User Research Techniques

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

When to Use This Skill

Auto-loaded by agents:

• 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