user-research

name	user-research
description	Conduct user research through interviews, surveys, usability testing, and analytics. Create personas, journey maps, and actionable insights to build products users love.
tags	["user-research","ux","interviews","surveys","personas","journey-maps","usability-testing"]
version	1.0.0
author	Enhanced from UX research best practices)

User Research

Overview

Understand your users to build products they love.

Why user research matters:

• Validation: Test assumptions before building
• Insights: Discover real user needs
• Prioritization: Focus on what matters
• Empathy: Understand user context
• ROI: Reduce wasted development

Key principles:

• Talk to users: Don't guess, ask
• Observe behavior: What they do > what they say
• Continuous: Research throughout development
• Actionable: Insights must drive decisions
• Inclusive: Represent diverse users

When to Use

Use for:

• New product development
• Feature prioritization
• Usability problems
• Market validation
• Design decisions

Critical for:

• Product-market fit
• User-centered design
• Conversion optimization
• Accessibility improvements
• Strategic planning

The 6-Phase Research Framework

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           USER RESEARCH FRAMEWORK                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

    ┌──────────────┐
    │   PHASE 1    │  Define
    │   DEFINE     │  - Research questions
    │              │  - Goals
    └──────┬───────┘  - Hypotheses
           │
           ▼
    ┌──────────────┐
    │   PHASE 2    │  Recruit
    │   RECRUIT    │  - Target users
    │              │  - Screening
    └──────┬───────┘  - Incentives
           │
           ▼
    ┌──────────────┐
    │   PHASE 3    │  Collect
    │   COLLECT    │  - Interviews
    │              │  - Surveys
    └──────┬───────┘  - Usability tests
           │
           ▼
    ┌──────────────┐
    │   PHASE 4    │  Analyze
    │   ANALYZE    │  - Patterns
    │              │  - Themes
    └──────┬───────┘  - Insights
           │
           ▼
    ┌──────────────┐
    │   PHASE 5    │  Synthesize
    │  SYNTHESIZE  │  - Personas
    │              │  - Journey maps
    └──────┬───────┘  - Recommendations
           │
           ▼
    ┌──────────────┐
    │   PHASE 6    │  Share
    │    SHARE     │  - Reports
    │              │  - Presentations
    └──────────────┘  - Workshops

Phase 1: Define Research Goals

Goal: Know what you're trying to learn

Research Questions Framework:

## Problem Space
**What problem are we solving?**
- Current pain points
- User frustrations
- Business challenges

## Research Questions
**What do we need to know?**
- Who are our users?
- What are their goals?
- What are their pain points?
- How do they currently solve this problem?
- What would make their lives easier?

## Hypotheses
**What do we believe?**
- Users struggle with X because Y
- Feature Z would help users accomplish A
- Users prefer B over C

## Success Criteria
**How will we know we succeeded?**
- Validated/invalidated hypotheses
- Actionable insights
- Clear recommendations

Research Types:

## Generative (Discover)
**Goal:** Understand problem space
**Methods:** Interviews, field studies, diary studies
**When:** Early stage, exploring

## Evaluative (Test)
**Goal:** Test solutions
**Methods:** Usability testing, A/B testing, surveys
**When:** Mid-late stage, validating

## Quantitative (Measure)
**Goal:** How many, how much
**Methods:** Analytics, surveys, A/B tests
**When:** Need numbers, scale

## Qualitative (Understand)
**Goal:** Why, how
**Methods:** Interviews, observations, usability tests
**When:** Need depth, context

---

Phase 2: Recruit Participants

Goal: Find the right users

Recruitment Criteria:

## Target Audience
**Demographics:**
- Age range
- Location
- Income level
- Education
- Occupation

**Behaviors:**
- Product usage frequency
- Tech savviness
- Domain expertise
- Competing product usage

**Screener Questions:**
1. How often do you [use product/do task]?
   - Daily (✓ Include)
   - Weekly (✓ Include)
   - Monthly (Maybe)
   - Rarely (✗ Exclude)

2. Which tools do you currently use for [task]?
   - [List options]

3. What is your biggest challenge with [task]?
   - [Open-ended]

**Exclusions:**
- Competitors
- Friends/family
- Recent participants (< 6 months)

Recruitment Channels:

## Internal
- Existing customers (email, in-app)
- Support tickets (users with issues)
- Sales leads (prospects)

## External
- User research platforms (UserTesting, Respondent.io)
- Social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit)
- Communities (forums, Slack groups)
- Agencies (recruitment firms)

