Plan UX Research
Purpose
Help teams design a structured UX research plan that answers the right questions with the right methods.
Skill type
Conceptual skill
Use this skill when
- A team needs to run user research but hasn't structured the plan yet
- Research goals are unclear or too broad
- The team is debating which research method to use
- A new product area requires understanding user behavior and needs
Do not use this skill when
- Research has already been collected and needs synthesis (use synthesize-qualitative-research)
- The goal is usability testing of an existing design (use run-usability-testing)
Required inputs
- Research goal or question
- Product area or context
Optional inputs
- Target segment
- Available timeline and resources
- Prior research findings
- Hypotheses to validate
Upstream context
Works best when:
- Product problem or opportunity is identified
- Target segment is known
If upstream context is missing
If the research question is too vague, produce a discovery research plan and flag that it will need to be narrowed.
Downstream handoff
Output can feed:
- synthesize-qualitative-research (process findings after research)
- develop-persona-segment (if segment research is conducted)
- run-usability-testing (if usability is the research goal)
Instructions
- Clarify the research question (what decision will this research inform?).
- Select the appropriate method: interviews, surveys, usability testing, diary study, contextual inquiry, etc.
- Define participant criteria and number.
- Design discussion guide or research instrument outline.
- Set a timeline and logistics.
- Define how findings will be analyzed and shared.
Output
Provide:
- Research question(s)
- Selected method and rationale
- Participant criteria and sample size
- Discussion guide outline or research instrument outline
- Timeline
- Analysis and sharing plan
- Open questions or risks
Risks / caveats
- Research without a clear question produces unfocused findings
- Never select a method before defining the question
- Small samples (5–8 interviews) are sufficient for qualitative patterns, not statistical claims