Predicting User Behavior in Six Simple Steps [Complete Guide]

Six steps to predicting customer behavior

We hope you’re excited to dive into the world of data-driven predictions and create some exceptional user experiences. Note that this transformation takes time. Think big but start small, prioritizing high-value, easy-to-implement projects that deliver tangible returns quickly. 

1. Set your research objectives  

The first step on your journey towards data-driven prediction prowess is what we refer to as the discovery phase, where you meet with your stakeholders to define the user problem at hand, hypothesize potential solutions and put together a research plan. 

The plan you put together will depend on what you want to achieve and where you are within the product lifecycle. For example, if you want to improve your website’s bounce rate, then a usability test or an A/B test would work. Alternatively, if you’re in the early stages of development, card sorting followed by tree testing will help you evaluate your product’s structure. 

If this all sounds like gibberish to you, head to our complete guide to UX testing for a one-stop introduction to UX research and the different methods. 

Whatever you do, remember to aim for a mixed-method approach, blending qualitative and quantitive studies for a full picture of what users are doing and why. After all, as Nielson Norman Group notes: 

“All research methods are limited in some way. The solution to overcoming these limitations is to use multiple research methods, so the limitations of one method are mitigated by data from another source.”

2. Identify your users 

Predictions based on users that don’t use your product won’t get you very far! To architect an experience your users love, you’ll need to hone in on your personas: the various groups of people most likely to engage with your product. 

You should study each persona during your research project to gain a deeper understanding of their motivations, how they think and feel about your product, and any obstacles that impede their experience. 

Side note, if you’re looking for help with recruitment, we’ve got you covered. With our automated participant engine, you’ll gain access to over 120 million diverse, quality study participants worldwide.

3. Test time!

Plan formulated and participants ready to go, it’s time to jump into action, using your cloud-based research tool to conduct quantitative and qualitative remote user research. 

With the right platform, the research process will be seamless. In a few clicks, you’ll be able to set up your study and then watch the platform get to work, utilizing the prowess of machine learning to automatically monitor and collect user insights.

Of course, if you’re running a moderated study, you’ll need to be on hand for interviews. But, even then, you’ll want to consider using a platform enriched with automation and data analytics. Capabilities like automatic transcripts and in-built visualization tools help you to make sense of video insights faster, so you can deliver impactful UX predictions at speed and scale. 

4. Discover the patterns and report back

Once your study is over, your user research platform will start mining for insights on your behalf, discovering patterns in user behavioral and attitudinal data that will inform your predictions.

From there, you can put those predictions on paper in your research report. Look at the user behavior trends you’ve identified and use these to make data-driven recommendations about how you expect users to act based on your proposed iterations. 

Make sure to provide evidence in your report, so your stakeholders can easily understand your thinking and see the insights for themselves! 

5. Iterate, test, and repeat

Now, you can hand over to your design counterparts, confident that they’ll be able to make truly customer-centric design decisions that result in happier, more loyal users. 

But the work isn’t over! As we mentioned, the more data you collect and analyze, the better your user predictions will be. So, rather than looking at research projects in isolation, embrace a cyclical mindset, embedding UX research throughout the design process and regularly augmenting your solution based on user behavior insights. 

By keeping your finger on the pulse, you’ll gain an unparalleled, holistic understanding of how and why your users interact with your product in the way they do. Over time, these insights will fuel a supercharged research process with more accurate predictions, shorter research cycles, and, ultimately, a solution that exceeds your users' expectations.  

Side note, as you collect more and more valuable insights, you’ll want to create a data repository where you can easily access, discover and share user insights from across the organization.

It’s easy to do this with tools like EnjoyHQ, which provides a single source of truth for all user and customer experience insights. Through EnjoyHQ, you can unleash the potential of predictions across your organization, empowering marketing and customer experience teams to benefit from your insights and deliver a seamless useless experience. 

6. Monitor and measure UX over time 

Last but not least, we must remember that user behavior predictions only really come to life with measurement. To prove the value of user research and design, implement a metrics program that measures the user experience over time.

We know that measuring UX has long been considered an intangible goal. But the data-driven approach you’ve taken makes it entirely possible. Read our guide to UX measurement to find out more. 

How to use UserZoom to predict user behavior

At the end of the day, predictions -without data - are just opinions. To truly predict user behavior and build solutions your users love, you need to uncover how and why your users interact with your solution in the way they do. 

ready to get started? We can help. Learn more about using UserZoom to revolutionize your UX approach, transforming from guesswork to reliable, trustworthy predictions.