## Incentives
- $50-100 for 30-min interview
- $100-200 for 60-min usability test
- Gift cards (Amazon, Starbucks)
- Product credits
- Early access

Sample Size Guidelines:

## Qualitative
- **Interviews:** 5-8 per user segment
- **Usability testing:** 5 users (finds 85% of issues)
- **Diary studies:** 10-15 participants

## Quantitative
- **Surveys:** 100+ responses (statistical significance)
- **A/B tests:** Depends on traffic (use calculator)
- **Analytics:** All users (continuous)

---

Phase 3: Collect Data

Goal: Gather user insights

User Interviews:

## Interview Structure (60 minutes)

### Introduction (5 min)
- Thank participant
- Explain purpose
- Get consent (recording)
- Set expectations (no wrong answers)

### Warm-up (5 min)
- Tell me about yourself
- What do you do for work?
- Walk me through a typical day

### Main Questions (40 min)
**Context:**
- Tell me about the last time you [did task]
- What were you trying to accomplish?
- What tools did you use?

**Pain Points:**
- What was frustrating about that experience?
- What took longer than expected?
- What would have made it easier?

**Needs:**
- What's most important to you when [doing task]?
- What features do you wish existed?
- How would your ideal solution work?

**Follow-ups:**
- Can you tell me more about that?
- Why is that important to you?
- Can you give me an example?

### Wrap-up (10 min)
- Anything else you'd like to share?
- Questions for me?
- Thank you + incentive

## Interview Tips
- **Ask open-ended questions** (not yes/no)
- **Listen more than talk** (80/20 rule)
- **Avoid leading questions** ("Don't you think X is better?")
- **Dig deeper** ("Tell me more", "Why?")
- **Observe body language** (confusion, frustration)
- **Take notes** (quotes, observations)
- **Record** (with permission)

Interview Script Template:

# User Interview Script

**Date:** [Date]
**Participant:** [ID/Name]
**Interviewer:** [Name]
**Duration:** 60 minutes

## Introduction (5 min)
"Hi [Name], thanks for joining today. I'm [Your Name] from [Company]. We're trying to understand how people [do task] so we can build better tools. There are no right or wrong answers—I'm just here to learn from your experience. Is it okay if I record this conversation for note-taking?"

## Warm-up (5 min)
1. Tell me a bit about yourself and what you do.
2. How long have you been [doing task]?

## Context (15 min)
3. Walk me through the last time you [did task].
4. What were you trying to accomplish?
5. What tools or methods did you use?
6. How did it go?

## Pain Points (15 min)
7. What was the most frustrating part of that experience?
8. What took longer than you expected?
9. Were there any moments where you felt stuck or confused?
10. What would have made it easier?

## Needs & Goals (15 min)
11. What's most important to you when [doing task]?
12. If you could wave a magic wand and change one thing, what would it be?
13. Are there any features or capabilities you wish existed?
14. How would your ideal solution work?

## Wrap-up (10 min)
15. Is there anything else you think I should know?
16. Do you have any questions for me?

"Thank you so much for your time today. Your insights are incredibly valuable. We'll send your [incentive] within 24 hours."

Surveys:

## Survey Best Practices

### Structure
1. **Introduction** (purpose, time estimate)
2. **Screening** (qualify respondents)
3. **Main questions** (core research questions)
4. **Demographics** (age, location, etc.)
5. **Thank you** (next steps)

### Question Types
- **Multiple choice** (quantitative)
- **Rating scales** (1-5, 1-10)
- **Open-ended** (qualitative depth)
- **Ranking** (prioritization)

### Tips
- Keep it short (< 10 minutes)
- One question at a time
- Avoid jargon
- Randomize answer order (reduce bias)
- Test before sending

### Tools
- Google Forms (free)
- Typeform (beautiful)
- SurveyMonkey (advanced)
- Qualtrics (enterprise)

Usability Testing:

## Usability Test Structure (60 minutes)

### Introduction (5 min)
- Explain think-aloud protocol
- "There are no wrong answers—we're testing the product, not you"
- Get consent for recording

### Tasks (40 min)
**Task 1:** [Specific, realistic task]
- "Imagine you want to [goal]. Show me how you would do that."
- Observe: Can they complete it? How long? Errors?
- Ask: "What are you thinking?" "What do you expect to happen?"

