Results by Design: UX Insights for Business Leaders

Description: In this episode, Michael Woo chats with Cristie Schrader, a seasoned UX researcher and product designer at UpTop, about the transformative role of qualitative research in creating exceptional customer experiences.

From identifying emotional pain points to bridging the gap between customer needs and business goals, Cristie shares real-world examples and best practices from her extensive experience, including consulting for the world’s largest e-commerce company.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why qualitative research is essential for uncovering customer pain points
• How qualitative and quantitative research complement each other
• Best practices for conducting impactful qualitative studies
• Real examples of using insights to influence product roadmaps
• The power of empathy in UX design

Interview Participants:

• Michael Woo, Head of Design @ UpTop
• Cristie Shrader, Product Designer @ UpTop

Transcript

Intro:
Welcome to Results by Design UX Insights for business leaders, the podcast that dives deep into the world of UX design, strategy, and insights. Tune in, take action, and design your way to success.

Michael Woo:
Hello, I’m Michael, your host today for the Results by Design podcast. I’m excited to be joined again by Cristie Schrader, a user experience consultant on my team here at UpTop. Cristie has years of experience as a UX researcher and product designer. She’s been consulting with the world’s largest e-commerce company the past few years and has done numerous research studies that have helped to shape her designs. Hello, Cristie. I always enjoy talking with you. How are you doing?

Cristie Schrader:
Hey Michael, I’m doing well. It’s always a pleasure to chat with you as well, and thank you for inviting me today.

Michael Woo:
Of course. And happy belated birthday to you. I know you celebrated a birthday two days ago.

Cristie Schrader:
Thank you. Thank you.

Michael Woo:
Well, I thought you’d be a perfect guest to discuss today’s topic since it’s near and dear to our hearts as UX Research and Design consultants. I also know it’s something you’re great at as I’ve watched you firsthand and something you really enjoy doing. So for our audience, our topic is how qualitative research makes for a better customer experience, and we hope that y’all will gain from today’s conversation how impactful and necessary qualitative research is to creating a good customer experience insights into specific qualitative research methods we practice, as well as sharing real world examples of how they’ve helped us in our process. And lastly, how to deliver qualitative research so it’s actionable. So Cristie, are you ready to dive in?

Cristie Schrader:
Yes, let’s do this.

Michael Woo:
Alright. So the first question I have for you is can you explain first what is qualitative research and what makes it so crucial in covering customer pain points?

Cristie Schrader:
Sure. So qualitative research is about understanding the why behind people’s behaviors, their emotions, and their decisions. It’s kind of like being a detective. You talk to people, observe them or dive into their experiences to gather rich, detailed insights. Unlike quantitative research, which is all about numbers and patterns, qualitative research focuses on the stories and the nuances that help us design experiences that resonate with people. Qualitative research especially shines when it comes to uncovering the deeper emotional layers of user behavior. It’s not just about what users are doing, it’s about understanding the why behind their actions. So here’s a simple example. If someone abandons a shopping cart, quantitative data might tell you how often that happens, but qualitative research can uncover that they’re feeling overwhelmed by unexpected shipping costs. By having open-ended conversations and observing body language or listening to the words people choose to describe their experience, we can tap into emotions like frustration, delight, or trust, or the lack of it. The emotional insights are what help us design solutions that aren’t dysfunctional but also meaningful because we’re addressing the human experience at its core.

Michael Woo:
That was a great explanation. I really love your reference about it being like a detective. Qualitative research does feel like we’re trying to connect the dots within the data and make meaningful insights that can be acted upon. When we say qualitative research, we mean activities like customer interviews, usability testing, or surveys with open-ended questions just to name a few. Right. You touched on this in your previous answer of how qualitative research is different from quantitative research, but can you explain how they compliment each other?

Cristie Schrader:
Sure. So I would say that qualitative and quantitative research are two puzzle pieces that fit together to give you the full picture. Quantitative research tells you the what. For example, it might show that 30% of customers abandon the return flow at the step where they select a reason for the return. By talking to customers, you might learn that they find the options don’t cover their use case or they feel like the process takes too long. It also helps uncover unmet needs that the data might miss entirely. For instance, quantitative data might tell you that 40% of users abandon the checkout process, but it won’t tell you that they’re hesitant because they don’t trust the return policy. So while quantitative research identifies patterns, qualitative research reveals the emotional friction points and opportunities for improvement, and together they help you design a return experience that’s seamless and intuitive.

