research-plan

name	research-plan
description	Plan user research from decision, questions, method, participant criteria, sample, protocol, evidence capture, ethics or privacy, analysis, and decision handoff.

User Research Plan

Use when a product question needs structured evidence from users before research sessions begin.

Procedure

1. Define the product decision and the uncertainty research is expected to reduce.
2. Convert the uncertainty into a small set of research questions that can actually be answered by user evidence.
3. Choose method or method mix based on the question: interview, contextual observation, usability test, diary, survey, behavioral analysis, or another justified approach.
4. Define participant criteria around relevant behavior, context, role, experience, and exclusion criteria rather than demographic convenience alone.
5. Set sample size and diversity proportional to method, decision risk, expected variation, and whether the goal is depth, discovery, comparison, or estimation.
6. Define protocol, tasks or prompts, recording or note method, consent and privacy handling, incentives, scheduling, and researcher roles where relevant.
7. Plan analysis before data collection, including how evidence will be coded, compared, and connected back to the research questions.
8. Define deliverables, decision audience, limitations, and how findings will enter the product workflow or research repository.

Decision rules

• Choose the research method after defining the decision and question.
• Sample size should match the claim the study intends to support.
• Do not collect personal data that the study does not need.
• Research plans should preserve room for unexpected evidence rather than forcing participants through a predetermined conclusion.

Quality gate

The plan is ready when the decision and questions are explicit, participant criteria and method can answer them, evidence capture and privacy are defined, analysis is planned, limitations are anticipated, and the receiving product owner knows how the findings will be used.