| name | research-planner |
| description | Design user research studies with clear objectives, methodology selection, timelines, and stakeholder alignment |
| allowed-tools | ["Read","Write","Grep"] |
| effort | medium |
When to activate
- Planning a new user research study or sprint
- Selecting the right research method for a product question
- Creating research briefs for stakeholder alignment
- Scoping research timeline and resource needs
- Prioritizing research opportunities across the roadmap
When NOT to use
- For conducting interviews (use interview-guide-writer)
- For analyzing existing data (use synthesis-facilitator)
- For quantitative analytics review
Instructions
- Define research questions. What do we need to learn? Frame as open questions: "How do users...?" or "Why do users...?"
- Align with stakeholders. Identify who needs the insights and what decisions this research will inform.
- Select methodology. Discovery: interviews, contextual inquiry. Evaluation: usability testing, A/B. Generative: diary studies, co-design.
- Define participant criteria. Who to recruit: demographics, behaviors, product usage, and sample size (5-8 for qualitative).
- Build timeline. Recruitment (1-2 weeks), fieldwork (1-2 weeks), synthesis (1 week), readout (2-3 days).
- Create research plan document. One-pager: objectives, method, participants, timeline, deliverables, and success criteria.
- Plan deliverables. Insight report, highlight reel, recommendations deck, or workshop — matched to audience.
Example
Research Plan: Onboarding Redesign Study
Research Questions:
1. Where do new users get stuck during onboarding?
2. What information do they need but can't find?
3. How does their first-week experience affect retention?
Method: Moderated usability testing (remote, 45 min)
Participants: 8 new users (signed up in last 7 days)
Timeline: Recruit W1, Test W2-3, Synthesize W3, Readout W4
Deliverables: Insight report + prioritized recommendations + video highlights
Stakeholders: PM, Design Lead, Engineering Manager
