Researching User Needs

According to Maslow's hierarchy, there are 5 levels of human needs:

• Physiological: Basic needs like food, water, shelter, sleep
• Safety: Financial, personal security, health, stability
• Social: Belonging, friendships, relationships, community
• Esteem: Recognition, achievements, respect, status
• Self-actualization: Personal growth, potential, fulfillment.

Maslow also pointed out that people are more inclined to satisfy their basic needs before moving on to more advanced needs.^[1] How does this relate to UX writing? Good UX writing should first address the most basic user needs — what’s essential for them to use your product. Then, focus on their wants — extras that improve the experience.

When writing, always question each line: does the copy meet any level of the psychological hierarchy? For example, the phrase "take today's lesson" calls for our willingness to learn, but it lacks enough motivation. A good example would be Duolingo's phrase, "Complete a lesson to join this week's leaderboard," which appeals to human needs of accomplishment, respect from others, and self-growth.

UX writers and designers can't always be sure their work is intuitive for users. Even with the best intentions, it's easy to get lost in technical terms and jargon, forgetting that users may not understand them. This is called "the curse of knowledge"— assuming others know what you do.^[2]

UX research can help you make your UX writing perfect and compatible with your audience's mindset. A survey is one such inexpensive, quick, and easy way to obtain valuable information about users. With a good list of questions, you can approach a targeted group of users and receive honest opinions and in-depth insights. Surveys give you a perfect opportunity to look at actual words your audience use when talking about your product and domain.

One of the most accessible and easiest ways to make sure your words make sense is to check it on Google Trends. Let's imagine a pretty common scenario where a UX writer is unsure about a word or has a couple of variants and doesn't know which one is the best. Google Trends may be a good way to solve the dilemma. All you do is enter the terms you have, separating them with commas, and Google Trends will compare the frequency of each term's search request on the Google search engine.

However, Google Trends isn't a magic pill. It can give you the most commonly sought-after words per region or country but can't assess your target audience's preferences. For example, the term "Share" may be considerably more popular but the phrasing "Tell your friends" may be more suitable for your brand's voice and could appear more appealing to users seeking social approval.

Competitor analysis provides insights into their approaches that you can apply strategically. From a UX writing angle, you can examine their terminology and copy choices. However, be cautious — your competitors may not have tested their copy, and their audience or brand values could differ. What works for them may not work for you.^[3]

Here are some recommendations for conducting an effective competitor analysis:

• Analyze 3-5 competitors for valuable insights without getting overwhelmed.
• Use competitors’ copy as inspiration, not something to copy directly.
• Create a comparison list with criteria like tone, readability, voice, and sentence structure.
• Include pages like sign-up, error messages, and buttons in your comparison.
• Compare your own product’s copy to competitors.
• Include less successful competitors to learn what to avoid and gain a broader market view.

Engaging with a digital product is more enjoyable when it feels human. A unique voice and tone help create that connection with users.

To find your brand’s voice, start by exploring products from different domains. Observe their language — how they express emotions like joy or surprise, and how their tone grabs your attention. Save examples of UX copy that feel natural and engaging.

Next, think about your product. How do you want users to perceive it? Is it playful or straightforward? What emotions should users feel when interacting with it? Keep testing and adjusting based on user feedback — it takes time to perfect.

Social media has become a great outlet for people to express their frustrations, disappointments, and confusion. Forums, call center queries, reviews on the App Store and Google Play, and comments on a product's page on social media are a gold mine for getting honest feedback about features. What's more, UX writers can learn users' vocabulary and terminology people use when talking about a product through such conversational research.

In contrast to face-to-face interviews, users behave more confidently and feel more secure to share their thoughts, even about deeply personal topics, on social media. For example, the Flo app has secret chats where women can anonymously discuss reproductive issues, sex, nutrition, fitness, period cycles, and related issues with community members.

Always support findings of conversational research with other methods. Investigate whether user complaints are just an issue experienced by a few users or whether it is something worth looking into.

Observing users in their real environments can provide valuable insights for UX research. Look for places like coffee shops, malls, or workspaces where users naturally interact with products.

There are two main parts of observational research — watching users and sometimes asking questions. While interviews can offer insights into how users think, they’re not always reliable because people don’t always act the way they say they do.^[4]

Observation can also take place in a controlled setting, like a lab. Here, moderators may observe users completing tasks and ask questions about their actions and thoughts. In other cases, researchers observe without interrupting, taking notes instead.

For UX writing, observation in both natural and lab settings helps identify where users get confused, stumble, smile, or skim the text. This can highlight areas where the copy may need improvement.

From the UX writing viewpoint, user interviews teach researchers user language, demonstrate their comprehension of the brand's voice and tone, and indicate roadblocks (ambiguous word choice or confusing technical terms) that impede users from moving forward and completing their tasks. Although you can't fully rely on just what users say, user interviews can still provide important insights and qualitative data about users' motivations, needs, and behaviors.

Here's how to conduct efficient user interviews:

• Select 3-5 participants that represent your audience. In contrast to quantitative user research methods (e.g., surveys), you can interview just about 3-5 people to understand their behaviors, motivations, and opinions.
• Define your goals. Research goals should reflect the purpose of user interviews. Ask yourself: What questions do you want to answer? How can a user interview help you get insights?
• Prepare an interview guide. This is not a script you should follow step-by-step but a list of recommendations to guide you through an interview. Make sure that it aligns with your goals.
• Work on interview questions. Well-thought, open-ended interview questions are a key component of a user interview. They should help you reach your research goals and not manipulate interviewees to repeat predefined assumptions.