| name | user-research-methods |
| description | Practical UX research methods: when to use which method, how to execute it, and how to synthesize findings into actionable insights. Covers qualitative methods (interviews, usability testing, field studies), quantitative methods (surveys, A/B tests, analytics), and mixed methods. Use when planning research, choosing methods, or synthesizing findings. Triggers on: "user research", "usability testing", "user interviews", "survey design", "research synthesis", "empathy map", "persona", "journey mapping".
|
User Research Methods
Research is not a phase — it's a continuous activity that informs every design decision. Pick the right method for the question you have.
Method Selection Framework
| Question | Method | Effort |
|---|
| What do users think/feel? | User interviews | Medium |
| Can users complete a task? | Usability testing | Medium |
| How many users have this problem? | Survey + analytics | Low |
| What do users do naturally? | Field study / contextual inquiry | High |
| Which design performs better? | A/B testing | Medium |
| How do users navigate? | Tree testing | Low |
| What groups of users exist? | Card sorting + segmentation | Medium |
| What is the full experience? | Journey mapping | Medium |
Qualitative Methods
User Interviews
One-on-one conversations to understand attitudes, motivations, and mental models.
When to use: Early discovery, understanding "why", exploring new domains
Sample size: 5-8 participants per segment
Duration: 30-60 minutes
Best Practices
- Ask open-ended questions — "Tell me about the last time you..." not "Do you like..."
- Follow the 5 Whys — dig deeper on interesting answers
- Silence is OK — let participants think
- Never ask leading questions — "Don't you think..." biases answers
- Record with permission — you can't take notes and listen fully
Usability Testing
Observing users attempt tasks with a prototype or product.
When to use: Evaluating designs, finding usability issues, validating flows
Sample size: 5 participants uncovers ~85% of issues (Nielsen)
Duration: 30-45 minutes, 3-5 tasks
Structure
- Welcome (2 min) — build rapport, set expectations
- Context questions (5 min) — understand their background
- Tasks (20-30 min) — observe without helping
- Debrief (5 min) — ask about overall impressions
Key Rules
- Test the product, not the person — make this explicit
- Think-aloud protocol — ask users to verbalize their thoughts
- Don't help — watching them struggle is the point
- Note: task success, time, errors, satisfaction
Field Studies / Contextual Inquiry
Observing users in their natural environment.
When to use: Understanding real-world constraints, complex workflows, B2B tools
Sample size: 4-6 site visits
Duration: 2-4 hours per visit
Master/apprentice model: You are the apprentice, they are the master. Ask them to teach you their work.
Quantitative Methods
Surveys
Collecting structured data from many users.
When to use: Validating hypotheses, measuring attitudes, segmenting users
Sample size: 30+ for directional, 200+ for statistical significance
Question Types
| Type | Use For | Example |
|---|
| Likert scale | Measuring agreement | "Strongly disagree" to "Strongly agree" (5 or 7 point) |
| Multiple choice | Categorizing | "What is your role?" |
| Ranking | Prioritizing | "Rank these features by importance" |
| Open text | Capturing nuance | "What would make this better?" |
| NPS | Loyalty metric | "How likely are you to recommend... (0-10)" |
Survey Best Practices
- Keep under 10 minutes — completion drops sharply after
- One question per screen on mobile
- Randomize answer order (except Likert scales)
- Required questions minimum — every required field reduces completion
- Test with 5 people before sending broadly
A/B Testing
Comparing two variants to measure which performs better.
When to use: Optimizing existing flows, validating design decisions at scale
Sample size: Depends on baseline rate and minimum detectable effect (use a calculator)
Rules
- Test one variable at a time (or use multivariate testing)
- Run until statistical significance (p < 0.05)
- Define success metric before starting — primary metric + guardrail metrics
- Run for complete business cycles (full weeks, not partial)
Synthesis Methods
Affinity Mapping
Grouping observations into themes.
- Write each observation on a sticky note
- Group related notes into clusters
- Name each cluster with a theme
- Identify patterns and insights across clusters
Empathy Map
Capture what users say, think, do, and feel.
┌─────────────┬─────────────┐
│ Says │ Thinks │
│ (quotes) │ (inferred) │
├─────────────┼─────────────┤
│ Does │ Feels │
│ (observed) │ (emotions) │
└─────────────┴─────────────┘
User Persona
A fictional but realistic representation of a user segment. Not a demographic sketch — a behavioral and motivational profile.
Include: goals, frustrations, behaviors, tools they use, context of use.
Avoid: stock photos, fake names that distract, demographic data that doesn't affect design.
Journey Map
Visualize the end-to-end experience across touchpoints.
| Stage | Action | Thought | Feeling | Touchpoint | Pain Point | Opportunity |
|---|
| Aware | Sees ad | "What's this?" | Curious | Instagram | — | Better targeting |
| Sign up | Creates account | "Hope this is quick" | Anxious | Landing page | Form too long | Social login |
| First use | Uploads file | "Did it work?" | Uncertain | Dashboard | No confirmation | Success animation |
Research Artifacts Hierarchy
Raw Data → Synthesis → Insights → Recommendations
Notes Affinity Themes Action items
Quotes map Insights with priority
Videos Personas "Users and owner
Analytics Journey struggle ──→
maps with X"
Related Skills
- For design thinking process → use
design-thinking-process
- For UX writing research → use
ux-writing-content-design
- For accessibility research → use
a11y-accessibility-design
