ux research report pdf

Product Design Bundle and save

User Research New

Content Design

UX Design Fundamentals

Software and Coding Fundamentals for UX

• UX training for teams
• Hire our alumni
• Journal of UX Leadership
• Our mission
• Advisory Council

Education for every phase of your UX career

Professional Diploma

Learn the full user experience (UX) process from research to interaction design to prototyping.

Combine the UX Diploma with the UI Certificate to pursue a career as a product designer.

Professional Certificates

Learn how to plan, execute, analyse and communicate user research effectively.

Learn the principles of content design, from mastering tone and style, to writing for interfaces.

Understand the fundamentals of UI elements and design systems, as well as the role of UI in UX.

Short Courses

Gain a solid foundation in the philosophy, principles and methods of user experience design.

Learn the essentials of software development so you can work more effectively with developers.

Give your team the skills, knowledge and mindset to create great digital products

Join our hiring programme and access our list of certified professionals.

Learn about our mission to set the global standard in UX education

Meet our leadership team with UX and education expertise

Members of the council connect us to the wider UX industry

Our team are available to answer any of your questions

Fresh insights from experts, alumni and the wider design community

Read stories from our students who have made successful careers in UX after completing our course

A complete guide to presenting UX research findings

In this complete guide to presenting UX research findings, we’ll cover what you should include in a UX research report, how to present UX research findings and tips for presenting your UX research.

The State of UX Hiring Report 2024

Learn how to start your UX career with hard facts and practical advice from those who have gone before you. In this report, we look at UX hiring trends in 2024 to help you break into the industry.

User experience research sets out to identify the problem that a product or service needs to solve and finds a way to do just that. Research is the first and most important step to optimising user experience.

UX researchers do this through interviews, surveys, focus groups, data analysis and reports. Reports are how UX researchers present their work to other stakeholders in a company, such as designers, developers and executives.

In this guide, we’ll cover what you should include in a UX research report, how to present UX research findings and tips for presenting your UX research.

Components of a UX research report

How to write a ux research report, 5 tips on presenting ux research findings.

Ready to present your research findings? Let’s dive in.

[GET CERTIFIED IN USER RESEARCH]

There are six key components to a UX research report.

Introduction

The introduction should give an overview of your UX research . Then, relate any company goals or pain points to your research. Lastly, your introduction should briefly touch on how your research could affect the business.

Research goals

Simply put, your next slide or paragraph should outline the top decisions you need to make, the search questions you used, as well as your hypothesis and expectations.

Business value

In this section, you can tell your stakeholders why your research matters. If you base this research on team-level or product development goals, briefly touch on those.

Methodology

Share the research methods you used and why you chose those methods. Keep it concise and tailored to your audience. Your stakeholders probably don’t need to hear everything that went into your process.

Key learnings

This section will be the most substantial part of your report or presentation. Present your findings clearly and concisely. Share as much context as possible while keeping your target audience – your stakeholders – in mind.

Recommendations

In the last section of your report, make actionable recommendations for your stakeholders. Share possible solutions or answers to your research questions. Make your suggestions clear and consider any future research studies that you think would be helpful.

1. Define your audience

Most likely, you’ll already have conducted stakeholder interviews when you were planning your research. Taking those interviews into account, you should be able to glean what they’re expecting from your presentation.

Tailor your presentation to the types of findings that are most relevant, how those findings might affect their work and how they prefer to receive information. Only include information they will care about the most in a medium that’s easy for them to understand.

Do they have a technical understanding of what you’re doing or should you keep it a non-technical presentation? Make sure you keep the terminology and data on a level they can understand.

What part of the business do they work in? Executives will want to know about how it affects their business, while developers will want to know what technological changes they need to make.

2. Summarise

As briefly as possible, summarise your research goals, business value and methodology. You don’t need to go into too much detail for any of these items. Simply share the what, why and how of your research.

Answer these questions:

• What research questions did you use, and what was your hypothesis?
• What business decision will your research assist with?
• What methodology did you use?

You can briefly explain your methods to recruit participants, conduct interviews and analyse results. If you’d like more depth, link to interview plans, surveys, prototypes, etc.

3. Show key learnings

Your stakeholders will probably be pressed for time. They won’t be able to process raw data and they usually don’t want to see all of the work you’ve done. What they’re looking for are key insights that matter the most to them specifically. This is why it’s important to know your audience.

Summarise a few key points at the beginning of your report. The first thing they want to see are atomic research nuggets. Create condensed, high-priority bullet points that get immediate attention. This allows people to reference it quickly. Then, share relevant data or artefacts to illustrate your key learnings further.

Relevant data:

• Recurring trends and themes
• Relevant quotes that illustrate important findings
• Data visualisations

Relevant aspects of artefacts:

• Quotes from interviews
• User journey maps
• Affinity diagrams
• Storyboards

For most people you’ll present to, a summary of key insights will be enough. But, you can link to a searchable repository where they can dig deeper. You can include artefacts and tagged data for them to reference.

[GET CERTIFIED IN UX]

4. Share insights and recommendations

Offer actionable recommendations, not opinions. Share clear next steps that solve pain points or answer pending decisions. If you have any in mind, suggest future research options too. If users made specific recommendations, share direct quotes.

5. Choose a format

There are two ways you could share your findings in a presentation or a report. Let’s look at these two categories and see which might be the best fit for you.

Usually, a presentation is best for sharing data with a large group and when presenting to non-technical stakeholders. Presentations should be used for visual communication and when you only need to include relevant information in a brief summary.

A presentation is usually formatted in a:

• Case studies
• Atomic research nuggets
• Pre-recorded video

If you’re presenting to a smaller group, technical stakeholder or other researchers, you might want to use a report. This gives you the capacity to create a comprehensive record. Further, reports could be categorised based on their purpose as usability, analytics or market research reports.

A report is typically formatted in a:

• Notion or Confluence page
• Slack update

You might choose to write a report first, then create a presentation. After the presentation, you can share a more in-depth report. The report could also be used for records later.

1. Keep it engaging

When you’re presenting your findings, find ways to engage those you’re presenting to. You can ask them questions about their assumptions or what you’re presenting to get them more involved.

For example, “What do you predict were our findings when we asked users to test the usability of the menu?” or “What suggestions do you think users had for [a design problem]?”

If you don’t want to engage them with questions, try including alternative formats like videos, audio clips, visualisations or high-fidelity prototypes. Anything that’s interactive or different will help keep their engagement. They might engage with these items during or after your presentation.

Another way to keep it engaging is to tell a story throughout your presentation. Some UX researchers structure their presentations in the form of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey . Start in the middle with your research findings and then zoom out to your summary, insights and recommendations.

2. Combine qualitative and quantitative data

When possible, use qualitative data to back up quantitative data. For example, include a visualisation of poll results with a direct quote about that pain point.

Use this opportunity to show the value of the work you do and build empathy for your users. Translate your findings into a format that your stakeholders – designers, developers or executives – will be able to understand and act upon.

3. Make it actionable

Actionable presentations are engaging and they should have some business value . That means they need to solve a problem or at least move toward a solution to a problem. They might intend to optimise usability, find out more about the market or analyse user data.

Here are a few ways to make it actionable:

• Include a to-do list at the end
• Share your deck and repository files for future reference
• Recommend solutions for product or business decisions
• Suggest what kind of research should happen next (if any)
• Share answers to posed research questions

4. Keep it concise and effective

Make it easy for stakeholders to dive deeper if they want to but make it optional. Yes, this means including links to an easily searchable repository and keeping your report brief.

Humans tend to focus best on just 3-4 things at a time. So, limit your report to three or four major insights. Additionally, try to keep your presentation down to 20-30 minutes.

Remember, you don’t need to share everything you learned. In your presentation, you just need to show your stakeholders what they are looking for. Anything else can be sent later in your repository or a more detailed PDF report.

5. Admit the shortcomings of UX research

If you get pushback from stakeholders during your presentation, it’s okay to share your constraints.

Your stakeholders might not understand that your sample size is big enough or how you chose the users in your study or why you did something the way you did. While qualitative research might not be statistically significant, it’s usually representative of your larger audience and it’s okay to point that out.

Because they aren’t researchers, it’s your job to explain your methodology to them but also be upfront about the limitations UX research can pose. When all of your cards are on the table, stakeholders are more likely to trust you.