Michael Woo:
Yeah, that makes sense. Can you share an example of how qualitative research uncovered a surprising insight for you?

Cristie Schrader:
Sure. I did a moderated study with 15 participants where one part of the session focused on a feature that gave feedback to customers about their return behavior. Essentially, it was showing them how their actions align with the company’s return policy and sustainability goals. And the idea was to help customers reflect on their personal return patterns, but it was really driven by business needs to track return performance. What was surprising was how participants reacted it. Some expressed real concerns and confusion about what these metrics meant, especially around items returned in good condition. They were worried that it might affect the return privileges or they weren’t clear on what good condition actually meant, and it made them feel like they were being judged or watched. And for some participants, it actually created a sense of guilt as if they weren’t doing enough. But here’s the kicker. While the metrics were designed to raise awareness and influence customer behavior, the customers I spoke with didn’t really care about these numbers. It wouldn’t change their behavior, and in fact, it would actually add unnecessary anxiety. So this insight was crucial. The feature that we thought would empower customers to make more sustainable choices actually ended up creating negative feelings and customers didn’t find it helpful enough to make a difference in their return habits.

Michael Woo:
Yeah, that’s very interesting. Thanks for sharing that example. I think getting to those types of insights or real gems when you’re putting together a research report and including these as bullet points sometimes isn’t enough either. What I found is pulling direct quotes or embedding video clips of customers expressing themselves in their own words can make a whole world of difference when viewed by business decision makers. And as I mentioned earlier, you’ve been consulting with the world’s largest e-commerce company in the past several years for NDA reasons, we’re unable to say their name, but can you walk us through how qualitative research has influenced their product roadmap?

Cristie Schrader:
Absolutely. So the path isn’t always straightforward. Sometimes we’re improving an existing experience like improving a return process, while other times we’re creating something brand new that needs to be validated from the ground up. In my experience with this client, we always leverage customer interviews and usability tests, testing as core methods, and while customer personas are a valuable qualitative research tool, also, they’ve only been utilized in one instance for the research that I’ve conducted, not that they’re an afterthought, but rather the specific projects haven’t required them. So in the returns process, we focus on the specific page designed to help customers complete their return, and we started by analyzing where the existing experience was falling short. And then through user interviews, we gained insights that helped us create customer personas to better tailor the return experience. And these interviews also revealed key pain points such as overwhelming walls of text and difficulty isolating the most important information. And while we didn’t customize the page based on personas for this particular North Star vision, there are ideas to incorporate persona based customizations in the future. But once we have a few design explorations, we used usability testing to gather feedback and refine the solutions further. That iterative process ultimately led us to a solution that introduced more visual scannable elements and greater transparency upfront about the refund process. These changes made it easier for customers to quickly find the information they needed and to feel more confident about the next steps in their return.

Michael Woo:
Got it. So to summarize, you start with a hypothesis and use customer interviews to validate that hypothesis. Then you take the actionable insights and refine your designs iteratively. And then you mentioned a North Star vision. At what point do you create a North Star vision and what are the general steps that follow?

Cristie Schrader:
Yeah, a North Star vision is typically created when you’re at a critical point where there’s a need for clarity and alignment across teams, especially when you’re tackling a big problem or planning for long-term improvements, it serves as a guiding principle that keeps everyone focused on the same ultimate goal, even as smaller details might shift along the way. In my experience, creating a North Star vision is a collaborative effort. For example, with this client, we’ve developed them in tandem with the product team, and it starts with gathering insights from qualitative research, things like customer interviews and usability testing to deeply understand the pain points and opportunities. And at the same time, we bring in perspectives from stakeholders like product managers, designers and engineers to align on the business priorities. And once we have that foundation, we distill everything into a clear aspirational statement. For example, in the return space, a North star vision might be something like make returning an item as seamless and stress-free as buying one.
From there, the general steps that follow would include step one, breaking it down into actionable goals. What are the specific areas we need to improve simplifying navigation or making refund timelines more transparent. And step two, I would say, are prototyping and testing solutions, ensuring that the ideas align with both the vision and real user needs. And step three is aligning teams constantly revisiting the North star to make sure all decisions ladder up to it, and having that vision or that shared vision created with the pride team is what helps us stay cohesive and grounded as we work towards delivering a better experience.

