KPIs: The Good, the Bad and the Unconverted
User Research is the backbone of successful product development and design. By understanding user behavior, needs and preferences, businesses can create exceptional user experiences that drive customer satisfaction, loyalty, and ultimately, business growth. However, conducting user research is not enough. To maximize the value of user research efforts, it is crucial to define and track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that help gauge the effectiveness and impact of the research activities.
Time on Task
The time on task KPI used to measure the amount of time it takes for a user to complete a specific task or activity within a digital interface, such as a website or app. This metric is crucial for evaluating the efficiency and usability of your user interface. Let’s say you run an online store. You want to measure the Time on Task for users to complete the purchase process, from adding an item to the cart to completing the checkout. If the average time is longer than expected, it may indicate a need to simplify the checkout process or provide clearer product information.
Use of Navigation vs Search
Some users prefer to use the navigation bar to get around the product while others go directly to the search bar. This can be measured by the number of mouse clicks/taps on the navigation bar or queries entered into the search bar. This measure is not an indicator of good or bad design but more so of the user's preference. Ultimately, the use of navigation versus search should be tailored to the specific needs and behaviors of your users. The goal is to provide an intuitive and efficient path for users to access the content they seek, whether that’s through menus and categories, a robust search feature, or a combination of both.
User Error Rates
A measure of how often users encounter errors or make mistakes while interacting with a product or system during user research. It helps identify usability issues and areas of improvement, ensuring a smoother user experience and higher user satisfaction. Lower error rates indicate better usability and increased efficiency, while higher rates signal potential usability problems that need to be addressed. By tracking user error rates, businesses can refine their designs, enhance usability, and optimize overall user experiences.
Drop-off Rates
Drop-off rates help us understand how many users give up on the product. It shows us how many users throw in the towel before they finish buying something or reach a specific point that marks the end of a journey we want them to complete. Perhaps they lost interest or got annoyed because they couldn’t do what they had in mind. It is a good way to know the ‘when?’ and is ideally followed by the ‘why?’.
Bounce Rate
Bounce rate tracks the percentage of visitors who navigate away from a website after viewing only one page. It can be an indicator of whether the landing page meets user expectations.
Scroll Depth
This KPI measures how far users scroll down a page. While endless content on a page is not an ideal experience to have, some sites do have the need for a lot of content on one page. In this case measuring scroll depth can help assess the visibility and engagement of content.
Conversion Rates
Simply put a conversion rate way to see how effective your product is at turning visitors into customers. It is a way of gauging how many people your product can convince to take action. For example, if 100 people visit your website and 10 of them buy something, your Conversion Rate is 10%.
The higher your conversion rates, the more your product becomes a digital cash cow, delivering a steady stream of moo-lah!
System Usability Scale
SUS is like the ultimate User-Friendliness-o-Meter. It consists of a 10-item questionnaire with five response options from Strongly agree to Strongly disagree. It’s asking your users, “Hey, how much did you love or hate our system today?”
Interpreting the scores might seem a bit tricky. First, we change the participant’s scores for each question, add them up, and then multiply the result by 2.5 to change the original scores from 0–40 to 0–100. Keep in mind that these 0–100 scores are not percentages; they’re more about how they compare to others.
Research suggests that a SUS score over 68 is better than average, while anything under 68 is below average. However, the best way to understand your results is by “normalizing” the scores to figure out where they stand compared to others.
Net Promoter Score
Net Promoter Score (NPS) is a simple and widely used metric to gauge customer loyalty and satisfaction. It revolves around a single question: “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our product or service to a friend or colleague?” Based on their responses, customers are classified into three categories: Promoters (9–10), Passives (7–8), and Detractors (0–6). NPS is calculated by subtracting the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters. A higher NPS indicates greater customer loyalty and satisfaction, while a lower NPS signals areas for improvement. It’s like the digital thumbs-up or thumbs-down for your business’s likability!
To sum up, understanding and measuring Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in user research is the compass that guides successful product development and design. By tracking and interpreting these KPIs, businesses can optimize their digital interfaces, enhance user experiences, and ultimately steer the course toward customer loyalty and business growth.
