User Research Techniques

Guide to qualitative and quantitative research methods for understanding users, validating ideas, and informing product decisions.

When to Use This Skill

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research-ops - For research methods, planning, and best practices

Use when you need:

Planning research studies
Choosing research methods
Conducting interviews or tests
Analyzing research data
Validating product decisions

Research Methods Matrix

           Quantitative <-- --> Qualitative
           (What & How Many)    (Why & How)
              |
Behavioral --+-- Analytics        Usability Testing
(What they  |    Surveys          Field Studies
  do)       |    A/B Tests        Diary Studies
              |
Attitudinal -+-- Surveys          Interviews
(What they  |    NPS              Focus Groups
  say)      |    Questionnaires   Concept Tests

Qualitative Methods

User Interviews

Understand problems, validate solutions, assess products. Use open-ended questions, listen more than talk (80/20 rule), and ask "why" 5 times. 5-8 participants per segment.

Usability Testing

Test product usability with moderated or unmoderated sessions. Recruit 5-8 participants, use think-aloud protocol, measure task completion, time on task, and satisfaction.

Field Studies

Observe users in their natural environment through contextual inquiry, shadowing, or diary studies. Best for understanding context and discovering workarounds.

Card Sorting

Understand mental models and information architecture. Open (users create categories), closed (sort into given categories), or hybrid.

Focus Groups

6-10 participant moderated discussions. Good for exploring opinions and generating ideas. Avoid for validation (groupthink risk).

Comprehensive guide: references/qualitative-methods-guide.md

Quantitative Methods

Surveys

Measure attitudes at scale with NPS (0-10), CSAT (1-5), CES (1-7), or custom questions. Keep short (<10 questions), avoid leading/double-barreled questions. 100+ respondents for directional insights, 384+ for statistical significance.

Analytics

Track behavioral data: engagement (DAU/WAU/MAU), conversion funnels, retention cohorts, feature adoption.

A/B Testing

Test variants with statistical rigor. Hypothesis, design, sample size, run 1-2 weeks, analyze significance.

Research Synthesis

Combine findings through affinity mapping, thematic analysis, or Jobs-to-be-Done framework.

Comprehensive guide: references/quantitative-methods-guide.md

Best Practices

1. Avoid Bias

Confirmation Bias: Seek disconfirming evidence Leading Questions: Ask neutral questions Selection Bias: Recruit diverse participants Observer Effect: Users behave differently when watched

2. Sample Sizes

Qualitative:

5-8 users per segment (diminishing returns)
15-20 total for diverse product

Quantitative:

100+ for trends
384+ for statistical significance
Use power calculations

3. Triangulate

Combine Methods:

Interviews (why) + Analytics (what)
Usability tests + Surveys
Quantitative -> Qualitative -> Quantitative

4. Continuous Discovery (Teresa Torres)

Weekly Touchpoints:

Talk to 2-3 customers per week
Mix research types
Share with team
Document insights
Map to opportunities

Common Mistakes

Avoid:

Asking what users want (they don't know)
Leading questions ("Do you love this?")
Only talking to power users
Research without action
Skipping synthesis

Do:

Observe behavior, not just opinions
Ask open-ended questions
Recruit diverse participants
Act on findings
Share insights widely

Tools

Research Platforms:

UserTesting, Maze (unmoderated testing)
User Interviews, Respondent.io (recruitment)
Lookback, Zoom (moderated testing)

Analysis:

Dovetail, Airtable (synthesis)
Miro, FigJam (affinity mapping)
Typeform, SurveyMonkey (surveys)

Analytics:

Mixpanel, Amplitude (product analytics)
Hotjar, FullStory (session replay)
Google Analytics (web analytics)

Templates and References

Assets (Ready-to-Use)

assets/research-plan-template.md - Research plan template with goals, methods, questions, and deliverables

References (Deep Dives)

references/qualitative-methods-guide.md - User interviews, usability testing, field studies, card sorting, focus groups
references/quantitative-methods-guide.md - Surveys, analytics, A/B testing, research synthesis methods
references/research-planning-guide.md - Defining research questions, choosing methods, recruiting participants

Resources

Books:

"The Mom Test" - Rob Fitzpatrick
"Just Enough Research" - Erika Hall
"Continuous Discovery Habits" - Teresa Torres
"Don't Make Me Think" - Steve Krug

Online:

Nielsen Norman Group articles
IDEO Design Kit
Google Ventures Research Sprint

Quick Guide

Need to understand why? -> Interviews
Testing usability? -> Usability Tests
Measure satisfaction? -> Survey (NPS/CSAT)
Understand behavior? -> Analytics
Validate solution? -> Prototype Test
Deep context? -> Field Study

Always: Define questions, recruit right users, synthesize, act on insights

user-research-techniques