When it comes to presenting your UX research findings, keep it brief and engaging. Provide depth with external resources after your presentation. This is how you get stakeholders to find empathy for your users. This is how you master the art of UX.

Need to go back to the basics and learn more about UX research? Dive into these articles:

What is UX research? The 9 best UX research tools to use in 2022

Subscribe to our newsletter

Get the best UX insights and career advice direct to your inbox each month.

Thanks for subscribing to our newsletter

You'll now get the best career advice, industry insights and UX community content, direct to your inbox every month.

Upcoming courses

Professional diploma in ux design.

Learn the full UX process, from research to design to prototyping.

Professional Certificate in UI Design

Master key concepts and techniques of UI design.

Certificate in Software and Coding Fundamentals for UX

Collaborate effectively with software developers.

Certificate in UX Design Fundamentals

Get a comprehensive introduction to UX design.

Professional Certificate in Content Design

Learn the skills you need to start a career in content design.

Professional Certificate in User Research

Master the research skills that make UX professionals so valuable.

Upcoming course

Build your UX career with a globally-recognised, industry-approved certification. Get the mindset, the skills and the confidence of UX designers.

You may also like

The ultimate guide to usability testing for UX in 2024

A beginner’s guide to typography design

How to conduct a heuristic evaluation in UX design: a step-by-step guide

Build your UX career with a globally recognised, industry-approved qualification. Get the mindset, the confidence and the skills that make UX designers so valuable.

18+ SAMPLE User Research Report in PDF

User Research Report

18+ sample user research report, what is a user research report, different types of user research report, basic elements of a user research report, how to write a user research report, what are some examples of user research reports, what is the purpose of a user research report, what should a user research report include, how to document ux research findings.

User Experience Research Report

User Research Preliminary Report

Basic User Research Report

User Research Report Example

Printable User Research Report

User Research Final Report

User Research Report in PDF

Standard User Research Report

User Centered Research Status Report

Sample User Research Report

Game User Research Report

Simple User Research Report

Track User Research Report

User Research Report and Scenarios

Value of User Research Report

Draft User Research Report

User Research Report Format

Formal User Research Report

User Research Reporting Template

1. service user research in health and social care report, 2. game user research report, 3. mobile application user research report, 4. social media user research report, step 1: state the major goals in the user research , step 2: make an outline of the user research process , step 3:  showcase the results of the user research, step 4:   proofread and revise the research report, step 5: prepare the final user research report, share this post on your network, file formats, word templates, google docs templates, excel templates, powerpoint templates, google sheets templates, google slides templates, pdf templates, publisher templates, psd templates, indesign templates, illustrator templates, pages templates, keynote templates, numbers templates, outlook templates, you may also like these articles, 12+ sample construction daily report in ms word | pdf.

Introducing our comprehensive sample Construction Daily Report the cornerstone of effective project management in the construction industry. With this easy-to-use report, you'll gain valuable insights into daily activities report,…

25+ SAMPLE Food Safety Reports in PDF | MS Word

Proper food handling ensures that the food we intake is clean and safe. If not, then we expose ourselves to illnesses and food poisoning. Which is why a thorough…

browse by categories

• Questionnaire
• Description
• Reconciliation
• Certificate
• Spreadsheet

Information

• privacy policy
• Terms & Conditions

The right way to structure a UX research report

I spent hours staring at blank Google Docs or Google Slides when creating a user research presentation. Finally, it got to the point where, instead of focusing on the actual content, I decided to try a plethora of tools and templates to help me.

It wasn’t that I didn’t know what to write. I didn’t have the right color palette or beautiful graphics (I’m not a designer, after all). So I tried notes, Notion, Miro, some obscure tools that no longer exist, and I downloaded an obscene number of Keynote and Google Slide templates. There was even a point where I  bought  slide templates on Etsy. 

However, the real problem was not the formatting, design, or aesthetic of my research reports—as much as I wished it was because that was a lot easier to solve than the real problem. I had no idea how to structure my research reports. I was constantly faced with writer’s block, staring at the blank pages, knowing that I had to present findings and the clock was ticking. Nothing is more complex than creating something from scratch.

.css-1nrevy2{position:relative;display:inline-block;} Structure by research themes

The first and most common way of structuring reports is by themes. In this structure, you use what you learned from synthesis to guide how you write the report. But what exactly is a theme?

After  affinity diagramming , you will have clusters of information. For example, if I conducted a study on how people decide on where to travel next, I might see the following groups come up:

Inspiration from social media (Instagram, blogs)

Recommendations from friends, family, or communities

Going to a place you’ve been before and enjoyed

Using package or vacation deals

Partner, spouse, or friend wanting to travel somewhere specific

Discounted trip finders 

Choosing from a bucket list of destinations

Randomly selecting a destination that sounds cool

Now, that is a lot to report on in and of itself! If I could help the team better understand this decision, I would focus on the top three to five themes with the highest number of participants. Let’s say I spoke to 20 people, and the top three decision-making factors were:

Inspiration from social media (Instagram, blogs)—17/20 participants

Recommendations from friends, family, or communities—14/20 participants

Using discounted trip finders—13/20 participants

I would use these three themes as the structure of my report, starting with the most common theme and ending with the least. Within the report, I would include:

Theme title

Theme summary, which includes bullet points of the main one to three findings within the theme

A deep dive section, including the insight behind the finding, quotes, videos, or audio clips of each finding

So, this would then look like this:

Theme title: Inspiration from social media

Theme summary:

Finding one: People follow travel influencers on social media (e.g., Instagram and blogs) to constantly be up-to-date on where to travel next

Finding two: People create lists, boards, or collections to save all the destinations they find from influencers or on social media and return to them when they want to travel

Deep dive into finding one:

Many people love to daydream about travel, and there isn’t a better way to do that than getting lost on social media. Jake opens Instagram during work one day because he overheard a colleague talking about a recent trip. Jake knows he has some vacation days left, so he goes to his favorite Instagram travel accounts and starts scrolling. He remembers he started collecting a few places he’d like to go and looks through them, deciding on the top two. He makes a note to look up the prices later tonight, after work, and look into some potential dates. Although he wishes he could book the trip right then and there, it is too complicated to do during work, so he waits until later.

“Yeah, I just got this travel bug suddenly after I heard some people talking, and as soon as I saw the photos on Instagram, I was like, I  have to go. I wish I could have just booked it immediately, but figuring out dates, airlines, hotels, and budget takes focus, so I just look into it when I have more time.”

By following this structure, you can lay out the most important information you found for stakeholders to quickly get the most critical findings. 

Three unexpected ways a research repository makes your life easier

Research goals and questions.

I used the theme template frequently for quite a few years, without deviating much. However, I still saw confusion at times with some stakeholders. With this structure, the answers to their questions or the research goals weren’t always straightforward. I then decided to try another format.

Instead of organizing the findings by themes gathered in clusters, I went straight to answering the research goals or questions aligned on at the beginning of the project. The incredible impact of this structure was that it directly answered what the stakeholders needed to know.  

If we take the example from above, let’s say the research goals were to:

Understand people’s current mental models around deciding on where to travel to next 

Discover pain points behind deciding on where to travel 

Identify the tools people currently use when getting inspired and deciding on where to travel to next

So, instead of grouping by themes, I would structure it like:

Research goal one title

Finding summary, which includes bullet points of the one to three findings relevant to the goal

Finding one directly related to the research goal

Evidence of finding one

Finding two directly related to the research goal

Evidence of finding two

Finding three directly related to the research goal

Evidence of finding three

This way, the evidence you present is directly related to the study’s goals and the information stakeholders need to make decisions. Take a look at my  sample UX research report template here  (in exchange for your email, please)!

What we learned from creating a tagging taxonomy

Usability testing.

Now, I have found that usability testing is its own type of report and template. So I use one of the initial templates but then add a separate component that analyzes the usability aspect. Since it is slightly more manageable, I usually use the theme template to begin my usability test and then dive into the prototype findings. Still, I usually only highlight the top two themes to ensure the presentation isn’t too long. 

The main difference here is the concept/prototype analysis section. There are a few ways to structure analysis when it comes to usability testing. The two main ways I have had success with are:

Screen-by-screen analysis, which includes a photo of the screen and annotations of feedback 

A flow analysis, which includes bullet points of feedback 

If you are doing any quantitative usability testing, such as measuring time on task or task success, include a stoplight chart

The way I decide whether to use screen-by-screen or flow analysis depends on the stakeholders’ needs and the depth of feedback I received from participants. For example, if I find that each screen received a lot of feedback, I will do that analysis. However, if the team needs to understand the flow of the prototype, I will break that up into several slides to demonstrate the feedback on the overall flow.

