User Research Methods

Overview

User research uncovers what people need, want, and do — through direct observation and conversation, not assumptions. This skill covers four core methods: depth interviews, focus groups, surveys, and field observation, plus when to use each.

Framework

IRON LAW: Method Follows Question

Choose the method based on what you need to learn, not what's convenient.
"Why" questions → Interviews/Observation (qualitative)
"How many" questions → Surveys (quantitative)
"What do they really do" → Observation (behavioral)

Running a survey to answer "why" produces misleading data.

Method Selection

Method	Best For	Sample	Depth	Cost
Depth Interview	Understanding motivations, pain points, mental models	8-15 people	Very high	Medium
Focus Group	Exploring reactions, generating ideas, social dynamics	6-10 per group, 2-3 groups	Medium	Medium
Survey	Measuring prevalence, preferences, demographics at scale	100+ responses	Low	Low-Med
Field Observation	Understanding actual behavior in context (not self-reported)	5-10 sessions	Very high	High

Depth Interview Guide

1. Warm-up: Build rapport (2 min) — "Tell me about your role/day"
2. Context: Understand their world (5 min) — "Walk me through the last time you..."
3. Core questions: Explore the topic (20 min) — Open-ended, no leading questions
4. Probing: Go deeper on interesting threads — "Tell me more about that", "Why?"
5. Wrap-up: Summarize and confirm (3 min) — "Did I understand correctly that...?"

Rules:

• Ask about past behavior, not hypothetical future ("What did you do?" not "What would you do?")
• Never ask "Would you use this?" — people are terrible at predicting their own behavior
• Silence is a tool — let them fill the gap

Survey Design

1. Start with screening questions (qualify respondents)
2. Move from general to specific
3. Put sensitive/demographic questions last
4. Limit to 15-20 questions (5-7 min completion)
5. Use validated scales where possible (Likert, NPS, SUS)

Question types to avoid:

• Double-barreled: "Is the product fast and reliable?" (which one?)
• Leading: "Don't you think our app is easy to use?"
• Hypothetical: "Would you pay $10/month for this feature?"

Analysis

Qualitative (interviews, observation):

• Affinity mapping: Group observations into themes
• Look for patterns across 5+ participants
• Quote verbatim — don't paraphrase

Quantitative (surveys):

• Descriptive stats first (means, distributions)
• Cross-tabulate by segments
• Statistical significance for comparisons (p < 0.05)

Output Format

# User Research Plan: {Project}

## Research Questions
1. {what we need to learn}

## Method
- Type: {interview / focus group / survey / observation}
- Rationale: {why this method for this question}
- Sample: {who, how many, recruitment criteria}
- Timeline: {duration}

## Discussion Guide / Survey Instrument
{Key questions or survey structure}

## Analysis Plan
{How findings will be synthesized}

Examples

Correct Application

Scenario: Understanding why users abandon a food delivery app at checkout

• Method: Depth interviews (need to understand "why", not "how many")
• Sample: 10 users who abandoned in the last 30 days (recruit via in-app data)
• Key question: "Walk me through your last order that you didn't complete. What happened?" (behavioral, past-tense, open-ended ✓)

Incorrect Application

• Survey asking "Would you complete your order if we removed the delivery fee?" → Hypothetical. Users will say yes but behavior may not change. Should observe actual behavior or test with a real experiment.

Gotchas

• 5 users find 85% of usability problems (Nielsen): For usability testing, diminishing returns after 5. For understanding motivations, need 8-15.
• Self-reported behavior ≠ actual behavior: People overestimate how healthy they eat, how often they exercise, and how much they'd pay. Observation and behavioral data > self-report.
• Recruitment bias: If you recruit "users of our app", you miss non-users and churned users. Define the population carefully.
• Interviewer bias: The interviewer's reactions (nodding, "great!") influence responses. Stay neutral.
• Surveys measure what you ask, not what matters: If you didn't think to ask about a pain point, the survey won't reveal it. Use qualitative research first to discover the right questions.

References

• For interview script templates, see references/interview-templates.md
• For survey design best practices, see references/survey-design.md