Lost Without a Map

Driving home from a friend’s place out in the countryside and my phone went black. 

To get there, I had to take a highway and cut through a few towns I’d never been to before. No big deal, I had my phone, Google Maps was doing its thing, and I wasn’t worried.

But on the way back, my phone screen went black. It wouldn’t respond. No indicator the battery was low. Just gone. 

And suddenly, there I was, cruising down some random street with absolutely no clue where to turn. 

Every intersection felt like a gamble. 

Do I go left? 

Right?

Keep going straight? 

I had no idea.

Long story short, I finally pulled into a gas station, grabbed a charger, and got back on track. 

But in that short window of being completely lost, I felt like there were so many roads I could turn, but only one would lead me home.

That’s what CRO without UX research feels like.

You think you’re headed in the right direction, making tweaks to your site, testing new copy, and shifting layouts, but without real user insights, it’s all guesswork. 

You’re just taking turns and hoping you don’t end up in a ditch. 

UX research is your GPS. 

It tells you exactly where users are getting stuck, what’s confusing them, and what changes will actually get them to convert.

Let’s get into why it’s the key to running successful CRO tests.

UX Research for Successful CRO Tests

Every engagement starts with UX research because talking to customers is the only way to learn where they’re running into friction, frustration, or confusion on your website. 

Most likely, you’re using language that doesn’t match how they describe their problems, solutions, or even your products. 

Instead, you might be defaulting to industry jargon that goes right over their heads.

UX research uncovers:

• Where users are getting stuck

• Why they’re struggling

• How to fix those issues in a way that actually resonates with them

You don’t always need to talk to customers directly to get these insights. 

There are plenty of tools like 

• Surveys,

• Heat maps, 

• Session recordings

That can tell you what’s working and what’s not.

Best practices can work, but they’re not a silver bullet. 

They’re generalized, homogenized, and not tailored to your audience, brand, or even your website, which has its own structure and user behaviors.

This isn’t a one-and-done thing. UX research needs to be an ongoing process because your customers will change over time, especially as your brand matures. 

New products bring in new types of buyers, each with different motivations and expectations.

If you’re not checking in regularly, you risk falling out of touch with what your customers actually need (both their known and unknown needs). 

And if you’re not addressing those, you’re giving competitors an opening to do it better.

Continuous UX research matters because:

• It helps you stay ahead of shifting customer behaviors.

• It ensures your messaging stays relevant and resonates.

• It keeps you from making blind changes that hurt conversions.

• It gives you a competitive edge by delivering a better, smoother experience.

Without it, you’re just making guesses, and in CRO, guessing is the fastest way to lose revenue.

How to Conduct UX Research for CRO 

When it comes to UX research for conversion rate optimization, having a structured approach is everything. 

A pile of random data won’t help. You need a clear system for collecting, analyzing, and acting on insights that actually improve the user experience.

So, how do you do it?

Start with a Framework

One of the biggest tools in our arsenal is our Usability Scorecard. 

We developed this system to help brands measure user experience in a structured, objective way. It helps:

• Identify key pain points across the site

• Prioritize improvements based on impact

• Generate data-backed hypotheses for testing

We’ve been refining this scorecard for years across different industries, and the insights it delivers continue to surprise us (and our clients).

Use the Right Tools for the Right Problems

UX research isn’t one-size-fits-all. 

Different tools help solve different problems, and the key is knowing which ones to use and when.

Some of the most effective methods include:

• Usability Scorecards – A structured way to assess friction points and prioritize fixes

• Card Sorting – Helps organize and structure navigation in a way that makes sense to users

• Tree Testing – Validates whether users can find what they’re looking for in your site’s structure

• Session Recordings & Heatmaps – Reveals how users are actually interacting with your pages

• Surveys & Interviews – Directly capture customer feedback on their experience

These tools help to solve the right problems instead of just making assumptions about what users need.

Why a Structured Approach Matters

Too many brands fall into the trap of "just testing everything." That’s not a strategy. 

A structured approach like the Usability Scorecard:

• Keeps testing focused on real user pain points

• Prevents wasted time on low-impact changes

• Helps prioritize improvements that drive real conversions

Without this kind of process, you’ll be running in circles.

Testing Based on Real User Behavior

One of the biggest takeaways from our research: 

Customers don’t always behave the way you think they do.

• A client once believed a sticky add-to-cart button would improve conversions, but it turns out their customers weren’t even noticing it because of its color and placement.

• Another assumed their landing pages weren’t providing enough information. UX research validated this, leading to high-impact changes that boosted conversions.

These insights wouldn’t have been obvious without structured research. Instead of guessing, we let user behavior lead the way.

Turning Insights into Action

Once you gather all this data, the real work begins. The goal is to:

• Develop strong, testable hypotheses based on real user behavior

• Prioritize fixes that will make the biggest impact on conversions

• Continuously refine the user experience to match changing customer needs

A Usability Scorecard is a clear roadmap to better conversions.

Common Misconceptions

There are a lot of myths floating around about UX research, and unfortunately, they stop brands from investing in one of the most effective ways to improve conversions. 

Let’s clear some of them up.

1. "It’s too difficult."

Sure, UX research takes effort, but that’s why we’re here. 

It’s no different from any other part of your business. If you want results, you have to put in the work.

The right frameworks, tools, and processes make it far easier than most brands expect.

2. "Paying for responses corrupts the data."

Some people think that if you compensate users for their time, their answers won’t be honest or useful. 

To a degree, that concern makes sense. 

If you’re not careful about who you survey, you can end up with people who just want the reward rather than those who actually fit your target audience.

But that’s why we use:

• Pre-screening methods to filter out unqualified participants

• Real shoppers who are in-market for a product

• Behavioral validation to ensure responses match real-world actions

It’s like saying, “If you drive on the road, your car will get dirty.” Sure, but that’s not a reason to avoid driving, it just means you need to take the right precautions.

3. "Survey respondents aren’t in a real shopping mindset."

This is a valid concern. 

A lot of brands assume that because someone is answering questions in a survey or study, they’re not behaving like they would when making an actual purchase.

We tackle this by:

• Finding people actively considering a purchase

• Using session recordings and behavioral data to back up what people say vs. what they actually do

• Designing realistic testing environments that mirror real shopping behavior

4. "We already know what’s wrong."

Some brands think they don’t need UX research because they already know the issues. 

And sometimes, they do, but only if they’re consistently talking to customers, watching session replays, and analyzing actual user behavior.

The problem is many brands assume they know what’s wrong when in reality, they’re just basing decisions on internal opinions rather than real data.

• The brands that get it right are constantly testing, validating, and adapting based on real customer insights.

• The brands that get it wrong make changes without looking back, only to find a year later that their conversion rate has tanked, and they have no idea why.

5. "We’ll just test everything and see what works."

This is one of the biggest mistakes brands make. Throwing random changes at your site and hoping for the best is not a strategy. It’s a guessing game.

The better approach:

• Let user insights drive your testing roadmap.

• Focus on real pain points instead of making blind changes.

• Make data-backed decisions, not just gut-based assumptions.

UX research ultimately takes the guesswork out of CRO.

Looking forward,

Brian

P.S. If you’re looking to leverage UX research to improve your conversion rate but you don’t know where to begin or don’t have the team to support it, give us a shout. We can help you determine the best path forward and start increasing your conversion rate and revenue.