So my usability testing reports are generally structured like:

Theme title one

Theme title two

A deep dive slide, behind the finding, quotes, videos, or audio clips of each finding

Concept/prototype analysis 

Reminder of the prototype

Screen-by-screen or flow analysis

If applicable, a rainbow chart 

These three structures cover the most common reports/presentations you will encounter as a user researcher. I highly encourage you to try different approaches within these structures by always thinking of your audience first and gathering feedback after each presentation!

If you’re a Dovetail Analysis+Repository or Enterprise customer, you can make awesome-looking reports in Dovetail using Stories. Check out our guide for building beautiful reports here .

Get started for free

Keep reading

Log in or sign up

Integrations

What's new?

Prototype Testing

Live Website Testing

Feedback Surveys

Interview Studies

Card Sorting

Tree Testing

In-Product Prompts

Participant Management

Automated Reports

Templates Gallery

Choose from our library of pre-built mazes to copy, customize, and share with your own users

Browse all templates

Financial Services

Tech & Software

Product Designers

Product Managers

User Researchers

By use case

Concept & Idea Validation

Wireframe & Usability Test

Content & Copy Testing

Feedback & Satisfaction

Content Hub

Educational resources for product, research and design teams

Explore all resources

Question Bank

Research Maturity Model

Guides & Reports

Help Center

Future of User Research Report

The Optimal Path Podcast

Maze Guides | Resources Hub

What is UX Research: The Ultimate Guide for UX Researchers

0% complete

How to create a UX research plan (examples, tactics, and templates)

Conducting UX research without a plan is like moving to another country without knowing the language—confusing and exhausting.

To avoid wasting time and resources, it’s crucial to set achievable research goals and work on developing a research plan that’s clear, comprehensive, and aligned with your overarching business goals and research strategy.

A good UX research plan sets out the parameters for your research, and guides how you’ll gather insights to inform product development. In this chapter, we share a step-by-step guide to creating a research plan, including templates and tactics for you to try. You’ll also find expert tips from Paige Bennett, Senior User Research Manager at Affirm, and Sinéad Davis Cochrane, Research Manager at Workday.

What is a UX research plan?

A UX research plan—not to be confused with a UX research strategy —is a plan to guide individual user experience (UX) research projects.

It's a living document that includes a detailed explanation of tactics, methods, timeline, scope, and task owners. It should be co-created and shared with key stakeholders, so everyone is familiar with the project plan, and product teams can meet strategic goals.

While the UX research plan should be based on strategy, it’s not the same thing. A strategy is a high-level document that contains goals, budget, vision, and expectations. Meanwhile, a plan is a detailed document explaining how the team will achieve those strategic goals. In short, a strategy is a guide, but a plan is what drives action.

What are the benefits of using a UX research plan?

Conducting research without goals and parameters is aimless. A UX research plan is beneficial for your product, user, and business—by building a plan for conducting UX research, you can:

Streamline processes and add structure

Work toward specific, measurable goals, align and engage stakeholders, save time by avoiding rework.

The structure of a research plan allows you to set timelines, expectations, and task owners, so everyone on your team is aligned and empowered to make decisions. Since there’s no second guessing what to do next or which methods to use, you’ll find your process becomes simpler and more efficient. It’s also worth standardizing your process to turn your plan into a template that you can reuse for future projects.

When you set research goals based on strategy, you’ll find it easier to track your team’s progress and keep the project in scope, on time, and on budget. With a solid, strategy-based UX research plan you can also track metrics at different stages of the project and adjust future tactics to get better research findings.

“It’s important to make sure your stakeholders are on the same page with regards to scope, timeline, and goals before you start," explains Paige Bennett, Senior User Research Manager at Affirm. That's because, when stakeholders are aligned, they're much more likely to sign off on product changes that result from UX research.

A written plan is a collaborative way to involve stakeholders in your research and turn them into active participants rather than passive observers. As they get involved, they'll make useful contributions and get a better understanding of your goals.

A UX research plan helps you save time and money quite simply because it’s easier and less expensive to make design or prototype changes than it is to fix usability issues once the product is coded or fully launched. Additionally, having a plan gives your team direction, which means they won’t be conducting research and talking to users without motive, and you’ll be making better use of your resources. What’s more, when everyone is aligned on goals, they’re empowered to make informed decisions instead of waiting for their managers’ approval.

What should a UX research plan include?

In French cuisine, the concept of mise en place—putting in place—allows chefs to plan and set up their workspace with all the required ingredients before cooking. Think of your research plan like this—laying out the key steps you need to go through during research, to help you run a successful and more efficient study.

Here’s what you should include in a UX research plan:

• A brief reminder of the strategy and goals
• An outline of the research objectives
• The purpose of the plan and studies
• A short description of the target audience, sample size, scope, and demographics
• A detailed list of expectations including deliverables, timings, and type of results
• An overview of the test methods and a short explanation of why you chose them
• The test set up or guidelines to outline everything that needs to happen before the study: scenarios, screening questions, and duration of pilot tests
• Your test scripts, questions to ask, or samples to follow
• When and how you’ll present the results
• Cost estimations or requests to go over budget

Collect all UX research findings in one place

Use Maze to run quantitative and qualitative research, influence product design, and shape user-centered products.

How to create a UX research plan

Now we’ve talked through why you need a research plan, let’s get into the how. Here’s a short step-by-step guide on how to write a research plan that will drive results.

• Define the problem statement
• Get stakeholders’ buy-in
• Identify your objectives
• Choose the right research method
• Recruit participants
• Prepare the brief
• Establish the timeline
• Decide how you’ll present your findings

1. Define the problem statement

One of the most important purposes of a research plan is to identify what you’re trying to achieve with the research, and clarify the problem statement. For Paige Bennett , Senior User Research Manager at Affirm, this process begins by sitting together with stakeholders and looking at the problem space.

“We do an exercise called FOG, which stands for ‘Fact, Observation, Guess’, to identify large gaps in knowledge,” says Paige. “Evaluating what you know illuminates questions you still have, which then serves as the foundation of the UX research project.”

You can use different techniques to identify the problem statement, such as stakeholder interviews, team sessions, or analysis of customer feedback. The problem statement should explain what the project is about—helping to define the research scope with clear deliverables and objectives.

2. Identify your objectives

Research objectives need to align with the UX strategy and broader business goals, but you also need to define specific targets to achieve within the research itself—whether that’s understanding a specific problem, or measuring usability metrics . So, before you get into a room with your users and customers, “Think about the research objectives: what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and what you expect from the UX research process ,” explains Sinéad Davis Cochrane , Research Manager at Workday.

Examples of research objectives might be:

• Learn at what times users interact with your product
• Understand why users return (or not) to your website/app
• Discover what competitor products your users are using
• Uncover any pain points or challenges users find when navigating with your product
• Gauge user interest in and prioritize potential new features

A valuable purpose of setting objectives is ensuring your project doesn't suffer from scope creep. This can happen when stakeholders see your research as an opportunity to ask any question. As a researcher , Sinéad believes your objectives can guide the type of research questions you ask and give your research more focus. Otherwise, anything and everything becomes a research question—which will confuse your findings and be overwhelming to manage.

Sinéad shares a list of questions you should ask yourself and the research team to help set objectives:

• What are you going to do with this information?
• What decisions is it going to inform?
• How are you going to leverage these insights?

Another useful exercise to help identify research objectives is by asking questions that help you get to the core of a problem. Ask these types of questions before starting the planning process:

• Who are the users you’re designing this for?
• What problems and needs do they have?
• What are the pain points of using the product?
• Why are they not using a product like yours?

3. Get stakeholders buy-in

It’s good practice to involve stakeholders at early stages of plan creation to get everyone on board. Sharing your UX research plan with relevant stakeholders means you can gather context, adjust based on comments, and gauge what’s truly important to them. When you present the research plan to key stakeholders, remember to align on the scope of research, and how and when you’ll get back to them with results.

Stakeholders usually have a unique vision of the product, and it’s crucial that you’re able to capture it early on—this doesn’t mean saying yes to everything, but listening to their ideas and having a conversation. Seeing the UX research plan as a living document makes it much easier to edit based on team comments. Plus, the more you listen to other ideas, the easier it will be to evangelize research and get stakeholders to see the value behind it.

