ux-researcher

name	ux-researcher
description	Expert UX research covering user research methods, usability testing, data synthesis, and research operations.
version	1.0.0
author	Codex Skills
category	product-design
tags	["research","ux","usability","interviews","surveys","analytics"]

UX Researcher

Expert-level user experience research for product decisions.

Core Competencies

• Qualitative research methods
• Quantitative research methods
• Usability testing
• Survey design
• Data synthesis
• Research operations
• Stakeholder communication
• Research ethics

Research Methods

Method Selection Matrix

Method	Type	Sample	Time	Best For
Interviews	Qual	5-15	2-4 weeks	Deep understanding
Surveys	Quant	100+	1-2 weeks	Validation at scale
Usability Tests	Qual	5-8	1-2 weeks	Design validation
Card Sorting	Qual	15-30	1 week	Information arch
A/B Testing	Quant	1000+	2-4 weeks	Feature optimization
Diary Studies	Qual	10-20	2-4 weeks	Behavior over time
Analytics	Quant	All	Ongoing	Behavioral patterns
Ethnography	Qual	5-10	4-8 weeks	Contextual understanding

When to Use What

DISCOVERY PHASE
├── Stakeholder interviews
├── Competitive analysis
├── User interviews
└── Contextual inquiry

DEFINITION PHASE
├── Surveys (quantitative validation)
├── Card sorting
└── Persona development

DEVELOPMENT PHASE
├── Concept testing
├── Usability testing
├── A/B testing
└── Preference testing

LAUNCH PHASE
├── Beta testing
├── Launch surveys
└── Analytics monitoring

POST-LAUNCH
├── Customer feedback
├── NPS surveys
├── Behavioral analytics
└── Support ticket analysis

User Interviews

Interview Planning

# Research Plan: [Study Name]

## Research Questions
1. [What are we trying to learn?]
2. [What are we trying to learn?]

## Hypotheses
- [What we think we'll find]

## Methodology
- 60-minute semi-structured interviews
- Remote via Zoom
- Recording with consent

## Participant Criteria
**Include:**
- [Criterion 1]
- [Criterion 2]

**Exclude:**
- [Criterion 1]

## Sample Size
- 8-12 participants
- Segment distribution: [breakdown]

## Timeline
- Recruiting: [dates]
- Sessions: [dates]
- Analysis: [dates]
- Presentation: [date]

## Team
- Lead researcher: [name]
- Note-taker: [name]
- Observers: [names]

Interview Guide

# Interview Guide

## Introduction (5 min)
"Thank you for joining. I'm [name], a researcher at [company].
We're talking to people about [topic]. There are no right or wrong answers.
We'll record this session. Is that okay?"

## Background (5 min)
- Tell me about your role at [company].
- How long have you been doing [activity]?

## Current Behavior (15 min)
- Walk me through how you currently [task].
  - Probe: What tools do you use?
  - Probe: Who else is involved?
- What's the hardest part about [task]?
- Tell me about a recent time when [problem].

## Pain Points (10 min)
- What frustrates you most about [process]?
- If you could change one thing, what would it be?
- What workarounds have you developed?

## Concept Testing (15 min) [if applicable]
- [Show concept] What's your first impression?
- How would you expect this to work?
- What questions do you have?
- Would this solve your problem? Why/why not?

## Wrap-up (5 min)
- Is there anything else you'd like to share?
- Any questions for me?
- May we follow up if we have more questions?

## Post-Interview
- Thank you email
- Compensation processing
- Note consolidation

Note-Taking Template

# Interview Notes

Participant: P[#]
Date: [date]
Researcher: [name]
Duration: [time]

## Key Quotes
> "[Quote about pain point]"
> "[Quote about behavior]"

## Observations
- [Body language, hesitations]
- [Emotional reactions]

## Pain Points Identified
1. [Pain point]
2. [Pain point]

## Needs Identified
1. [Need]
2. [Need]

## Surprises
- [Unexpected finding]

## Follow-up Questions
- [Question for next interview]

Usability Testing

Test Plan

# Usability Test Plan

## Objectives
- Measure task completion for [feature]
- Identify usability issues
- Validate design decisions

## Methodology
- Moderated usability testing
- Think-aloud protocol
- 45-minute sessions

## Participants
- 5-8 participants
- [Criteria]

## Tasks

### Task 1: [Task Name]
**Scenario:** "Imagine you need to [context]..."
**Task:** "[Specific action to complete]"
**Success Criteria:**
- [ ] [Criterion 1]
- [ ] [Criterion 2]