**Task 2:** [Next task]
**Task 3:** [Next task]

### Debrief (15 min)
- What was easy/hard?
- What was confusing?
- What would you change?
- Overall impression?

## Usability Metrics
- **Task success rate** (% completed)
- **Time on task** (seconds)
- **Error rate** (# of errors)
- **Satisfaction** (1-5 rating)

## Severity Ratings
- **Critical:** Prevents task completion
- **High:** Causes significant frustration
- **Medium:** Causes minor frustration
- **Low:** Cosmetic issue

---

Phase 4: Analyze Data

Goal: Find patterns and insights

Analysis Process:

## 1. Organize Data
- Transcribe interviews (or use AI transcription)
- Compile survey responses
- Collect usability test recordings

## 2. Code Data (Affinity Mapping)
- Write each observation on a sticky note
- Group similar observations
- Label each group with a theme
- Look for patterns across participants

## 3. Identify Insights
**Pattern:** What did you observe?
**Insight:** What does it mean?
**Implication:** What should we do?

Example:
- **Pattern:** 7/8 users couldn't find the export button
- **Insight:** Export functionality is not discoverable
- **Implication:** Move export to primary navigation

## 4. Prioritize Findings
**Impact × Frequency = Priority**
- High impact + High frequency = Critical
- High impact + Low frequency = Important
- Low impact + High frequency = Nice to have
- Low impact + Low frequency = Ignore

Affinity Mapping (Miro/FigJam):

## Steps
1. Write each observation on a sticky note
   - "User couldn't find the save button"
   - "User expected keyboard shortcuts"
   - "User was confused by terminology"

2. Group similar notes together
   - Navigation issues
   - Terminology confusion
   - Missing features

3. Label each group with a theme
   - "Discoverability problems"
   - "Language doesn't match mental model"
   - "Power user needs"

4. Identify insights
   - "Users rely on visual hierarchy, not labels"
   - "Technical jargon alienates non-experts"
   - "Keyboard shortcuts are table stakes"

---

Phase 5: Synthesize Findings

Goal: Create actionable artifacts

Personas:

# Persona Template

## Sarah, the Startup Founder
**Age:** 32
**Location:** San Francisco
**Occupation:** CEO, SaaS startup (10 employees)

### Background
- Founded company 2 years ago
- Non-technical background (marketing)
- Wears many hats (sales, product, ops)
- Works 60+ hours/week

### Goals
- Grow revenue to $1M ARR
- Hire first engineering team
- Automate repetitive tasks
- Focus on strategic work

### Pain Points
- Overwhelmed by tools (15+ apps)
- Spends 2 hours/day on admin tasks
- Struggles to find reliable data
- No time to learn complex software

### Behaviors
- Checks email 50+ times/day
- Uses mobile for 60% of work
- Prefers video tutorials over docs
- Willing to pay for time savings

### Needs
- Simple, intuitive interfaces
- Mobile-first design
- Quick onboarding (< 5 min)
- Integrations with existing tools

### Quote
"I don't have time to learn another tool. It needs to just work."

Journey Maps:

# Customer Journey Map

## Scenario: Signing up for a new project management tool

### Stages
1. **Awareness** (Hears about product)
2. **Consideration** (Evaluates options)
3. **Trial** (Signs up for free trial)
4. **Onboarding** (First use)
5. **Adoption** (Regular use)
6. **Renewal** (Decides to pay)

### For Each Stage:

**Actions:**
- What is the user doing?

**Thoughts:**
- What is the user thinking?

**Emotions:**
- How is the user feeling? (😊 😐 😞)

**Pain Points:**
- What's frustrating?

**Opportunities:**
- How can we improve?

### Example: Trial Stage

**Actions:**
- Clicks "Start Free Trial"
- Fills out signup form
- Receives welcome email

**Thoughts:**
- "Will this work for my team?"
- "How long will setup take?"

**Emotions:**
- 😐 Cautiously optimistic

**Pain Points:**
- Signup form asks for too much info
- No clear next steps after signup

**Opportunities:**
- Simplify signup (email only)
- Show progress indicator
- Immediate value (pre-populated demo project)

Research Report Template:

# User Research Report

## Executive Summary
- **Research goal:** [What we wanted to learn]
- **Methods:** [Interviews, surveys, usability tests]
- **Participants:** [8 users, ages 25-45, etc.]
- **Key findings:** [3-5 bullet points]
- **Recommendations:** [Top 3 actions]

## Background
- **Problem:** [What problem are we solving?]
- **Research questions:** [What did we want to know?]
- **Hypotheses:** [What did we believe?]

