Conversational research

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.