I expect my stakeholders to be participants, and I outline how I expect that to happen. That includes observing interviews, participating in synthesis exercises, or co-presenting research recommendations.

Paige Bennett , Senior User Research Manager at Affirm

4. Choose the right research method

Choose between the different UX research methods to capture different insights from users.

To define the research methods you’ll use, circle back to your research objectives, what stage of the product development process you’re in, and the constraints, resources, and timeline of the project. It’s good research practice to use a mix of different methods to get a more complete perspective of users’ struggles.

For example, if you’re at the start of the design process, a generative research method such as user interviews or field studies will help you generate new insights about the target audience. Or, if you need to evaluate how a new design performs with users, you can run usability tests to get actionable feedback.

It’s also good practice to mix methods that drive quantitative and qualitative results so you can understand context, and catch the user sentiment behind a metric. For instance, if during a remote usability test, you hear a user go ‘Ugh! Where’s the sign up button?’ you’ll get a broader perspective than if you were just reviewing the number of clicks on the same test task.

Examples of UX research methods to consider include:

• Five-second testing
• User interviews
• Field studies
• Card sorting
• Tree testing
• Focus groups
• Usability testing
• Diary studies
• Live website testing

Check out our top UX research templates . Use them as a shortcut to get started on your research.

5. Determine how to recruit participants

Every research plan should include information about the participants you need for your study, and how you’ll recruit them. To identify your perfect candidate, revisit your goals and the questions that need answering, then build a target user persona including key demographics and use cases. Consider the resources you have available already, by asking yourself:

• Do you have a user base you can tap into to collect data?
• Do you need to hire external participants?
• What’s your budget to recruit users?
• How many users do you need to interact with?

When selecting participants, make sure they represent all your target personas. If different types of people will be using a certain product, you need to make sure that the people you research represent these personas. This means not just being inclusive in your recruitment, but considering secondary personas—the people who may not be your target user base, but interact with your product incidentally.

You should also consider recruiting research participants to test the product on different devices. Paige explains: “If prior research has shown that behavior differs greatly between those who use a product on their phone versus their tablet, I need to better understand those differences—so I’m going to make sure my participants include people who have used a product on both devices.”

During this step, make sure to include information about the required number of participants, how you’ll get them to participate, and how much time you need per user. The main ways to recruit testers are:

• Using an online participant recruitment tool like Maze’s panel
• Putting out physical or digital adverts in spaces that are relevant to your product and user
• Reaching out to existing users
• Using participants from previous research
• Recruiting directly from your website or app with a tool like In-Product Prompts

5.1. Determine how you’ll pay them

You should always reward your test participants for their time and insights. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but also because if they have an incentive they’re more likely to give you complete and insightful answers. If you’re hosting the studies in person, you’ll also need to cover your participants' travel expenses and secure a research space. Running remote moderated or unmoderated research is often considered to be less expensive and faster to complete.

If you’re testing an international audience, remember to check your proposed payment system works worldwide—this might be an Amazon gift card or prepaid Visa cards.

6. Prepare the brief

The next component of a research plan is to create a brief or guide for your research sessions. The kind of brief you need will vary depending on your research method, but for moderated methods like user interviews, field studies, or focus groups, you’ll need a detailed guide and script. The brief is there to remind you which questions to ask and keep the sessions on track.

Your script should cover:

• Introduction: A short message you’ll say to participants before the session begins. This works as a starting point for conversations and helps set the tone for the meeting. If you’re testing without a moderator, you should also include an introductory message to explain what the research is about and the type of answers they should give (in terms of length and specificity).
• Interview questions: Include your list of questions you’ll ask participants during the sessions. These could be examples to help guide the interviews, specific pre-planned questions, or test tasks you’ll ask participants to perform during unmoderated sessions.
• Outro message: Outline what you'll say at the end of the session, including the next steps, asking participants if they are open to future research, and thanking them for their time. This can be a form you share at the end of asynchronous sessions.

It’s crucial you remember to ask participants for their consent. You should do this at the beginning of the test by asking if they’re okay with you recording the session. Use this space to lay out any compensation agreements as well. Then, ask again at the end of the session if they agree with you keeping the results and using the data for research purposes. If possible, explain exactly what you’ll do with their data. Double check and get your legal team’s sign-off on these forms.

7. Establish the timeline

Next in your plan, estimate how long the research project will take and when you should expect to review the findings. Even if not exact, determining an approximate timeline (e.g., two-three weeks) will enable you to manage stakeholders’ expectations of the process and results.

Many people believe UX research is a lengthy process, so they skip it. When you set up a timeline and get stakeholders aligned with it, you can debunk assumptions and put stakeholders’ minds at ease. Plus, if you’re using a product discovery tool like Maze, you can get answers to your tests within days.

8. Decide how you’ll present your findings

When it comes to sharing your findings with your team, presentation matters. You need to make a clear presentation and demonstrate how user insights will influence design and development. If you’ve conducted UX research in the past, share data that proves how implementing user insights has improved product adoption.

Examples of ways you can present your results include:

• A physical or digital PDF report with key statistics and takeaways
• An interactive online report of the individual research questions and their results
• A presentation explaining the results and your findings
• A digital whiteboard, like Miro, to display the results

In your plan, mention how you’ll share insights with the product team. For example, if you’re using Maze, you can start by emailing everyone the ready-to-share report and setting up a meeting with the team to identify how to bring those insights to life. This is key, because your research should be the guiding light for new products or updates, if you want to keep development user-centric. Taking care over how you present your findings will impact whether they’re taken seriously and implemented by other stakeholders.

Templates for UX research

Whether you’re creating the plan yourself or are delegating this responsibility to your team, here are six research templates to get started:

• UX research plan template : This editable Miro research project plan example helps you brainstorm user and business-facing problems, objectives, and questions
• UX research brief : You need a clear brief before you conduct UX research—Milanote shares a template that will help you simplify the writing process
• User testing synthesis : Trello put together a sample board to organize user testing notes—you can use this as a guide, but change the titles to fit your UX research purposes
• Usability testing templates : At Maze, we’ve created multiple templates for conducting specific UX research methods—this list will help you create different remote usability tests
• Information architecture (IA) tests template : The way you organize the information in your website or app can improve or damage the user experience—use this template to run IA tests easily
• Feedback survey templates : Ask users anything through a survey, and use these templates to get creative and simplify creation

Everything you need to know about UX research plans

We all know that a robust plan is essential for conducting successful UX research. But, in case you want a quick refresher on what we’ve covered:

• Using a UX research strategy as a starting point will make your plan more likely to succeed
• Determine your research objectives before anything else
• Use a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods
• Come up with clear personas so you can recruit and test a group of individuals that’s representative of your real end users
• Involve stakeholders from the beginning to get buy-in
• Be vocal about timelines, budget, and expected research findings
• Use the insights to power your product decisions and wow your users; building the solution they genuinely want and need

UX research can happen at any stage of the development lifecycle. When you build products with and for users, you need to include them continuously at various stages of the process.

It’s helpful to explore the need for continuous discovery in your UX research plan and look for a tool like Maze that simplifies the process for you. We’ll cover more about the different research methods and UX research tools in the upcoming chapters—ready to go?

Elevate your UX research workflow

Discover how Maze can streamline and operationalize your research plans to drive real product innovation while saving on costs.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the difference between a UX research plan and a UX research strategy?

The difference between a UX research plan and a UX research strategy is that they cover different levels of scope and detail. A UX research plan is a document that guides individual user experience (UX) research projects. UX research plans are shared documents that everyone on the product team can and should be familiar with. The UX research strategy, on the other hand, outlines the high-level goals, expectations, and demographics of the discovery.

What should you include in a user research plan?

Here’s what to include in a user research plan:

• Problem statement
• Research objectives
• Research methods
• Participants' demographics
• Recruitment plan
• User research brief
• Expected timeline
• How to present findings

How do you write a research plan for UX design?

Creating a research plan for user experience (UX) requires a clear problem statement and objectives, choosing the right research method, recruiting participants and briefing them, and establishing a timeline for your project. You'll also need to plan how you'll analyze and present your findings.

Generative Research: Definition, Methods, and Examples

User Research Report Template

A UX template to create a user research report for your team! Concentrating on the synthesis and actions of your field research is one of the most important parts of the UX research process.

