In today’s AI-driven world, the excitement about artificial intelligence is widespread, with numerous tools available to shape our lives and work. However, with so many options flooding the market, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. This blog will guide you through the maze of AI tools, uncovering the hurdles of current AI-powered research tools and spotlighting the most promising ones for UIUX Studio.
How We Approached AI Research Tools
Our mission at UIUX Studio was to investigate the reliability of current design and research tools thoroughly. We formed a dedicated team of researchers and designers. While some team members immersed themselves in articles and courses, others extensively tested AI research and design tools. We filtered through numerous tools to identify the most promising ones and rigorously tested them to evaluate their suitability and limitations.
Here’s a sneak peek at our conclusions.
5 Points to Keep in Mind When Working with AI Research Tools
While AI tools provide various functions, it’s crucial to acknowledge their constraints. Although some speculate they will eventually replace human work, mirroring human cognition, our experience shows that this isn’t happening yet. To leverage the potential of AI tools in the research process, keep these key points in mind:
1. Double-Check the Output of AI Tools
Based on our experience, we strongly advise double-checking the output of AI tools for several reasons:
AI’s Lack of Contextual Awareness: AI may struggle to identify the information that truly matters because it can’t grasp the broader context of the project. For instance, an AI tool might highlight irrelevant data as important insights if it doesn’t understand the project’s objectives.
Varying Weight Assignments: AI tools might analyze information differently. For example, AI might identify frequently mentioned elements in transcripts as the most significant issues, but human researchers might recognize that less mentioned, more severe issues are more critical.
Reliance on Textual Data: AI research tools rely heavily on textual information and may miss subtle nuances or non-verbal cues that human researchers can intuitively understand. For example, children’s facial expressions in usability tests can reveal more than their verbal responses.
Generalized Responses: AI tools provide generalized answers because they are trained on large data sets. They may lack the nuanced specificity that human experience and contextual knowledge can offer. For example, AI-generated personas might miss key emotional insights that are crucial for understanding user behavior.
Tip: AI research tools offer a strong foundation but often rely on single input sources. Always check the generated output and add your own perspective to ensure accuracy and relevance.
2. Count on Limited Creativity
AI tools are good at processing information within the parameters of their training datasets, efficiently analyzing patterns. However, their strength lies in complementing human creativity rather than replacing it.
Example: When we needed out-of-the-box ideas for a research project, AI tools provided standard approaches. It was the collaborative brainstorming sessions with our team that provided the innovative solutions we needed.
Tip: If you need a creative idea or innovation, use AI-generated outputs as a starting point. Discuss and refine them with your team to achieve the best results.
3. Be Aware of AI Hallucinations
AI hallucination occurs when artificial intelligence produces inaccurate or nonsensical outputs. This often results from biases in the training data or the AI model’s contextual comprehension limitations.
Example: An AI tool provided sources for information that, upon verification, did not exist. This highlighted the importance of critically evaluating AI-generated outputs.
Tip: Always critically evaluate AI-generated outputs and verify them with other sources or references to ensure accuracy.
4. Make Informed Choices When Selecting AI Research Tools
Many tools on the market emphasize their AI features, but once you try them, you realize that they provide the same functions as before the AI hype.
Tip: Before trying a new AI tool, check its reviews, research the company, and look for information on the AI mechanisms used and how they are integrated.
5. Treat AI as a Junior Research Assistant
Although AI is very different from human intelligence, it shares a similarity with junior assistants: it is not infallible and can make mistakes.
Tip: Use AI tools effectively by actively participating in the process and carefully examining their outputs. Treat them as assistants who can provide valuable input but require oversight and refinement.
Recommended AI Research Tools
Despite the limitations, some AI tools can effectively aid the research process. Here are a few that we recommend:
Papertalk – For Discovery and Desk Research
- Summarizes papers and documents, extracting key points.
- Generates actionable insights and organizes papers for easy access.
- Limitations: The chatbot feature provides very generic answers, and summaries can sometimes be too short and uneditable.
Personadeck – For Persona Creation
- Creates personas with AI, placing them in editable templates.
- Promises B2B personas soon.
- Limitations: The output can be too generic and usability issues can arise when creating multiple personas or modifying prompts.
FillOut – For Quantitative Research
- Creates forms and surveys based on provided topics, with auto-generation or templates.
- Checks results with a data analytics dashboard and offers various integrations.
- Limitations: Lacks suggestions for different options that could enhance the tool’s usefulness.
Notably – For Qualitative Research
- Analyses and summarises research materials, providing transcripts for video recordings.
- Outputs insights on a Miro board with sticky notes.
- Limitations: Sticky notes are not organised, requiring manual editing for presentable outputs.
Kraftful – For Qualitative and Quantitative Research
- Transforms qualitative data into insights and allows browsing and questioning insights through an AI-powered search bar.
- Builds surveys that can be auto-generated or template-based.
- Limitations: Missing visual parts like journey creation or data visualization, and limited chat functionality.
ChatGPT or Copilot – As Sources of Ideas and Inspiration
- Useful for general overviews and brainstorming.
- Limitations: Outputs are generally correct but lack unique answers and detailed insights.
Conclusion
While AI technology continues to advance, it has yet to reach the level of human cognition and understanding. At UIUX Studio, we believe that collaboration between humans and AI will drive successful research. By using AI tools effectively, we can harness their power to complement human creativity and insight. As we continue to explore and refine these tools, we will be better equipped to meet the evolving needs of our clients and deliver innovative, high-quality research outcomes.
