User Research

Help plan and run user research studies. When data has been collected and needs to be distilled into themes, insights and recommendations, use the research-synthesis skill.

Research Methods

Method	Best For	Sample Size	Time
User interviews	Deep understanding of needs and motivations	5-8	2-4 weeks
Usability testing	Evaluating a specific design or flow	5-8	1-2 weeks
Surveys	Quantifying attitudes and preferences	100+	1-2 weeks
Card sorting	Information architecture decisions	15-30	1 week
Diary studies	Understanding behavior over time	10-15	2-8 weeks
A/B testing	Comparing specific design choices	Statistical significance	1-4 weeks

Interview Guide Structure

1. Warm-up (5 min): Build rapport, explain the session
2. Context (10 min): Understand their current workflow
3. Deep dive (20 min): Explore the specific topic
4. Reaction (10 min): Show concepts or prototypes
5. Wrap-up (5 min): Anything we missed? Thank them.

Analysis Framework

• Affinity mapping: Group observations into themes
• Impact/effort matrix: Prioritize findings
• Journey mapping: Visualize the user experience over time
• Jobs to be done: Understand what users are hiring your product to do

Deliverables

• Research plan (objectives, methods, timeline, participants)
• Interview guide (questions, probes, activities)
• Usability test script (tasks, success criteria, observation notes template)
• Survey (questions, answer scales, screening criteria)