Watch my YouTube video:

https://youtu.be/bpRr8S_rz0g

I've put this template together to allow you to just cut and paste all your findings into the template so you concentrate on making world class findings and delivering amazing presentations!

Skip navigation

• Log in to UX Certification

World Leaders in Research-Based User Experience

Reports & books.

NN/g UX research reports include thousands of actionable, illustrated user experience guidelines for creating and improving your web, mobile, and intranet sites.

UX Research Reports

Find research reports containing guidelines, best practices, case studies, and methodologies about these critical aspects of user experience design:

• Accessibility
• Application Design
• B2B Websites
• Content Strategy
• Corporate Websites
• Design Process
• Eyetracking
• Information Architecture
• International Users
• Managing UX Teams
• Mobile & Tablet
• Non-Profit Websites
• Research Methods
• Social Media
• User Testing
• Web Usability
• Writing for the Web
• Young Users
• Free Reports

Latest UX Research Reports

Intranet usability guidelines.

Increase employee intranet usage and productivity with 300 design and content management guidelines  (in 4 volumes). Get  800 intranet screenshots  and evidence-based recommendations. Buy individual volumes or save when you purchase all 4 volumes .

Intranet Design Annual: 2023

This 483-page report showcases screenshots and case studies from the 10-best intranets of 2023. 

Best SharePoint Intranets 2018-2023

Comprehensive case studies from 2018-2023 Intranet Design Annual winners using Microsoft SharePoint for their intranets. Get inspiration for UX research, design, and intranet content management using SharePoint. 

University Websites

Effective college and university websites offer a satisfying and productive experience. This report presents 152 guidelines for enhancing higher education websites.

Ecommerce User Experience

Improve your customers’ online shopping experience with 1037 recommendations (in 13 volumes) illustrated with more than 3100  screenshots . Buy individual reports, or save 58% when you purchase all 13 volumes together .

NN/g books have been instrumental in defining the fields of usability and user experience. Explore some of our most influential titles:

Design for a Better World

The Design of Everyday Things

Mobile Usability

Living With Complexity

See more of our books

• Design system
• Web app development
• UI/UX design
• Cybersecurity

User Research Report: Key Components and Best Practices

Learn about a user research report and its important components. Understand the best practices for writing a report and presenting it effectively.

Written by Ramotion Feb 21, 2023 18 min read

Last updated: Feb 25, 2024

The field of UI/UX design relies heavily on research and analysis. Whether it is gathering useful data from the users to understand their needs, conducting market research to identify trends, working on collaborative reports, or presenting findings of the analysis, designers have to cover all the aspects of research. When the research team has gathered and analyzed the data, it is also important to organize and present the findings in a way that the information is helpful and can be acted upon to create effective solutions for the target audience.

One of the most frequently conducted research by UI/UX designers deals with the users, such as understanding their expectations, highlighting their concerns, and recommending solutions that can better meet their needs. The end goal of UX research is to produce a usability report which can then help in improving the designs of products and services. For UX researchers, it is important not only to conduct user research but also to learn the art of creating an effective research report.

User Research in Practice ( Udacity )

In this article, we introduce UX research reports and discuss them in detail. This article starts with an introduction to UX research reports. We then cover all the major components of a UX research report, followed by the art of writing an effective report and the best practices to present the research findings.

Read along as we talk about this essential skill for all designers and learn how you can create effective user research reports.

What is a UX research report?

A UX research report – also referred to as a user research report – is a comprehensive document developed to present and explain the findings of the extensive work conducted by the design team. A UX research report includes all the important information about the purpose of the research, the methods used to gather data from the target audience, the major findings and takeaways, and recommendations that can help in improving the design. It is important to be clear about the purpose of conducting UX research and to clarify that in the report. Additionally, methods such as surveys, user testing, and interviews, need to be specified and explained in the report.

What should be included in a user research report?

A user research report includes a thorough discussion of the methods used to conduct the research, followed by the key learnings and recommendations. The purpose of the report is to highlight actionable items that can be taken up to improve the user experience.

User research reports serve various purposes. On the one hand, these reports help in understanding the shortcomings of a design and the needs of the users, thus providing recommendations to improve the products and services. On the other hand, these reports also serve as guiding documents for designers and researchers working on similar projects in the future. Leading design firms and consultancy providing user experience design services rely heavily on the findings of user research, thus improving their process along the way.

What is User Experience Research Report ( Optimal Workshop )

If the researchers do all the work without properly documenting the findings and recommendations, it will not be possible to understand the entire process and methodology, thus leaving huge gaps between research and its application. A research report fills this gap, serving as an excellent resource for the organization and the students of design. For all aspiring designers, it is important to understand how to effectively write a research report. In the next section, we discuss the important components of a UX research report, providing a better understanding of the document.

Components of a UX research report

UX research reports are formal documents that are not always restricted to the design team or the executives of an organization. For example, if you’re working on a public project, the report, or key findings, might be shared on social media and other public platforms. There are some standard elements necessary to create an effective research report. These elements provide a template to present the findings in an understandable manner. If a user researcher gathers data without such guiding principles, the quality and impact of findings will get impacted.

What are the major components of a UX research report?

A UX report contains the following major components.

Executive summary

Introduction, goals and objectives, methodology, recommendations.

The following elements are considered to be essential elements for any research report.

Components of a UX Research Report

An executive summary, as the name indicates, is created for the executives in an organization. It is an essential part of any formal report, where the purpose of the research, methods, key findings, and recommendations are neatly summarized.

The purpose of an executive summary is to provide a quick and comprehensive overview of the entire report. This part comes right after the table of contents, making sure that the audience interacts with this section first. An executive summary can leave a very good impression on the readers by preparing them for the entire report, and also saving them from a lot of technical details.

Like any report, a UX research report starts with an introduction. This is the section where all the background information and context are provided. In the introduction, it is a good practice to introduce the product or service that is being tested.

Additionally, a mention of the organization’s values helps in understanding the purpose of the research. The information in the introduction section helps in laying the foundation for all the technical content that follows. Understanding a research report without an introduction could be quite challenging.

To add more value to, and provide context for, the user research report, the goals and objectives for the entire study must be clearly stated. The overall research goals can be as simple as understanding the pain points of the users and getting their feedback for improving the design of the product or service. These goals give a clear idea of the research plan and indicate that all the designers and researchers are on the same page.

It is also a good practice to refer to the research question – or questions – when talking about the goals and objectives. This way the readers know what the entire report is about and what the major questions will be answered as they move along with the analysis.

In order to find the answers to the research questions and meet the objectives, UX researchers need to follow certain methods and techniques . It is important to discuss those methods in a clear and concise manner when writing research reports. These can include a variety of qualitative methods, such as interviews and focus groups, and quantitative techniques, such as surveys and correlational studies. It is a good research practice to explain these methods in a way that the general public can comprehend the information.

The value of UX research is strictly determined by the types of research methods involved in the process. If wrong methods are used, the findings can be misleading. Additionally, it is also important to discuss these methods for future researchers and aspiring designers, so they know which techniques are appropriate to achieve their goals.

Methodology in UX Research ( SciSpace )

The results section of any UX research report is, arguably, the one that gets the most attention. This is where all the research findings are presented in an understandable manner, so the audience can understand the key takeaways, thus getting a better idea of the needs of the target audience. The research findings do not include any discussions or opinions of the UX designers. Instead, this is where facts are reported based on the data gathered from user research.

Leaving a report merely by reporting the research findings does not help anyone, let alone the decision-makers. Good reports are the ones that do not leave the audience stranded but provide information on the next steps. This is where recommendations come into play. The recommendations section in a UX research report is the one that includes guidance on how to improve a design.

These recommendations must always be backed by the findings. Additionally, the recommendations must always be actionable and realistic. Ideal solutions that seem to solve all the problems are not helpful for the design team. It is also a good idea to identify the limitations and indicated areas where additional research is needed.

When conducting UX research, several materials are created. These can include survey questionnaires, interview scripts, observation sheets, and a lot more documents. These materials can be extremely helpful for future researchers working on similar projects, particularly those working in the same organization.

Providing all of these materials in the body of the report can be overwhelming and confusing for the audience as a user research report is not only read by UX designers. Therefore, it is important to consider providing this information in the appendices – something that interested readers can access if needed.

How to write a UX research report

Writing a research report can always seem to be a daunting task. On the one hand, there is all the background work that goes into conducting research, gathering the data, analyzing the results, and providing meaningful recommendations. On the other hand, there is the process of writing itself, where the information needs to be presented in a way that is clear, easy to understand, and helpful. The components of a UX research report mentioned above serve as a good template for the writing process.

