Experimental research: techniques for deep, psychology-driven insights
Summary
In this session, we’ll unlock the transformative power of experimental research methods, inspired by best practices in the social sciences. We’ll explore what these techniques are and how they can be used to reveal powerful insights, drive innovation. You’ll also learn how to get started, how to apply them in ethical and rigorous ways, and why these methods are essential for deep, psychology-driven insights.
Key Insights
-
•
Experimental research goes beyond AB testing by revealing why changes work, revealing causation instead of just correlation.
-
•
Testing 20 trust signals simultaneously in one experiment is far more resource-efficient than running 20 separate AB tests.
-
•
Trust is multi-dimensional; measuring it at both platform and individual pro levels offers a more holistic understanding.
-
•
Random assignment and control groups are essential for isolating effects and attributing results to manipulated variables.
-
•
Half of the 20 trust signals tested had statistically significant positive effects on overall trust in Thumbtack.
-
•
Ten trust signals demonstrated broad impact across all eight trust metrics, providing a clear prioritization roadmap for product teams.
-
•
Experimental research can help product teams prioritize smartly by focusing on hypotheses likely to succeed before costly AB tests or full launches.
-
•
Ethics in experimentation require transparency, informed consent, and minimization of harm to participants.
-
•
Hypothetical scenarios in experiments improve control but have limitations in ecological validity, which can be addressed by validating in live products.
-
•
Understanding that correlation does not equal causation is crucial for UX researchers to avoid misleading conclusions and to rely on experiments.
Notable Quotes
"When we hear experiment, most think AB testing, but experimental research goes beyond to uncover the why behind outcomes."
"The independent variable is what you manipulate, dependent variable is what you measure to see if there’s an effect."
"Randomization ensures differences between groups come from the variable tested, not external factors."
"Half of the trust signals had a statistically significant positive effect on overall trust in Thumbtack, which is a big deal."
"Testing 20 trust signals simultaneously saved significant time and resources compared to running individual AB tests."
"Trust is complex, so we measured eight different trust-related outcomes at both the platform and professional level."
"Ethics are foundational in experiments since manipulating variables can impact participants' perceptions and emotions."
"Correlation does not equal causation. To say X causes Y, you’ve gotta do an experiment."
"Experimental research bridges the gap between curiosity and action by turning ideas into evidence and evidence into impact."
"Start small with one clear testable hypothesis and build from there to make experimental research approachable."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Building incentives and celebrating deferred impact rewards researchers and drives behavior towards reusable knowledge creation."
Ben Davies Matt Duignan Andrew Michael Dr. Emily DiLeoExpert Panel: The Principles of Research Repository Design
March 11, 2022
"If you’re the best front-end designer in West River Idaho with a good internet connection, we want to talk to you."
Russ UngerGetting Out from Under Everyone: How to Escape the Paralysis of Getting Started
June 8, 2016
"We put heavy trust in our stakeholders and co-created the curriculum with them."
Elizabeth Sklar Jessica ShengCo-creating research enablement with your tech org: a case study
March 10, 2026
"When difference comes together, something new emerges neither could have traveled alone."
Victor UdoewaTheme One Intro
March 27, 2023
"Evergreen content needs a strong perspective on why the topic matters along with practical examples on how to apply it."
Louis RosenfeldCoffee with Lou: Should You Write a (UX) Book?
March 7, 2024
"Without releasing control, democratizing research won’t scale. We have to empower people even if some things won’t be perfect."
Erin May Roberta Dombrowski Laura Oxenfeld Brooke HintonDistributed, Democratized, Decentralized: Finding a Research Model to Support Your Org
March 10, 2022
"Designers need better training to work with off-the-shelf enterprise software like Sitecore, Salesforce, and SharePoint."
Alexandra SchmidtEnterprise UX Playbook
December 1, 2022
"Before we started this process, we banned words like designer and prototype."
Saara Kamppari-Miller"Prototype" vs "Prototype"--Breaking Down and Rebuilding Our Understanding of What We Do
October 24, 2019
"Design thinking is simply doing a little problem finding before problem solving."
Sam YenDriving Organizational Change Through Design? Do more of this and less of that
June 9, 2017
