Discover effective research methods to enhance your digital product design. Explore our playbook for insights that drive innovation and user satisfaction.

What are Mixed Research Methods?

Many people think they only need numbers to make decisions. But if we don't think about the "why" behind those numbers, we might not understand them fully. And if we don't understand them, how can we use them to make better choices?

Product leaders agree that when we check our ideas by talking to customers, we end up with a better product. That’s just the beginning to mixed research to design digital products.

In this playbook, we're going to focus on clear steps you can take to add mixed-methods research to how you develop products. Every chapter has a work section with specific tasks for you and your team. These tasks will build the mixed-methods research process into your digital product development.

Qualitative Research Methods

Qualitative research involves collecting rich, descriptive data to deeply understand user experiences, behaviors, and emotions. Key techniques include:

• Traditional methods:
  • User interviews for in-depth insights
  • Focus groups for collective feedback
  • Usability testing sessions

• Technical methods:
  • Heatmaps showing user interaction patterns
  • Console logs revealing technical issues
  • Network request analysis for performance insights

Quantitative Research Methods

Quantitative research methods focus on collecting and analyzing numerical data to measure user behavior and product performance. Key components include:

• A/B Testing
  • Compare different versions of features or designs
  • Measure statistical significance of changes

• Analytics Data
  • Track user interactions and engagement
  • Monitor conversion rates and drop-offs

• Funnel Analysis
  • Map user journey through critical paths
  • Identify bottlenecks in conversion

• Trend Metrics
  • Track changes in key metrics over time
  • Identify patterns and seasonality

Choosing the Right Tools

Let's talk about research tools - You can research and try hundreds of tools to build a good digital product, but LiveSession will be almost all you need. What makes it special? It's like having your favorite research tools all in one place. Instead of switching between different apps, you can record user sessions, dig into technical details, and check your analytics right there. The best part? You're getting both the stories behind user behavior and the hard numbers to back them up. It's pretty refreshing to have everything you need in one spot.

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Mixed Methods Examples: Playbook

This playbook breaks down into 3 different approaches to product design. We've established that mixed methods research is essential when building a product—now it's time to choose the right strategy. We'll walk you through each approach and provide task workflows to help your product team build in the most effective way possible.

Each approach includes a detailed sample case study for SaaS industry.

1. What is Convergent Parallel Design?

In the convergent parallel design, qualitative and quantitative data are collected simultaneously but analyzed separately. This approach allows researchers to gain a comprehensive understanding of a phenomenon by merging insights from both data types after analysis.

When to Use Convergent Parallel Design?

This approach is best used when you want to validate findings across different data types or when you need to gather rich contextual insights alongside numerical data. It’s particularly effective in understanding complex user behaviors where both statistical trends and personal experiences are relevant.

Example Workflow: Using Convergent Parallel Design for Feature Adoption Analysis

Research Goal: Understand how and why users adopt a new feature to improve its adoption rate.

Action 1: Create a Funnel and define key custom events in the feature adoption flow. You can find more information how to add custom events here.

Event 1: Feature discovery (e.g. someone started booking flow for a feature that lets you book appointments in app).

Event 2: First key action with the feature (e.g., clicked on date selector).

Event 3: More details are added (e.g. appointment category is chosen)

Event 4: Last step of the funnel (e.g. appointment contact details submitted)

Use LiveSession’s funnel analysis to track the completion rates and drop-offs at each stage.

From a single funnel you can see:

• What’s the conversion rate of the entire custom funnel

• What’s the drop-off from each step of the funnel

• Total number of session from Step 1, and following steps

• Total number of users in this funnel

Qualitative Action 1: Review the recorded sessions of users who abandoned the process by accessing the sessions list below. These recordings provide valuable insights into user behavior and potential pain points that may have caused them to drop off. By analyzing these sessions, you can identify specific moments of friction or confusion in the user journey.

Action 2: Create a trend metric to track churn related events

Step 1: Go to settings and add a defined event.

Step 2: Define a trend metric with events aggregate and choose previously created defined event. Lastly click apply changes to view the metric.

Action 3: Create a dimensional metric grouped by plan types of users who cancel key actions. In this case clicked text “delete” is a label of a button to delete an appointment in app.