What are some best practices to write a UX research report?

The best practices for writing a UX research report are as follows.

Define your goals

Understand your audience, use plain language, explain your methods, focus on findings, discuss and analyze the results, always provide recommendations, state your limitations.

There are certain best practices that can help in creating effective research reports.

Effective UX Research Report Writing ( Romania Journal )

Like any UI/UX design project , writing a research report has to start with the goals. Before even starting the user research, it is important to identify and clarify research goals. These goals are decided in a way that they coincide with the overall vision and mission of the organization, and also cater to the needs of the target audience. Individuals from different teams, such as product development, marketing, design, and other related personnel need to be involved in the process, to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Once the goals have been defined, it gets easier to define the research questions and write a report that is more focused.

Considering the audience of a research report is extremely important. UX research reports are read by designers, but they are not the only target audience group. These reports play a significant role in decision-making and, therefore, make their way up to the executive offices. Similarly, other teams involved in the design process also benefit from the user research reports. This means that not everyone will be able to understand the design processes, methods, and technical aspects of the report. Therefore, it is important to consider the varying needs of these audience groups to write effective reports.

Different Audiences for UX Research Report

One of the key aspects of good reports is that they are easy to read and understand. Whether it is the technical information in the methods section or the more interesting UX research findings and recommendations, it is always beneficial to explain things in a simple manner.

The use of plain and clear language ensures that non-researchers and the general public can also make the most out of these otherwise complicated documents. All UI/UX designers should get some training and experience in the principles of clear and effective writing so that they can add more value to their reports.

As mentioned above, the methods section can always be tricky to understand, particularly for individuals who do not have a background in UX research and design. There are several steps that designers can take to explain their methods in a better way. One of those is to be specific with their research questions and to state them in a clear manner.

Another important research practice is to provide as many details about the research methods as possible. These details can be as simple and trivial as the need for technology, such as laptops and mobile phones, in conducting the research, and as sophisticated as eye-tracking software. If the readers know about all the techniques, they will be better able to understand the overall goals and findings of the research.

The section containing UX research findings demands a lot of attention and care when writing a report. This is where designers bring all the data and insights together, to present their findings from the extensive research. When writing about research findings, it is important to be clear and specific.

Any ambiguity in reporting the findings can confuse and overwhelm the audience, thus jeopardizing the overall goals of the UX research report. It is also essential for designers to leave their biases aside when reporting the findings. The opinions of the design and research teams should not be mixed with the results, as this can be misleading for the target audience. Remember, the goal of user research is to get insights from, and about, the users, in order to improve the design.

All good research reports include some sort of discussion on the results and insights obtained from the data. One of the best practices, when writing a report, is to shed some light on the research findings.

The most effective way to analyze and discuss results is to tie them back to the research questions and goals of the study. This practice keeps the memory of the audience refreshed, and adds to their understanding. Discussion of results in a user research report also helps other researchers in understanding the thought process behind the overall process.

Discuss the Results Comprehensively ( Pexels )

One of the sections of a user research report that often gets overlooked is recommendations. Many quality reports, sometimes, do not give attention to this aspect, and, thus, leave the audience hanging with some technical details and findings of the report. Successful and effective reports are the ones that discuss the findings and provide guidance for the future.

It is important to ensure that the recommendations consist of actionable items. For example, if the users find it hard to interact with the “sign in” button because of its color, the report should clearly state the reason and recommend possible edits to improve this button. The more specific the recommendations are, the more helpful will be to the design and product development teams.

A single user research project cannot possibly cover every single need and pain point of the target audience. There are several factors involved in a UX research project that can limit the data collection and analysis phases. For example, research might be restricted because of budgetary constraints, time limitations, confidentiality, and other policies of the organization.

It is always helpful to acknowledge these limitations while writing a UX research report. These limitations can help in identifying the areas where more work is needed, thus serving as a guiding section for future research studies.

Presenting UX research findings

Conducting good research, working with users, and gathering valuable data constitute one part of UX research. Then comes the report writing phase, where all the information is brought together, along with insights of the designers and researchers, thus helping in making sense of the data. This process provides good content for a UX research report. However, researchers must not stop at just reporting facts.

There is one more question that needs to be considered: How to present research findings? This is where designers have to wear multiple hats and look at the report from different perspectives. Even if the information is valuable, but it is not presented in an effective way, the usefulness of the report can take a hit.

How can UX researchers improve the presentation of their findings?

Some ways in which the presentation of UX research can be improved are as follows.

Use consistent language

Summarize and discuss the findings, use effective illustrations, avoid excessive use of jargon, make the report aesthetically pleasing, ensure easy navigation.

There are certain best practices that designers can follow to present the findings of UX research in a comprehensive manner. The skills from document design, aesthetics, illustration, and information management come in handy when presenting the findings of any research project. Some of the key aspects to consider are as follows.

Presenting UX Research Findings ( iStock )

All presentable and understandable research reports using consistent language, one that is easy to follow with clear explanations. In this sense, a research report is similar to any other design project, where consistency is a key principle . The use of consistent language means that the voice and tone throughout the report are the same, so the readers do not get confused in the middle.

This can be a concern when the projects and, therefore, the reports are long and written by multiple authors. In such cases, it is important to assign editing to one person who can ensure consistency throughout the document. An inconsistent report is hard to read and can greatly impact the overall quality of any research project.

As mentioned above, UX research findings are the most read section of any report. This is the section that gets equal attention from the technical and non-technical audiences. Therefore, it is important to present the findings in a way that can be easily understood by all groups of audiences.

In order to add more value to the report, it is always a good practice to summarize the findings and discuss them, expanding on their relationship with the research questions. When discussing the results, the UI/UX designers can make use of real-world examples to make the findings more relatable and understandable.

In research reports – and almost all other documents – words can only do so much. The power of media elements, such as images, schematics, graphs, and illustrations can never be underestimated. When working on the presentation of a report, illustrations must be given due attention. With the help of powerful visuals, designers can explain their quantitative and qualitative research results, making the information easily digestible.

Illustrations also make the content more accessible, leaving an overall good impact on the readability of the report. Modern organizations with well-established design teams have specific branding guidelines for their employees when it comes to creating and distributing illustrations, thus creating more avenues for creating a stronger brand image.

Use Illustrations to Discuss Results ( Infosurv )

One important aspect, when it comes to the presentation and perception of a user research report, is limiting the use of jargon. This is something that gets ignored in many reports and is noticed only after a report is published or distributed.

Therefore, when working on the presentation of a report, it is important to get feedback from non-researchers and individuals from other teams, such as marketing and product development. Feedback from someone outside of the research team can help in strengthening the presentation of the report, thus making it more understandable and readable.

A report is only well-received when it is attractive and pleasing to the eye. This might sound like a small element, but if you stop and ask yourself how many times you left a report in the middle because it was not eye-catching, you will find the answer right away. There are several ways to improve the aesthetics of a report. This is where UI/UX designers can bring their creativity and principles of document design into play.

The use of colors, infographics, visual and textual hierarchy, icons, and quality images are some of the ways in which a report can be made aesthetically pleasing. Researchers can make use of the elements in a component library that designers frequently use for various projects. This will ensure consistency and also create a better brand image.

Make the Report Aesthetically Pleasing ( Dribble )

When distributing a report, it is important to consider the way readers will interact with it, and navigate through the entire document. In shorter reports, this might not be a big concern, but when the documents get longer (over 20 pages), it gets tricky for the readers to scroll all the way up and find the desired section.

Therefore, when presenting a report, researchers should always focus on the way navigation can be improved. If the headings, subheadings, and captions are appropriate, and the table of contents is free of errors, then the digital documents can be easily navigated. If the reports are being hosted on an organization’s online portal or a blog, it is always a good idea to create a searchable repository, so the users can find the desired information quickly.

Working with people, understanding their needs, getting their feedback, and incorporating it into future designs are one of the most interesting parts of being a UX researcher and designer. However, this means that as a designer, you have to produce several reports to document your findings, provide recommendations, and make a case for the practice of UX research in the first place.

The reports thus created should be comprehensive, pleasing, useful, and helpful at the same time. This is a challenging task as not all designers are good at writing UX research reports. To be fair, writing and documentation are not easy tasks either. It is a skill that can be learned with time and by focusing on the right areas.

