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01.2 · Capability in Discovery

User research

Methods for learning directly from users: talking to them, watching them and asking them at scale. The aim is reliable evidence, gathered cheaply and often.

Map5 skills
01.2.1User interviews01.2.2Observation andfield studies01.2.3Surveys01.2.4Diary studies01.2.5ResearchsynthesisUser understanding01.2 User researchOpportunity validationDomain understandingExplore ↗
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  • 01.2.1User interviewsConversations that uncover real past behavior instead of opinions about the future.
  • 01.2.2Observation and field studiesWatching people do the work in their own environment.
  • 01.2.3SurveysStructured questions to measure how common a behavior or opinion is.
  • 01.2.4Diary studiesParticipants record their experience over days or weeks.
  • 01.2.5Research synthesisTurning notes and recordings into clear findings the team can act on.
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Where to start

5 resources
  • articleStart here
    UX research cheat sheet ↗
    NN/g · 2017 · 13 min

    Which research method fits which stage of a project, on one page. A good map before picking a method.

  • docsStart here
    Plan user research for your service ↗
    GOV.UK Service Manual · 2016 · 7 min

    How to decide what to research, how many people to involve and how often, for a team without a dedicated researcher.

  • articleStart here
    Everyone can do continuous discovery, even you ↗
    Teresa Torres (Product Talk) · 2023 · 20 min

    How a product team keeps talking to customers every week instead of in occasional research projects.

  • articleStart here
    UX research methods: glossary ↗
    NN/g · 2023 · 15 min

    Short definitions of every common research method, so you can tell a diary study from a field study at a glance.

  • docsStart here
    User research in discovery ↗
    GOV.UK Service Manual · 2016 · 4 min

    What research should achieve before anything is built, and what to leave until later.

Tools

1 tools
  • ToolFreemium
    Dovetail
    dovetail.com ↗

    Research repository for tagging interviews and feedback and finding themes across them.

Also in Discovery

01

Related elsewhere

1