are often a great source of insights.
Integrating Attitudinal and Behavioral Research
In reality, much of the research that UX practitioners do is hybrid, including both attitudinal and behavioral data.
Qualitative usability testing, diary studies, and contextual inquiry are all core UX research methods that can be used to gather both behavioral and attitudinal data. We directly observe user behavior to see what they are doing, but we also ask open-ended questions to gather information about what they are thinking, feeling, and expecting. Combining both aspects provides both the “what” and the “why.”
For example, a user might hesitate before clicking on a button that says Done at the end of an ecommerce checkout. When we directly observe that uncertainty, we can form numerous hypotheses about exactly what is giving them pause. Perhaps they are having second thoughts about their purchase, or maybe they are not sure of what exactly will happen — will their credit card get charged, or will there be a confirmation step ahead of placing the order? Open-ended followup questions help us to figure out exactly why the user hesitated.
The combination of attitudinal and behavioral research allows UX designers to understand not only what users do but also why they do it, bridging the gap between user expectations and behaviors.
Application in UX Design
A balanced UX-research strategy employs both attitudinal and behavioral methods to inform design decisions. For instance, insights from surveys or interviews can pinpoint areas of user dissatisfaction that warrant closer examination. Behavioral research methods like usability testing or analytics can then be used to observe how users interact with these areas, providing a clear direction for design improvements.
This integrated approach ensures that designs are not only functional and user-friendly but also deeply rooted in an understanding of user attitudes and behaviors.
Conclusion
Distinguishing between attitudinal and behavioral research is essential for UX professionals seeking to create impactful, user-centered designs. While each research type offers unique insights, together, they provide a holistic understanding of the user experience. By employing both in tandem, designers can ensure their solutions are both aligned with user expectations and optimized for usability, ultimately leading to products that users find both valuable and delightful.
