Insights & Analysis

✨Observation vs Insight: How are they different?

User experience research is crucial for validating ideas and understanding user needs. It's important to differentiate between observations and insights to make informed decisions. Insights, which reveal deeper motivations and unmet needs, drive better UX design outcomes.

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Research is a fundamental part of user experience. It helps us to validate ideas, test hypotheses and uncover the user needs and experiences. The value of the entire process lies in the actionable items that come out of the process. This can be either derived from the data or a quote from the user. But to make informed decisions, one should be able to know the difference between insight, observation and findings. Oftentimes, during the process of research; especially during the synthesis or analysis of the data, observations are often mistaken for insights. Every researcher is guilty of making the mistake, myself included. However, it is important to catch such mistakes before any major decisions are made as they may dilute ideas that can compromise the project's outcome. 

So it becomes imperative to understand what an insight is, what it is not and how it is different from an observation or a finding. An insight comes from observations but it is not an observation. Observations are drawn from raw data; things that you might hear or see. Often insights are drawn after arranging and re-arranging observations. 

So, what is an insight?

An insight is an "aha" moment researchers get after reimagining the data from observations or findings. In its most basic form, observation tells us the "what" about a thing, person or product while insight pushes us to think about the" why" and give out a resounding. Insights identify a tension, a pain point, a belief, an emotion or unmet needs. 

For example; during one of our projects, we recognised that 80% of the people we interviewed preferred shopping online from Amazon. This is an observation as it is derived from looking at the raw data. When we dove deeper to figure out "why" we gathered that their users preferred Amazon due to it being an all-encompassing, all-in-one, convenient solution, the convenience overrode any negative experience that they had with them in the past; be it with customer support, delivery or the purchased item itself. This is the insight part.

To sum it up, understanding the distinction between observations, findings, and insights is crucial for conducting effective user experience research. While observations provide raw data, insights emerge from reimagining and interpreting that data to uncover deeper meanings and motivations. Insights drive informed decisions by revealing underlying tensions, pain points, beliefs, emotions, or unmet needs. Recognizing and cultivating these "aha" moments can lead to more impactful or favourable outcomes in UX design and decision-making processes. By continuously iterating our understanding of what constitutes an insight versus an observation or finding, researchers can ensure that their work remains focused on delivering meaningful solutions that truly resonate with users.

🔥Have a burning research question? Talk to us.

Cover photo by Noelle Otto

SPOTLIGHT
Insights from the most recent consumer transcript added to our database
Last question, which apps on your smartphone do you think you can’t live without?
In my life there are different priorities currently...usually my social media is very active , but since I am thinking about my career right now, I’ve turned off my notifications... I like Facebook, Instagram, and a bit of Whatsapp...for shopping I use Myntra, Flipkart, Amazon, Meesho...in games, there is a game called Beach war, and Pubg of course...I joined Facebook in 2012, but 2013 is when I started coming on more actively. Facebook has news feed...what is happening around us...those things, pages that tell you what all is happening...I look at those.
Can you take me through your schooling and college experience a little in-depth?
If I talk about my study schedule as to how I was, I was in another school till class 3 in a Hindi medium school (Adarsh Shiksha Niketan school), I was not at all into studying - wouldn’t study at all. Then, in 2006 my father enrolled me in an English medium school....there were exams in every term... I came first in all three terms. Everyone supported me a lot... my father, my teachers...because to change from a Hindi medium school to an English was a very hard thing to do. I really struggled...I did a lot of labour work, as i became a success...my confidence level rose as well. In 11th and 12th, there wasn’t an option for English medium school, so I had to enrol in a Hindi medium school, and took English coaching on the side, studied and gave my exam I got 66 percent  .  Then there was an option for B.Sc (Bachelors in Science), but I knew I wouldn’t understand much of it... so its better if I do BCA (Bachelors in Computer Applications). I did 3 years of college for BCA...I did a lot of coding which I really liked, so I came back and I did but there were some parts of coding which I didn’t want to do...so in the 2 years I realised that it wasn’t for me. After completing 2 years of it, I wanted to get into teaching which is why I did Diploma in education Elementary education. I decided that I don’t want to teach in a private school, I want to teach in a government college for unprivileged kids. Either I am able to do this or turn to having my own start-up.
What else do you get up to online?
I love watching web-series and movies, so when any new movie or web-series comes, I first read about the what the movie is based on then I watch the movie. For example , there is a movie or a web-series , I search the name on google and it shows the cast, the story...so I read the whole thing. Then I get to know and understand what the motto is to make the movie. If I like what I read only then I go and watch it. Also no matter how good the start is or the story , If I don’t vibe with it in the beginning...then I don’t vibe with the movie as a whole. ...have you always done this, or just with movies and web-series ? I have started doing this for 3 years and at first I would watch movies through the day, but then work would come to me out of the blue therefore there would be distractions... so my system is that If you ever watch a movie , watch it with full dedication and only then would you have fun. ...so after that do you download it, or do you watch it online on a platform?  I watch online if it is available... the rest I haven’t gotten the subscription. The thing is that I’m a student right now, can’t afford to spend, I have to save up. When you start earning only then I can think to spend... I don’t have the money right now , when i do have it then i will surely do it, when I earn well.
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