### Task 2: [Task Name]
**Scenario:** "[Context]"
**Task:** "[Action]"
**Success Criteria:**
- [ ] [Criterion 1]

## Metrics
- Task completion rate (target: 80%+)
- Time on task (baseline: X seconds)
- Error rate
- SUS score (target: 70+)
- Task-level satisfaction (1-5)

## Materials
- [ ] Prototype link
- [ ] Task script
- [ ] Recording consent
- [ ] Pre-test questionnaire
- [ ] Post-test questionnaire (SUS)

Severity Rating Scale

Severity	Description	Action
0	Not a problem	None
1	Cosmetic	Fix if time
2	Minor	Low priority fix
3	Major	High priority fix
4	Catastrophic	Must fix before launch

Findings Template

# Finding: [Title]

**Severity:** [0-4]
**Frequency:** [X/N participants]

**Description:**
[What happened during testing]

**Evidence:**
- P1: "[Quote]"
- P3: "[Quote]"

**Screenshot/Video:**
[Link]

**Impact:**
[Effect on user experience]

**Recommendation:**
[Suggested fix]

Survey Design

Survey Structure

1. SCREENER (2-3 questions)
   - Qualification criteria
   - Segment identification

2. CORE QUESTIONS (10-15 questions)
   - Topic 1: [3-4 questions]
   - Topic 2: [3-4 questions]
   - Topic 3: [3-4 questions]

3. DEMOGRAPHICS (3-5 questions)
   - Role/industry
   - Company size
   - Experience level

4. OPEN-ENDED (1-2 questions)
   - "Anything else to share?"

Question Types

Rating Scales:

Likert (Agreement): Strongly disagree → Strongly agree
Satisfaction: Very dissatisfied → Very satisfied
Frequency: Never → Always
Importance: Not important → Very important
NPS: 0-10 likelihood to recommend

Best Practices:

• Use consistent scale direction
• Include "Not applicable" option
• Randomize option order where appropriate
• Limit matrix questions
• Test on mobile

Sample Size Calculator

For 95% confidence, 5% margin of error:

Population → Sample Needed
100 → 80
500 → 217
1,000 → 278
5,000 → 357
10,000 → 370
100,000 → 383
1,000,000 → 384

Data Synthesis

Affinity Mapping

STEP 1: Individual notes on sticky notes
STEP 2: Group similar notes together
STEP 3: Name the groups (themes)
STEP 4: Identify patterns across groups
STEP 5: Prioritize by frequency/impact

Theme 1: [Name]        Theme 2: [Name]
├── Finding A          ├── Finding D
├── Finding B          ├── Finding E
└── Finding C          └── Finding F

Insight Development

OBSERVATION → INSIGHT → IMPLICATION

Observation: "Users click the help icon frequently on the checkout page"
Insight: "Users are confused about shipping options during checkout"
Implication: "Redesign shipping section with clearer labels and defaults"

Research Report Structure

# Research Report: [Study Name]

## Executive Summary
- [Key finding 1]
- [Key finding 2]
- [Key recommendation]

## Background
- Research questions
- Methodology
- Participants

## Key Findings

### Finding 1: [Title]
- Evidence
- Quotes
- Impact

### Finding 2: [Title]
...

## Recommendations
| Finding | Recommendation | Priority | Owner |
|---------|----------------|----------|-------|
| [#1] | [Action] | High | [Team] |

## Appendix
- Participant demographics
- Full task results
- Survey responses

Research Operations

Research Repository

research/
├── 2024/
│   ├── Q1/
│   │   ├── checkout-usability/
│   │   │   ├── plan.md
│   │   │   ├── guide.md
│   │   │   ├── notes/
│   │   │   ├── recordings/
│   │   │   └── report.md
│   │   └── onboarding-interviews/
│   └── Q2/
├── templates/
├── participant-database/
└── insights-library/

Participant Management

participant_criteria:
  - active_user: true
  - account_age: ">90 days"
  - not_contacted: "last 90 days"

compensation:
  - 30_min_interview: $50
  - 60_min_interview: $100
  - survey: $10
  - diary_study: $200

scheduling:
  - tool: Calendly
  - buffer: 15 min
  - max_per_day: 4

Reference Materials

• references/research_methods.md - Method deep dives
• references/survey_design.md - Survey best practices
• references/synthesis.md - Analysis techniques
• references/ethics.md - Research ethics guide

Scripts

# Interview transcript analyzer
python scripts/transcript_analyzer.py --folder transcripts/ --themes themes.yaml

# Survey analyzer
python scripts/survey_analyzer.py --responses responses.csv --output report/

# Usability metrics calculator
python scripts/usability_metrics.py --results test_results.json

# Insight database updater
python scripts/insight_db.py --add finding.md