## Methodology
- **Participants:** [Who, how many, how recruited]
- **Methods:** [Interviews, surveys, etc.]
- **Timeline:** [When conducted]

## Findings

### Finding 1: [Theme]
**Evidence:**
- Quote from User 1
- Quote from User 2
- Observation from usability test

**Insight:**
[What this means]

**Recommendation:**
[What we should do]

### Finding 2: [Theme]
[Repeat structure]

### Finding 3: [Theme]
[Repeat structure]

## Personas
[Include 2-3 personas]

## Journey Map
[Include journey map]

## Recommendations
1. **Critical:** [High impact, high frequency]
2. **Important:** [High impact, low frequency]
3. **Nice to have:** [Low impact, high frequency]

## Next Steps
- [ ] Share findings with team
- [ ] Prioritize recommendations
- [ ] Create implementation plan
- [ ] Schedule follow-up research

## Appendix
- Interview transcripts
- Survey results
- Usability test recordings

---

Phase 6: Share Findings

Goal: Drive action from insights

Presentation Tips:

## Structure (30 minutes)

### 1. Context (5 min)
- What we wanted to learn
- Why it matters
- Who we talked to

### 2. Key Findings (15 min)
- 3-5 main insights
- Evidence (quotes, videos)
- Show, don't tell

### 3. Recommendations (5 min)
- Prioritized actions
- Expected impact
- Next steps

### 4. Discussion (5 min)
- Questions
- Feedback
- Alignment

## Tips
- **Lead with insights, not methods**
- **Use video clips** (powerful evidence)
- **Tell stories** (make it memorable)
- **Be specific** (actionable recommendations)
- **Create urgency** (cost of inaction)

Workshop Format:

## Research Readout Workshop (90 minutes)

### 1. Findings Presentation (30 min)
- Present key findings
- Show video clips
- Share quotes

### 2. Affinity Mapping (30 min)
- Each person writes observations on sticky notes
- Group similar observations
- Identify themes together

### 3. Prioritization (20 min)
- Vote on most important findings
- Discuss impact vs. effort
- Agree on top 3 priorities

### 4. Action Planning (10 min)
- Assign owners
- Set deadlines
- Schedule follow-up

---

Research Methods Comparison

Method	When	Participants	Duration	Cost	Output
Interviews	Explore, understand	5-8	60 min each	$$	Insights, quotes
Surveys	Quantify, validate	100+	10 min	$	Numbers, trends
Usability Tests	Evaluate, test	5	60 min each	$$	Issues, metrics
Field Studies	Observe context	5-10	2-4 hours	$$$	Behaviors, context
Diary Studies	Track over time	10-15	1-2 weeks	$$	Patterns, habits
Analytics	Measure behavior	All users	Continuous	$	Metrics, funnels
A/B Tests	Compare options	1000+	1-2 weeks	$	Conversion rates

---

User Research Checklist

Planning:

• Define research questions
• Choose methods
• Create discussion guide/script
• Recruit participants
• Schedule sessions

Conducting:

• Get consent (recording)
• Follow script (but be flexible)
• Take notes
• Record sessions
• Thank participants

Analyzing:

• Transcribe recordings
• Code data (affinity mapping)
• Identify patterns
• Extract insights
• Prioritize findings

Sharing:

• Create report/presentation
• Include evidence (quotes, videos)
• Make recommendations
• Present to stakeholders
• Create action plan

---

Common Research Mistakes

Mistake 1: Asking Leading Questions

Problem: "Don't you think X is better than Y?"

Solution: "How do you feel about X? What about Y?"

Mistake 2: Too Small Sample

Problem: Interviewing 2 users

Solution: 5-8 per segment (qualitative), 100+ (quantitative)

Mistake 3: Confirmation Bias

Problem: Only hearing what you want to hear

Solution: Actively look for disconfirming evidence

Mistake 4: No Action

Problem: Research sits in a report, nothing changes

Solution: Prioritize findings, assign owners, track progress

Mistake 5: One-Time Research

Problem: Research only at the start

Solution: Continuous research throughout development

---

Integration with Other Skills

Use before research:

• architecture-blueprint - Understand system context
• competitor-analysis - Market landscape

Use during research:

• systematic-debugging - Debug usability issues
• accessibility-audit - Inclusive research

Use after research:

• spec-driven-development - Translate insights to specs
• pitch-deck-generator - Present findings to stakeholders

---

Remember: Talk to users early and often. Don't guess—ask. Observe behavior, not just opinions. Make research actionable. Continuous research beats one-time studies.