User Research
Frameworks for building deep user understanding through structured research methods. Covers personas, journey mapping, interviews, usability testing, and Jobs-to-be-Done.
Research Method Selection
Choose the right method for your question:
| Method | When to Use | Sample Size | Time | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| User Interviews | Early discovery, deep understanding | 5-8 | 2-3 weeks | Qualitative insights |
| Usability Testing | Validate designs, find issues | 5-10 | 1-2 weeks | Actionable fixes |
| Surveys | Quantify attitudes, preferences | 100+ | 1-2 weeks | Statistical data |
| Card Sorting | Information architecture | 15-30 | 1 week | IA recommendations |
| A/B Testing | Compare alternatives | 1000+ | 2-4 weeks | Statistical winner |
Rule of thumb: Start with interviews (5-8 participants) to discover unknowns. Switch to surveys once you have hypotheses to validate.
Persona Quick Reference
Personas are fictional composites built from research synthesis. Keep to 3-5 max.
## Persona: [Name]
### Demographics
- Age: [Range]
- Role: [Job title]
- Company: [Type/size]
- Tech savviness: [Low/Medium/High]
### Quote
> "[Characteristic statement that captures their mindset]"
### Goals
1. [Primary goal - what success looks like]
2. [Secondary goal]
### Pain Points
1. [Frustration with current state]
2. [Obstacle they face]
### Key Insight
[The most important thing to remember about this persona]Incorrect — vague persona without goals:
Persona: Sarah, Age 35, Marketing Manager. Likes social media and coffee.Correct — actionable persona with goals and pain points:
Persona: DevOps Dana
Quote: "I don't have time for tools that create more work than they save."
Goals: Reduce deployment failures, give devs self-service capabilities
Pain Points: Alert fatigue from false positives, context-switching between 10+ tools
Key Insight: Evaluates tools by "time saved vs. time invested" — needs immediate value.Journey Map Structure
Maps the end-to-end experience for a specific persona and scenario.
## Journey Map: [Journey Name]
### Persona + Scenario
[Which persona | What they're trying to accomplish]
### Stages: Aware → Consider → Purchase → Onboard → Use → Retain
For each stage:
- **Touchpoints:** [Channel/interaction point]
- **Actions:** [What user does]
- **Emotions:** [Satisfied / Neutral / Frustrated]
- **Pain Points:** [Friction]
- **Opportunities:** [How we improve]Common B2B SaaS stages: Awareness → Evaluation → Purchase → Onboarding → Adoption → Expansion → Advocacy/Churn
JTBD Framework
People don't buy products — they hire them to do specific jobs.
JTBD Statement Format:
When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [expected outcome].Example:
When I'm preparing for a board review, I want to quickly see revenue trends,
so I can answer questions confidently without scrambling for data.Job Dimensions:
| Dimension | Description |
|---|---|
| Functional | Practical task to accomplish |
| Emotional | How the user wants to feel |
| Social | How the user wants to be perceived |
Opportunity Score: Importance + (Importance - Satisfaction) — scores > 10 indicate high-opportunity areas.
Empathy Map
Quick tool for building shared understanding in workshops:
+-------------------------+-------------------------------+
| SAYS | THINKS |
| Direct quotes | Worries and concerns |
| Questions asked | Aspirations |
+-------------------------+-------------------------------+
| DOES | FEELS |
| Observable actions | Emotional state |
| Workarounds | Frustrations and delights |
+-------------------------+-------------------------------+
| PAINS | GAINS |
| Fears and obstacles | Wants and needs |
+-------------------------+-------------------------------+Interview Best Practices
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Ask open-ended questions | Ask leading questions |
| Ask "why" and "how" | Accept surface answers |
| Follow interesting threads | Stick rigidly to script |
| Take verbatim notes | Paraphrase or interpret |
Standard interview arc: Warm-up (5 min) → Context setting (10 min) → Deep dive (25 min) → Wrap-up (5 min)
Rules (Load On-Demand)
Read these files for detailed guidance:
- research-personas.md — Persona template, empathy map, maintenance schedule
- research-journey-mapping.md — Journey map template, service blueprints, experience curves
- research-user-interviews.md — Interview structure, usability testing, NPS/SUS, card sorting
References
- interview-guide-template.md — Ready-to-use interview guide template
- journey-map-workshop.md — Workshop facilitation guide
- user-story-workshop-guide.md — User story writing workshop
Related Skills
ork:write-prd— Translate research insights into structured product requirementsork:product-frameworks— Full PM framework suite (business cases, prioritization, metrics, OKRs)
Version: 1.0.0