Michael Woo:
Yeah, that makes total sense. In that process, what challenges did you face and how did you overcome that?

Cristie Schrader:
Yeah, great question, and I’d actually like to touch upon another example that I mentioned creating something brand new. So for a different initiative, we faced significant challenges when building a new returns related page from the ground up. This was a much more complex project because it required aligning stakeholders who had conflicting viewpoints about whether the page was even necessary. One of the biggest hurdles was providing, or sorry, proving the value of the page itself. Some stakeholders felt the current experience was sufficient and others believed a new page could provide clarity and streamline the return process for customers. So qualitative research played a critical role here. Through customer interviews and usability studies, we identified a clear gap in how information was currently organized on the app. Customer struggled to navigate the process and lacked a centralized place to get the help they needed. So to validate the new page’s purpose, we conducted a validation study where customers were shown the current experience alongside the proposed design, and the results were eye opening. Customers realized that they did have a need for the new page. Once they saw how it improved their ability to complete the return and monitor the refunds, this evidence became a turning point in getting buy-in from stakeholders who were initially skeptical.

Michael Woo:
Yeah, I remember this scenario that you just details out. As consultants, we try our best to be neutral. So when we’re put in the middle of dissenting opinions rather than taking sides, we try to let the evidence speak for itself and us helping them arrive at those conclusions is what we’re really here for. Right. For business leaders and designers listening, what are some best practices for conducting qualitative research?

Cristie Schrader:
Great question. Let’s see. So I would say one of the most important tips is to start with a clear goal. You should know what you’re trying to learn. For example, if you’re redesigning a return flow, you might focus on understanding where customers are getting stuck and how they feel during the process. Next, I would say recruit participants who reflect your actual user base. Talking to the right people is key because they’re the ones who are actually experiencing the problem or use the product you’re studying. If you’re working on improving a return flow in an app, for example, speaking with customers who have recently tried to return something gives you relevant firsthand insights. If you’re talking to the wrong group, like people who never use the return feature or aren’t your target audience, you’ll end up with feedback that doesn’t reflect the real pain points or needs of your users.

So you want your research grounded and authentic experiences so your design solutions truly resonate. Ben, this is important. I would say create a comfortable environment. The goal is to make participants feel at ease, so they open up preparing a script, reading it out loud, and to find any rough spots. And practicing your tone can help you feel more relaxed and confident, because when you’re at ease, it’s easier to create a comfortable atmosphere for your participants. Then make sure to ask open-ended questions instead of was the step easy? You can ask something like, can you walk me through how you completed the step? And this lets you uncover insights maybe you wouldn’t expect. Finally, very important, document everything. So notes, recordings, screen interactions. If possible, look for patterns and opportunities that align with business goals, but also stay open to insights that might not fit neatly into those goals. Sometimes these unexpected findings can reveal ways to significantly improve the customer experience. And one more tip, be curious and empathetic user sense when you genuinely care and that’s when they share the really valuable stuff. Are there any specific tips that you have that might be different?

Michael Woo:
Yeah, I don’t know if I could beat your list. You have a lot of great stuff there. If I were to add a few things, I think it would be, well, the first one that comes to mind is the use of generative ai. With most things, generative AI can immensely or generative AI can immensely help your workflow, as you know, and using it to create a test plan or a discussion guide and just a detailed questions in it is no exception. Using it to create a foundation and iterate off of from there is something I have found to be very valuable. And then next I would, whether you’re new to quality of research or a seasoned pro, be sure to record yourself if you’re interviewing people, of course, and review your performance every now and then. I think with anything practice makes and learning from your mistakes will make you better the next time around. So that will be another tip. And then I would say lastly, your point about making it comfortable for your participants. I know sometimes I tell a little white lie and say quote, I want you to be honest and transparent about what you’ll see.

I didn’t design what it is that you’re going to be looking at, so you won’t hurt my feelings. I always say that and I tell the team to say that phrase, which I would say 10 out of 10 times, you always get a chuckle from the participant, and it seems to be a little bit of an icebreaker early in the conversation, but it works. You get them to open up and they’re very honest and I feel like they’re just not holding back at that point. So the secret’s out of the bag, but that’s typically what I would say. So with that, how do you ensure that qualitative research is actionable and aligns with broader business goals?