In this article, we covered the basic principles of writing an effective user research report. In order to make your report stand out, you have to focus on the efficacy of your research findings, the quality of writing, and the presentation of the report itself. With the help of the best practices and guidelines discussed above, you can start creating comprehensive reports that are not hard to read and have all the required information.

If you’re an aspiring UI/UX designer and have not been exposed to the report-writing process yet, now is the time to pay attention to this part of the job. The art of good report writing and having better presentation skills can make you more marketable, thus helping you land better job opportunities.

Unlock your business potential with us

Empower your business with tailored strategy, innovative design, and seamless development. Ready to take your company to the next level?

• Reviews / Why join our community?
• For companies
• Frequently asked questions

UX Research

What is ux research.

UX (user experience) research is the systematic study of target users and their requirements, to add realistic contexts and insights to design processes. UX researchers adopt various methods to uncover problems and design opportunities. Doing so, they reveal valuable information which can be fed into the design process.

See why UX research is a critical part of the UX design process.

• Transcript loading…

UX Research is about Finding Insights to Guide Successful Designs

When you do UX research, you’ll be better able to give users the best solutions—because you can discover exactly what they need. You can apply UX research at any stage of the design process. UX researchers often begin with qualitative measures, to determine users’ motivations and needs . Later, they might use quantitative measures to test their results . To do UX research well, you must take a structured approach when you gather data from your users. It’s vital to use methods that 1) are right for the purpose of your research and 2) will give you the clearest information. Then, you can interpret your findings so you can build valuable insights into your design .

“I get very uncomfortable when someone makes a design decision without customer contact.” – Dan Ritzenthaler, Senior Product Designer at HubSpot

We can divide UX research into two subsets:

Qualitative research – Using methods such as interviews and ethnographic field studies, you work to get an in-depth understanding of why users do what they do (e.g., why they missed a call to action, why they feel how they do about a website). For example, you can do user interviews with a small number of users and ask open-ended questions to get personal insights into their exercise habits. Another aspect of qualitative research is usability testing , to monitor (e.g.) users’ stress responses. You should do qualitative research carefully. As it involves collecting non-numerical data (e.g., opinions, motivations), there’s a risk that your personal opinions will influence findings.

Quantitative research – Using more-structured methods (e.g., surveys, analytics), you gather measurable data about what users do and test assumptions you drew from qualitative research. For example, you can give users an online survey to answer questions about their exercise habits (e.g., “How many hours do you work out per week?”). With this data, you can discover patterns among a large user group. If you have a large enough sample of representative test users, you’ll have a more statistically reliable way of assessing the population of target users. Whatever the method, with careful research design you can gather objective data that’s unbiased by your presence, personality or assumptions. However, quantitative data alone can’t reveal deeper human insights.

We can additionally divide UX research into two approaches:

Attitudinal – you listen to what users say—e.g., in interviews.

Behavioral – you see what users do through observational studies.

When you use a mix of both quantitative and qualitative research as well as a mix of attitudinal and behavioral approaches, you can usually get the clearest view of a design problem.

© Interaction Design Foundation, CC BY-SA 4.0

Use UX Research Methods throughout Development

The Nielsen Norman Group—an industry-leading UX consulting organization—identifies appropriate UX research methods which you can use during a project’s four stages . Key methods are:

Discover – Determine what is relevant for users.

Contextual inquiries – Interview suitable users in their own environment to see how they perform the task/s in question.

Diary studies – Have users record their daily interactions with a design or log their performance of activities.

Explore – Examine how to address all users’ needs.

Card sorting – Write words and phrases on cards; then let participants organize them in the most meaningful way and label categories to ensure that your design is structured in a logical way.

Customer journey maps – Create user journeys to expose potential pitfalls and crucial moments.

Test – Evaluate your designs.

Usability testing – Ensure your design is easy to use.

Accessibility evaluations – Test your design to ensure it’s accessible to everyone.

Listen – Put issues in perspective, find any new problems and notice trends.

Surveys/Questionnaires – Use these to track how users’ feel about your product.

Analytics – Collect analytics/metrics to chart (e.g.) website traffic and build reports.

• Copyright holder: Unsplash. Copyright terms and license: CCO Public Domain. Link: https://pixabay.com/en/clay-hands-sculpting-art-69...
• Copyright holder: Unsplash. Copyright terms and license: CCO Public Domain. Link: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-in-black-shirt-an...
• Copyright holder: Indecent Proposer. Copyright terms and license: CC BY-NC 2.0 Link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/indecent_proposal/14...
• Copyright holder: Anna Langova. Copyright terms and license: CC0 1.0 Link: http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php...
• Copyright holder: Conmongt. Copyright terms and license: CC0 Public Domain Link: https://pixabay.com/en/hourglass-time-time-lapse-clock-1623517/

Whichever UX research method you choose, you need to consider the pros and cons of the different techniques . For instance, card sorting is cheap and easy, but you may find it time-consuming when it comes to analysis. Also, it might not give you in-depth contextual meaning. Another constraint is your available resources , which will dictate when, how much and which type of UX research you can do. So, decide carefully on the most relevant method/s for your research . Moreover, involve stakeholders from your organization early on . They can reveal valuable UX insights and help keep your research in line with business goals. Remember, a design team values UX research as a way to validate its assumptions about users in the field , slash the cost of the best deliverables and keep products in high demand —ahead of competitors’.

User research methods have different pros and cons,and vary from observations of users in context to controlled experiments in lab settings.

Learn More about UX Research

For a thorough grasp of UX research, take our course here: User Research – Methods and Best Practices

Read an extensive range of UX research considerations, discussed in Smashing Magazine: A Comprehensive Guide To UX Research

See the Nielsen Norman Group’s list of UX research tips: UX Research Cheat Sheet

Here’s a handy, example-rich catalog of UX research tools: 43 UX research tools for optimizing your product

Questions related to UX Research

UX research is a good career for those who enjoy working with a team and have strong communication skills. As a researcher, you play a crucial role in helping your team understand users and deliver valuable and delightful experiences. You will find a UX research career appealing if you enjoy scientific and creative pursuits. 

Start exploring this career option; see the User Researcher Learning Path .

Studies suggest that companies are also willing to pay well for research roles. The average salary for a UX researcher ranges from $92,000 to $146,000 per year.

In smaller companies, user research may be one of the responsibilities of a generalist UX designer. How much can your salary vary based on your region? Find out in UI & UX Designer Salaries: How Much Can I Earn .

Research is one part of the overall UX design process. UX research helps inform the design strategy and decisions made at every step of the design process. In smaller teams, a generalist designer may end up conducting research.

A UX researcher aims to understand users and their needs. A UX designer seeks to create a product that meets those needs.

A UX researcher gathers information. A UX designer uses that information to create a user-friendly and visually appealing product.

Learn more about the relationship between UX research and UX design in the course:

User Experience: The Beginner’s Guide

If we consider a very broad definition of UX, then all user research is UX research.

However, in practice, there is a subtle difference between user research and UX research. While both involve understanding people, user research can involve users in any kind of research question, and some questions may not be that directly connected to user experience.

For example, you might do user research relating to a customer’s experience in relation to pricing, delivery or the experience across multiple channels.

Common UX research methods are usability testing, A/B testing, surveys, card sorting, user interviews, usage analytics and ethnographic research. Each method has its pros and cons and is useful in different scenarios. Hence, you must select the appropriate research method for the research question and target audience. Learn more about these methods in 7 Great, Tried and Tested UX Research Techniques .

Get started with user research. Download the User Research template bundle .

For a deep dive into usability testing—the most common research method, take the course Conducting Usability Testing .

Having a degree in a related field can give you an advantage. However, you don’t need a specific degree to become a UX researcher. A combination of relevant education, practical experience, and continuous learning can help you pursue a career in UX research. Many UX researchers come from diverse educational backgrounds, including psychology, statistics, human-computer interaction, information systems, design and anthropology.

Some employers may prefer candidates with at least a bachelor’s degree. However, it does not have to be in a UX-related field. There are relatively fewer degrees that focus solely on user research.

Data-Driven Design: Quantitative Research for UX

User Research – Methods and Best Practices

Every research project will vary. However, there are some common steps in conducting research, no matter which method or tool you decide to use: 

Define the research question

Select the appropriate research method

Recruit participants

Conduct the research

Analyze the data

Present the findings

You can choose from various UX research tools . Your choice depends on your research question, how you're researching, the size of your organization, and your project. For instance:

Survey tools such as Typeform and Google Forms.

