User Research - User Understanding Guide
Design research approaches that reveal what users actually need, do, and experience. Move from assumptions to evidence about your users.
Start Here
New to research? Read workflow/research-planning.md first.
Know what you need? Read workflow/phase-selection.md to find the right technique.
Quick Phase Reference
| Phase |
When |
Techniques |
| Discovery |
Don't know enough about users |
Interviews, Journey Maps, Card Sorting |
| Validation |
Testing if solution works |
Prototypes, Usability, Surveys |
| Design |
Shaping the output |
Critique, Story Maps, Requirements |
| Compliance |
Meeting standards |
Accessibility Audit |
Default: Start with Discovery interviews, use Validation surveys for scale.
Phase 1: Discovery
Goal: Understand users deeply before building anything.
Use Discovery when you don't know what users actually need, or need to understand the problem before solving it.
Triggers: "understand users", "what do they need", "pain points", "problem space", "discovery"
Phase 2: Validation
Goal: Test whether your solution works for users.
Use Validation when you have a design or prototype and need evidence that it works.
Triggers: "test this design", "will it work", "validate", "feedback", "measure"
Phase 3: Design Support
Goal: Shape output with research-informed decisions.
Use Design Support when evaluating options, prioritizing features, or documenting constraints.
Triggers: "prioritize features", "what to build", "requirements", "critique", "constraints"
Phase 4: Compliance
Goal: Ensure the product meets standards.
Use Compliance when preparing for launch or ensuring inclusive access.
Triggers: "accessibility", "WCAG", "inclusive", "a11y", "compliance"
Core Principles
- Observe behavior, not just words - What people do often differs from what they say
- Ask "why" and "show me" - Surface explanations hide deeper truths
- Recruit the right users - Wrong participants = wrong insights
- Separate research from validation - Don't seek confirmation of your ideas
- Document and share - Insights locked in your head don't help the team
When User Research Works Best
- Building something new (discovery)
- Existing product isn't performing (diagnosis)
- Prioritizing features (evidence-based decisions)
- Resolving internal debates (let users decide)
- Before major investment (de-risk)
The Research Mindset
- Curiosity over confirmation: Seek to learn, not to prove
- Empathy over judgment: Understand their world, don't evaluate it
- Patterns over anecdotes: One user's opinion isn't data
- Action over analysis: Research should drive decisions
1---2name: user-research-23description: Design and conduct user research to understand needs, behaviors, and experiences. Use when user wants "journey mapping", "user interviews", "survey design", "usability testing", "user research", "customer discovery", "card sorting", "information architecture", "accessibility audit", "design critique", "prototype testing", "requirements gathering", "discovery phase", "validation phase", "research planning", or needs to understand users deeply.4---5
6# User Research - User Understanding Guide
7
8Design research approaches that reveal what users actually need, do, and experience. Move from assumptions to evidence about your users.
9
10## Start Here
11
12**New to research?** Read [workflow/research-planning.md](./workflow/research-planning.md) first.
13
14**Know what you need?** Read [workflow/phase-selection.md](./workflow/phase-selection.md) to find the right technique.
15
16## Quick Phase Reference
17
18| Phase | When | Techniques |
19|-------|------|------------|
20| **Discovery** | Don't know enough about users | Interviews, Journey Maps, Card Sorting |
21| **Validation** | Testing if solution works | Prototypes, Usability, Surveys |
22| **Design** | Shaping the output | Critique, Story Maps, Requirements |
23| **Compliance** | Meeting standards | Accessibility Audit |
24
25**Default**: Start with Discovery interviews, use Validation surveys for scale.
26
27## Phase 1: Discovery
28
29**Goal**: Understand users deeply before building anything.
30
31Use Discovery when you don't know what users actually need, or need to understand the problem before solving it.
32
33| Technique | Best For | Read |
34|-----------|----------|------|
35| **Interview Design** | Deep motivations, context, "why" | [cookbook/discovery/interview-design.md](./cookbook/discovery/interview-design.md) |
36| **Journey Mapping** | End-to-end experience, pain points | [cookbook/discovery/journey-mapping.md](./cookbook/discovery/journey-mapping.md) |
37| **Card Sorting** | User mental models, information architecture | [cookbook/discovery/card-sorting.md](./cookbook/discovery/card-sorting.md) |
38
39**Triggers**: "understand users", "what do they need", "pain points", "problem space", "discovery"
40
41## Phase 2: Validation
42
43**Goal**: Test whether your solution works for users.
44
45Use Validation when you have a design or prototype and need evidence that it works.
46
47| Technique | Best For | Read |
48|-----------|----------|------|
49| **Prototype Feedback** | Early concepts, interaction design | [cookbook/validation/prototype-feedback.md](./cookbook/validation/prototype-feedback.md) |
50| **Usability Testing** | Task completion, real product | [cookbook/validation/usability-testing.md](./cookbook/validation/usability-testing.md) |
51| **Survey Design** | Quantitative data at scale | [cookbook/validation/survey-design.md](./cookbook/validation/survey-design.md) |
52
53**Triggers**: "test this design", "will it work", "validate", "feedback", "measure"
54
55## Phase 3: Design Support
56
57**Goal**: Shape output with research-informed decisions.
58
59Use Design Support when evaluating options, prioritizing features, or documenting constraints.
60
61| Technique | Best For | Read |
62|-----------|----------|------|
63| **Design Critique** | Structured design feedback | [cookbook/design/design-critique.md](./cookbook/design/design-critique.md) |
64| **User Story Mapping** | Feature prioritization, MVP definition | [cookbook/design/user-story-mapping.md](./cookbook/design/user-story-mapping.md) |
65| **Requirements Gathering** | Constraints, trade-offs, specs | [cookbook/design/requirements-gathering.md](./cookbook/design/requirements-gathering.md) |
66
67**Triggers**: "prioritize features", "what to build", "requirements", "critique", "constraints"
68
69## Phase 4: Compliance
70
71**Goal**: Ensure the product meets standards.
72
73Use Compliance when preparing for launch or ensuring inclusive access.
74
75| Technique | Best For | Read |
76|-----------|----------|------|
77| **Accessibility Audit** | WCAG compliance, inclusive design | [cookbook/compliance/accessibility-audit.md](./cookbook/compliance/accessibility-audit.md) |
78
79**Triggers**: "accessibility", "WCAG", "inclusive", "a11y", "compliance"
80
81## Core Principles
82
831. **Observe behavior, not just words** - What people do often differs from what they say
842. **Ask "why" and "show me"** - Surface explanations hide deeper truths
853. **Recruit the right users** - Wrong participants = wrong insights
864. **Separate research from validation** - Don't seek confirmation of your ideas
875. **Document and share** - Insights locked in your head don't help the team
88
89## When User Research Works Best
90
91- Building something new (discovery)
92- Existing product isn't performing (diagnosis)
93- Prioritizing features (evidence-based decisions)
94- Resolving internal debates (let users decide)
95- Before major investment (de-risk)
96
97## The Research Mindset
98
99- **Curiosity over confirmation**: Seek to learn, not to prove
100- **Empathy over judgment**: Understand their world, don't evaluate it
101- **Patterns over anecdotes**: One user's opinion isn't data
102- **Action over analysis**: Research should drive decisions
majiayu000