User Research Methods

Methods for understanding user needs, validating designs, and gathering actionable insights.

Research Methods Overview

Method Selection Matrix

Method When to Use Sample Size Time Output

User Interviews Early discovery, deep understanding 5-8 2-3 weeks Qualitative insights

Usability Testing Validate designs, find issues 5-10 1-2 weeks Actionable fixes

Surveys Quantify attitudes, preferences 100+ 1-2 weeks Statistical data

Card Sorting Information architecture 15-30 1 week IA recommendations

Diary Studies Longitudinal behavior 10-15 2-4 weeks Behavior patterns

A/B Testing Compare alternatives 1000+ 2-4 weeks Statistical winner

Qualitative vs. Quantitative

Qualitative Quantitative (Why & How) (What & How Many) ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────► Interviews Focus Usability Surveys Analytics A/B Groups Testing Tests

Small sample Large sample Rich insights Statistical confidence Exploratory Validating

User Interviews

Interview Planning

Interview Plan: [Project Name]

Research Questions

1. What problem are we trying to understand?
2. What decisions will this research inform?
3. What do we already know/assume?

Participant Criteria

• Must have: [Required characteristics]
• Nice to have: [Preferred characteristics]
• Exclude: [Disqualifying factors]

Recruitment

• Target: 6-8 participants
• Incentive: $[X] gift card
• Channels: [How to recruit]

Interview Guide

• Duration: 45-60 minutes
• Format: Video call / In-person

Logistics

• Researcher: [Name]
• Note-taker: [Name]
• Recording: [Consent process]

Interview Structure

Interview Guide

Warm-up (5 min)

• Introduction and consent
• "Tell me about your role and what you do day-to-day"

Context Setting (10 min)

• "Walk me through the last time you [relevant activity]"
• "What tools or methods do you currently use?"

Deep Dive (25 min)

• "What's the hardest part about [task]?"
• "Can you show me how you typically [action]?"
• "What would your ideal solution look like?"

Concept Testing (optional, 15 min)

• Show prototype/concept
• "What are your initial reactions?"
• "How would this fit into your workflow?"

Wrap-up (5 min)

• "Is there anything else you'd like to share?"
• "Who else should we talk to?"
• Thank you and incentive

Interview Best Practices

Do Don't

Ask open-ended questions Ask leading questions

Listen more than talk Interrupt or fill silences

Follow interesting threads Stick rigidly to script

Ask "why" and "how" Accept surface answers

Take verbatim notes Paraphrase or interpret

Usability Testing

Test Plan Template

Usability Test Plan

Objective

[What we're trying to learn]

Prototype/Product

• Version: [Link or description]
• Fidelity: Low / Medium / High
• Platform: Desktop / Mobile / Both

Participants

• Target: 5-10 users
• Criteria: [Who qualifies]
• Recruitment: [Method]

Tasks

1. [Task 1]: Success criteria
2. [Task 2]: Success criteria
3. [Task 3]: Success criteria

Metrics

• Task completion rate
• Time on task
• Error rate
• SUS score (post-test)
• Qualitative observations

Task Design

Task: Find and purchase a specific product

Scenario

"You're looking for a birthday gift for your friend who loves coffee. Find a pour-over coffee maker under $50 and complete the checkout process."

Success Criteria

• Found coffee maker category
• Applied price filter
• Selected appropriate product
• Added to cart
• Reached checkout confirmation

Observation Points

• Navigation path taken
• Hesitation points
• Questions asked
• Errors made

Thinking Aloud Protocol

Facilitator Script:

"As you work through each task, please think out loud. Tell me what you're looking at, what you're trying to do, and what you're thinking. There are no wrong answers— we're testing the design, not you."

Surveys

Survey Design Principles

Principle Application

Keep it short 5-10 minutes max

Lead with easy questions Demographics last

Use clear language Avoid jargon

Balance question types Mix scales, multiple choice, open-ended

Test before sending Pilot with 3-5 people

Question Types

Rating Scales:

How satisfied are you with [product]? ○ Very dissatisfied (1) ○ Dissatisfied (2) ○ Neutral (3) ○ Satisfied (4) ○ Very satisfied (5)

NPS:

How likely are you to recommend [product] to a friend? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Not at all likely Extremely likely

[Detractors: 0-6] [Passives: 7-8] [Promoters: 9-10] NPS = % Promoters - % Detractors

System Usability Scale (SUS):

10 questions, 5-point scale (Strongly disagree → Strongly agree)

1. I think I would like to use this system frequently
2. I found the system unnecessarily complex
3. I thought the system was easy to use ...

SUS Score = ((Sum of odd Qs - 5) + (25 - Sum of even Qs)) × 2.5 Range: 0-100, Average: 68

Card Sorting

Types

Type Description When to Use

Open Users create their own categories Early IA exploration

Closed Users sort into predefined categories Validate proposed IA

Hybrid Users can add categories Balance of both

Card Sorting Process

Card Sort: [Project Name]

Cards (Items to Sort)

1. Account settings
2. Billing history
3. Change password
4. Team members ... [30-50 cards typical]

Categories (Closed Sort)

• Profile
• Settings
• Team
• Billing
• Help

Analysis

• Agreement matrix (how often items grouped together)
• Dendrograms (hierarchical clustering)
• Category confusion (items frequently misplaced)

Analyzing Results

Agreement Matrix (% of participants who grouped together)

          Settings  Profile  Billing

Change PW 85% 15% 0% Team mgmt 10% 20% 70% Payment info 5% 0% 95%

Research Trends

• AI-assisted analysis: NLP for interview transcription and theme extraction

• Unmoderated at scale: Remote testing platforms enable larger samples

• Continuous research: Embedded research in product development cycles

• Mixed methods: Combining qual and quant in single studies

• Accessibility focus: Including users with disabilities by default

Research Repository Template

Research Finding: [Title]

Study

• Date: [When conducted]
• Method: [Interview/Survey/etc.]
• Participants: [N and description]

Key Insight

[One sentence summary]

Evidence

• "[Direct quote from participant]" - P3
• [Observation or data point]
• [Supporting metric]

Implications

• Product: [What to build/change]
• Design: [UX recommendation]
• Strategy: [Business consideration]

Related Findings

• [Link to related research]

Related Skills

• persona-journey-mapping

• Synthesizing research into personas

• requirements-engineering

• Translating insights to requirements

• product-strategy-frameworks

• Strategic context for research

References

• Interview Guide Template

• Survey Question Bank

Version: 1.0.0 (January )