Card sorting tools such as Maze and UXtweak.

Heatmap tools such as HotJar and CrazyEgg

Usability testing (through first-click testing and tree-testing) tools such as Optimal Workshop and Loop 11

Diagramming applications such as Miro and Whimsical to analyze qualitative data through affinity diagramming.

Spreadsheet tools such as Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel for quantitative data analysis

Interface design and prototyping tools like Figma, Adobe XD, Sketch and Marvel to conduct usability testing.

Presentation tools such as Keynote, Google Slides and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Many of these tools offer additional features you can leverage for multiple purposes. To understand how you can make the most of these tools, we recommend these courses:

There are relatively fewer degrees that focus solely on user research.

While there are no universal research case study formats, here’s one suggested outline: 

An overview of the project: Include the problem statement, goals and objectives.

The research methods and methodology: For example, surveys, interviews, or usability testing).

Research findings

The design process: How the research findings led to design decisions.

Impact of design decisions on users and the business: Include metrics such as conversion and error rates to demonstrate the impact.

Optionally, include notes on what you learned and how you can improve the process in the future.

Learn how to showcase your portfolio to wow your future employer/client in the How to Create a UX Portfolio course.

While AI can help automate tasks and help UX researchers, it will not completely replace them. AI lacks the creativity and empathy that human designers bring to the table.

Human researchers are better at understanding the nuances of human behavior and emotions. They can also think outside the box and develop creative solutions that AI cannot. So, AI can help researchers be more efficient and effective through data analysis, smart suggestions and automation. But it cannot replace them.

Watch AI-Powered UX Design: How to Elevate Your UX Career to learn how you can work with AI.

Agile teams often struggle to incorporate user research in their workflows due to the time pressure of short sprints. However, that doesn’t mean agile teams can’t conduct research. Instead of seeing research as one big project, teams can break it into bite-sized chunks. Researchers regularly conduct research and share their findings in every sprint.

Researchers can involve engineers and other stakeholders in decision-making to give everyone the context they need to make better decisions. When engineers participate in the decision-making process, they can ensure that the design will be technically feasible. There will also be lower chances of errors when the team actually builds the feature. Here’s more on how to make research a team effort .

For more on bite-sized research, see this Master Class: Continuous Product Discovery: The What and Why

For more practical tips and methods to work in an agile environment, take our Agile Methods for UX Design course.

User research is very important in designing products people will want and use. It helps us avoid designing based on what we think instead of what users actually want.

UX research helps designers understand their users’ needs, behaviors, attitudes and how they interact with a product or service. Research helps identify usability problems, gather feedback on design concepts, and validate design decisions. This ultimately benefits businesses by improving the product, brand reputation and loyalty. A good user experience provides a competitive edge and reduces the risk of product failure.

Learn more about the importance of user research in the design process in these courses:

Design Thinking: The Ultimate Guide

Literature on UX Research

Here’s the entire UX literature on UX Research by the Interaction Design Foundation, collated in one place:

Learn more about UX Research

Take a deep dive into UX Research with our course User Research – Methods and Best Practices .

How do you plan to design a product or service that your users will love , if you don't know what they want in the first place? As a user experience designer, you shouldn't leave it to chance to design something outstanding; you should make the effort to understand your users and build on that knowledge from the outset. User research is the way to do this, and it can therefore be thought of as the largest part of user experience design .

In fact, user research is often the first step of a UX design process—after all, you cannot begin to design a product or service without first understanding what your users want! As you gain the skills required, and learn about the best practices in user research, you’ll get first-hand knowledge of your users and be able to design the optimal product—one that’s truly relevant for your users and, subsequently, outperforms your competitors’ .

This course will give you insights into the most essential qualitative research methods around and will teach you how to put them into practice in your design work. You’ll also have the opportunity to embark on three practical projects where you can apply what you’ve learned to carry out user research in the real world . You’ll learn details about how to plan user research projects and fit them into your own work processes in a way that maximizes the impact your research can have on your designs. On top of that, you’ll gain practice with different methods that will help you analyze the results of your research and communicate your findings to your clients and stakeholders—workshops, user journeys and personas, just to name a few!

By the end of the course, you’ll have not only a Course Certificate but also three case studies to add to your portfolio. And remember, a portfolio with engaging case studies is invaluable if you are looking to break into a career in UX design or user research!

We believe you should learn from the best, so we’ve gathered a team of experts to help teach this course alongside our own course instructors. That means you’ll meet a new instructor in each of the lessons on research methods who is an expert in their field—we hope you enjoy what they have in store for you!

All open-source articles on UX Research

7 great, tried and tested ux research techniques.

• 1.2k shares
• 3 years ago

The Ultimate Guide to Understanding UX Roles and Which One You Should Go For

Shadowing in User Research - Do You See What They See?

Contextual Interviews and How to Handle Them

15 Guiding Principles for UX Researchers

Ethnography

Porter’s 5 Forces Model - Design in Context, Understand the Market

• 7 years ago

Ideas for Conducting UX Research with Children

Laddering Questions Drilling Down Deep and Moving Sideways in UX Research

Action Research

4 common pitfalls in usability testing and how to avoid them to get more honest feedback.

Confirmation Bias – It’s Not What We Think We Know That Counts

User Research Methods for Mobile UX

• 10 mths ago

The Top UX Design Books You Need to Read in 2024: Beginner to Expert

6 Tips for Better International UX Research

Team Research

• 2 years ago

Adding Quality to Your Design Research with an SSQS Checklist

• 8 years ago

Common UX Research Interview Questions

How to Fit Quantitative Research into the Project Lifecycle

The Best Free UX Design Courses in 2024

Open Access—Link to us!

We believe in Open Access and the  democratization of knowledge . Unfortunately, world-class educational materials such as this page are normally hidden behind paywalls or in expensive textbooks.

If you want this to change , cite this page , link to us, or join us to help us democratize design knowledge !

Privacy Settings

Our digital services use necessary tracking technologies, including third-party cookies, for security, functionality, and to uphold user rights. Optional cookies offer enhanced features, and analytics.

Experience the full potential of our site that remembers your preferences and supports secure sign-in.

Governs the storage of data necessary for maintaining website security, user authentication, and fraud prevention mechanisms.

Enhanced Functionality

Saves your settings and preferences, like your location, for a more personalized experience.

Referral Program

We use cookies to enable our referral program, giving you and your friends discounts.

Error Reporting

We share user ID with Bugsnag and NewRelic to help us track errors and fix issues.

Optimize your experience by allowing us to monitor site usage. You’ll enjoy a smoother, more personalized journey without compromising your privacy.

Analytics Storage

Collects anonymous data on how you navigate and interact, helping us make informed improvements.

Differentiates real visitors from automated bots, ensuring accurate usage data and improving your website experience.

Lets us tailor your digital ads to match your interests, making them more relevant and useful to you.

Advertising Storage

Stores information for better-targeted advertising, enhancing your online ad experience.

Personalization Storage

Permits storing data to personalize content and ads across Google services based on user behavior, enhancing overall user experience.

Advertising Personalization

Allows for content and ad personalization across Google services based on user behavior. This consent enhances user experiences.

Enables personalizing ads based on user data and interactions, allowing for more relevant advertising experiences across Google services.

Receive more relevant advertisements by sharing your interests and behavior with our trusted advertising partners.

Enables better ad targeting and measurement on Meta platforms, making ads you see more relevant.

Allows for improved ad effectiveness and measurement through Meta’s Conversions API, ensuring privacy-compliant data sharing.

LinkedIn Insights

Tracks conversions, retargeting, and web analytics for LinkedIn ad campaigns, enhancing ad relevance and performance.

LinkedIn CAPI

Enhances LinkedIn advertising through server-side event tracking, offering more accurate measurement and personalization.

Google Ads Tag

Tracks ad performance and user engagement, helping deliver ads that are most useful to you.

Share the knowledge!

Share this content on:

or copy link

Cite according to academic standards

Simply copy and paste the text below into your bibliographic reference list, onto your blog, or anywhere else. You can also just hyperlink to this page.

New to UX Design? We’re Giving You a Free ebook!

Download our free ebook The Basics of User Experience Design to learn about core concepts of UX design.

In 9 chapters, we’ll cover: conducting user interviews, design thinking, interaction design, mobile UX design, usability, UX research, and many more!