Research on Fernando Ruiz

A/B Testing for UX Designers

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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Running controlled experiments to validate design changes—the difference between data-driven and guessing.

What is A/B Testing?

A/B testing (also called split testing) shows version A to half your users and version B to the other half. You measure which version performs better. If version B has a higher conversion rate, version B wins. It’s not about opinion; it’s about data.

A/B testing isn’t just for marketers. Designers use A/B tests to validate design decisions. Does a red button convert better than a blue button? A/B test it. Does a longer form reduce signups? A/B test it. Does highlighting the primary action increase clicks? A/B test it.

Competitive Analysis

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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A competitive analysis is a strategic research process that involves identifying your competitors and evaluating their products, strategies, strengths, and weaknesses. In UX, it focuses on understanding how others solve similar problems for the same target audience.

What Is a Competitive Analysis?

Imagine you want to open a new coffee shop in your neighborhood. The first thing you would do is visit all the other coffee shops in the area. You would try their coffee, check their prices, observe the atmosphere, see what kind of customers they have, and listen to what they complain about or love. You are not doing this to copy them exactly, but to understand the landscape: what works, what does not, and where there might be a gap for your coffee shop to offer something unique and better.

Contextual Inquiry

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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Observing users in their natural environment while they work—reveals context that interviews and surveys never capture.

What is Contextual Inquiry?

Contextual inquiry is a research method where you observe users in their native environment while they perform real tasks. Unlike a lab study where a user sits at a desk, contextual inquiry happens where users actually work. An accountant in their office. A chef in a kitchen. A shopper in a store.

Diary Studies

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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Asking users to document their behavior over days or weeks—captures patterns you’ll never see in a single-session study.

What is a Diary Study?

A diary study asks participants to record their actions, thoughts, and feelings over an extended period—typically days, weeks, or months. Unlike a one-hour research session, diary studies capture behavior in context, over time, as it naturally occurs.

A diary can be digital (a Google Form or custom app), paper-based (a printed log), or video-based (participants record short videos). The format varies, but the purpose is consistent: witness behavior as it happens, not as users remember it.

Eye Tracking

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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Using eye-tracking technology to measure where users look and for how long—revealing visual attention patterns invisible to observation.

What is Eye Tracking?

Eye-tracking technology uses infrared light and cameras to measure where a user’s eyes fixate on a screen. The equipment records eye position 30-250 times per second. The result: a heatmap showing which areas attract attention and which are ignored.

Eye tracking removes guesswork. You don’t assume users see the top-right corner; you measure it. You don’t guess at attention patterns; you see exactly where eyes land and for how long.

Jobs to Be Done Framework

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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Understanding what users are trying to accomplish (not what feature they want) reveals design opportunities others miss.

What is Jobs to Be Done?

Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) is a framework for understanding user motivation. Instead of asking “what do users want in a product?”, JTBD asks “what is the user trying to accomplish?”

A customer isn’t buying a drill. They’re buying the ability to make a hole. A customer isn’t buying a dating app. They’re trying to meet someone. A customer isn’t buying a project management tool. They’re trying to organize their team’s work.

Recruiting Research Participants

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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Finding and recruiting the right users for research—the foundation of valid, actionable research results.

What is Participant Recruitment?

Recruitment is finding the right people for your research. Not just any users. The right users—users who match your target demographic, have relevant experience, and represent the problem you’re solving.

Recruiting seems simple: “Ask people to participate in research.” It’s harder. Your existing users aren’t representative. Your friends will be nice to you. Demographics matter. Experience level matters. Finding the right 8 participants requires strategy.

Remote User Research

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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Conducting user research without travel or location constraints—fast, scalable, and accessible to global participants.

What is Remote User Research?

Remote user research is observing and interviewing users via video call, screen share, or recorded sessions instead of in-person. A participant in Tokyo and a researcher in New York can connect instantly. No travel needed. No location constraints.

Remote research comes in two flavors: moderated (researcher guides the session in real-time) and unmoderated (participant records themselves). Both have trade-offs. Moderated is richer but slower. Unmoderated is faster but loses the conversational depth.

Usability Testing

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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A usability test is a fundamental UX research method for evaluating how easy a product is to use. It consists of observing representative users as they attempt to complete typical tasks on a prototype or real product to identify where they encounter problems and frustrations.

What Is Usability Testing?

Imagine you design the instructions for assembling an IKEA piece of furniture. You think they are perfect. Then, you ask someone to assemble the furniture following them and you watch in silence. You see that they get stuck on step 3, that they try to put a screw in the wrong place, and that they end up frustrated. You are not evaluating whether the person is “smart” or not; you are evaluating the clarity of your instructions.

User Interviews

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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A user interview is a fundamental qualitative research technique in UX. It consists of a one-on-one conversation with a user (or potential user) to gain a deep understanding of their behaviors, goals, needs, motivations, and pain points in relation to a product or problem.

What Are User Interviews?

Imagine you are a doctor. You do not tell the patient “you need this medicine” – first you ask them “where does it hurt?”, “since when?”, “what have you tried?”. A user interview is similar: it is a structured conversation to diagnose a person’s real problems and needs before trying to “prescribe” a solution. It is not a casual chat; it is a discovery tool.

User Surveys

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

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A user survey is a primarily quantitative research method that uses a set of standardized questions to collect data from a large sample of users. They allow you to measure attitudes, satisfaction, preferences, and gather demographic data at scale.

What Are User Surveys?

Think about the difference between having a deep conversation with one person and conducting a national census. The conversation (User Interviews) gives you a richness of detail and context about a single person. The census (the survey) gives you statistical data about thousands of people at once, allowing you to see patterns at a large scale, but without the individual detail.