Synthesis: Merge Quantitative and Qualitative Insights

• Compare the drop-off points from the funnel analysis with the pain points identified in session replays.

• Validate hypotheses from session replays (e.g., “Users are confused by the tooltip”) with interview feedback or behavioral patterns.

2. What is Explanatory Sequential Design?

This design starts with quantitative data collection, followed by qualitative research aimed at explaining or elaborating on the initial findings. It allows for a deeper understanding of the "why" behind the numbers.

When to Use Explanatory Sequential Design?

Use this approach when initial quantitative results reveal unexpected trends or when you need to explore specific aspects of user behavior in greater depth. It’s ideal for hypothesis testing where qualitative insights can clarify statistical outcomes.

Example Workflow: Using Explanatory Sequential Design for Churn Analysis

Action 1: Create a trend metric to monitor the churn rate over a specific time (e.g., monthly view at churned users). Remember about setting up the events earlier.

Action 2: Create a segment of users who canceled and create a number metric showing you the total number of sessions of this segment.

Step 1: First go to Sessions tab and apply the same filters you used in the previous action step.

Step 2: Then click “Save as”

Step 3: Last step is creating a metric with the settings below:

Qualitative Research Workflow

In LiveSession all the session recordings are naturally linked to metrics and funnels which makes it extremely powerful tool for using explanatory sequential approach in product design. Use Session Replays and Dev Tools

Qualitative Action 1: Session Replays

Review recorded sessions of users who appeared in the metrics’ results. Focus on:

• User navigation patterns through critical features

• Points of friction or confusion

• Error encounters and user reactions

• Make hypotheses

Qualitative Action 2: Dev Tools

Analyze technical aspects of user sessions to identify:

• Network performance issues

• JavaScript errors or console warnings

• API response times and failures

• Browser compatibility issues

Supplement with heatmaps to analyze engagement with key pages or features among churned users. The heatmaps are generated for all pages and easily accessible from the session replay screen.

Synthesis: Combine Quantitative and Qualitative Findings

Use the quantitative metrics to identify exactly when churn happens and which user segments are most likely to leave.

Then use qualitative insights to reveal the root causes behind these patterns (e.g., "Users who don't complete onboarding are more likely to churn because they find the process overwhelming").

3. What is Exploratory Sequential Design?

This approach begins with qualitative research to explore a topic, followed by quantitative methods that test or generalize the findings. It is useful for developing hypotheses based on initial exploratory insights.

When to Use Exploratory Sequential Design?

Utilize this design approach when entering a new area of research where little is known, or when you want to generate hypotheses that can later be tested quantitatively. It's particularly useful for innovative product development where user needs are not yet fully understood.

Example Workflow: Using Exploratory Sequential Design for Exploring New Feature Development

Research Goal: Discover unmet user needs and validate those findings with data to inform the design of a new feature or product update.

Action 1: Conduct User Interviews

This is widely considered the most fundamental and essential advice when building a product, and one of its greatest advantages is that you don't need any specialized tools or expensive software to conduct these interviews. The direct conversation between product creators and users remains one of the most valuable and accessible research methods available.

Action 2: Batch watch session replays

Review multiple session recordings to identify patterns in user behavior, pain points, and opportunities for improvement. Focus on sessions where users appear to be struggling or showing signs of confusion. This qualitative analysis will help form initial hypotheses about user needs and potential feature improvements.

Quantitative Method Action 1: Build a LiveSession dashboard tracking:

Step 1: Create dimensional metric grouped by Page Title to view the top 5 most-visited product pages by unique users. You will need to create your own pages in settings - here’s how

Step 2: Create dimensional metric grouped by Exit URL (Host) to display bounce and exit pages for your product

Step 3: Create dimensional metric grouped by Start URL (Path) to display Top Landing Pages

Synthesis: Prioritize new developments by the findings uncovered from exploratory sequential design process

When prioritizing new development work, focus on two key areas. First, identify pages with high traffic but low engagement (like those with high bounce rates), as these present clear opportunities for improving content, calls-to-action, and navigation. Second, look for features that already show strong performance through consistent traffic and sign-ups—these are prime candidates for enhancement and targeted marketing efforts.

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