Cristie Schrader:
Yeah, so making qualitative research actionable starts with how you frame your findings. As a researcher and designer, it’s my job to not just uncover insights, but also translate them into clear opportunities and expert recommendations. For example, if I find that customers are dropping off during a return flow because they’re unsure about refund timelines, I’d frame the opportunity as how might we make refund timelines more transparent to build trust and reduce friction? Then I’d recommend specific ways to address that, like adding a clear message about refund timing right at the start of the process to ensure alignment with broader business goals. It’s crucial to involve stakeholders early on. That means getting input on the research focus, making raw data like interview recordings or session notes available and looping them into discussions about findings. When stakeholders are part of the process, they’re more likely to see how the insights support business priorities, whether that’s reducing support costs or increasing customer trust. It’s kind of about balancing what’s best for the customer with what drives value for the business, and making sure the research directly informs those priorities

Michael Woo:
A hundred percent to what you just said. As we close out, I just want to do a quick recap of our conversation. So qualitative research is the why behind user behaviors, decisions or emotions while quantitative research is the what, and it uncovers the insights that identify emotional layers and friction points that quantitative data might miss. And then however they are complimentary activities that help to tell a broader story. For example, things like you were saying, quantitative data can tell you that you have a problem on a certain page of a website. They cannot tell you exactly what the problem is or why. That’s where we turn to activities like customer interviews or usability testing. You shared a lot of great tips for conducting qualitative research, which included, and hopefully I got this right, having a clear goal at the onset, which is a must, recruiting the right people, providing a comfortable environment to the people you’re talking to, and then documenting everything from notes to recordings to make analysis easier, and then just be genuinely curious and empathetic is what I heard.

And then just zooming out when presenting research insights, make sure that they’re actionable. And then I think he had said, try to involve stakeholders early on to gain alignment, which totally makes sense. And then lastly, balance what’s best for the customer with what’s best for the business. I thought that was a great one. I know that sometimes those two may be at odds with one another, but you do have to find that right balance every now and then. It can’t just be do what’s a hundred percent right for the customer and forget about the business because obviously you’ll get a lot of friction there. So it’s always about finding that compromise. Right. So Cristie, I hope I summarized our conversation accurately, but would you like to share any final thoughts or advice for our listeners?

Cristie Schrader:
Yeah, and you summarized it. Great. So let’s see. I would say that empathy is at the heart of UX because it’s what allows us to truly understand the people we’re designing for. It’s about putting ourselves in the customer’s shoes, seeing the frustrations, the confusion, and even the delight through their eyes. And when teams take the time to dive deep into customer perspectives, they stop designing for assumptions and start designing for real needs in a return flow. You might think the process is clear and simple, but when you talk to customers, you might learn that they feel anxious about when their refund will go through, or frustrated by unclear messaging. Encouraging empathy isn’t just a feel good exercise. It drives better results. So when teams genuinely understand their users, they create solutions that resonate on a deeper level leading to happier customers and business outcomes. So take the time to listen, observe, and learn, because the payoff is worth it.

Michael Woo:
Well, with that, I’d like to thank you, Cristie, for joining the show today. Our conversation was great, and I think you’ve added a lot to the conversation. To our listeners, please hit that subscribe button if you liked what you heard. And again, feel free to reach out to us on any specific topics you’d like to hear more about. Join us again next time as we explore innovative approaches to enhance your products and services, optimize customer interactions, and ultimately drive success for your organization. Tune in, take action and design your way to success.

Outro:
Thanks for tuning in to Results by Design. If you liked this episode, be sure to share and subscribe to our YouTube channel. We are also playing on all your favorite audio streaming podcast platforms, so stay connected and join us for the next one. Results by Design is brought to you by Uptalk. Our mission is to equip business leaders like you with the knowledge and tools needed to leverage UX methods and strategies to achieve tangible business outcomes and create lasting value. Whether you’re a seasoned executive or just starting to explore the world of ux, results by Design is your go-to resource for unlocking the potential of user experience to achieve remarkable results. Tune in, take action, and design your way to success.