Event highlights World Usability Day and synergy between market and UX research

Bold Insight will host students from Michigan State University’s Master’s in Market Research Program in Downers Grove, IL on Friday, November 15. During the event, members of the Bold Insight team will share insights about the evolving relationship between market and user experience (UX) research, the future of UX, customer experience (CX), and design thinking, and the transition from university work to consulting. While Bold Insight’s event doesn’t fall on World Usability Day (November 14), it is a nod to the goals of the international effort to shine a spotlight on the usability industry.

According to the website, World Usability Day began in 2005. As the goal of the event has remained consistent – to encourage developing services and products that are easier to access and simpler to use – the usability industry has evolved quite a bit over the last 14 years. One of those evolutions is the increasing synergy of usability research, or, more accurately, user experience (UX) research, with market research. An area where this is particularly beneficial is innovation.

“We’ve seen increasing alignment between the fields of market research and UX research. Successful, forward-thinking companies have utilized market research methods to identify the ‘what’ – what consumers are looking for, where the gaps are, what products they need – and UX research to identify the ‘how’ – how the product should be built to meet the needs of those consumers,” said Bold Insight Managing Director Gavin Lew. “I’m thrilled we are hosting a group of market research Masters students who recognize the value that UX has to their industry. And to be able to piggyback on World Usability Day, with the theme, Designing the Future We Want, seems to align perfectly with this dual-industry relationship.”

The event also aligns with a pillar of Bold Insight’s mission to give back to the academic community to advance the field of UX. Many of its directors teach or have taught graduate-level courses about UX and research methods and continue to be involved in mentorship activities.

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