How to Create a Solid UX Research Plan in 7 Steps

What is a UX Research Plan?

A research plan could be in document or spreadsheet form that serves as an overview and aids in initiating a project. It should be co-created and shared with essential stakeholders to ascertain that everyone on the product team knows what to expect. This means it shouldn't exist in just one person’s head but should be mutually constructed.

Being employed at the research project's beginning means that such plans provide a clear-cut summary of the who, when, what, and why. This guarantees that your research remains connected to addressing the initial primary research questions.

What Benefits Can a User Research Plan Bring to Your Team?

The biggest question that arises while making UX research plans is considering perspectives. After all, how can you anticipate what users might require, say or desire? It's crucial to make an effort because random activity rarely results in progress toward your goals. Also, making changes as you proceed with your plan is okay.

Let's pinpoint some of the benefits a UX research plan provides

• Encourages Alignment
  Such plans are mutually orchestrated. The same objective is defined, and all stakeholders agree to follow procedures leading up to that objective. The plan also sorts issues related to conflicts of interest that could develop later during the project.
• Stakeholders involvement
  If the plan is unclear, stakeholders are more likely to lack motivation and behave as observers rather than engaged participants in the research. Hence an effective UX research plan can make stakeholders connect properly with the study and its findings.
• UX Goals Set are the Goals achieved
  A carefully crafted UX research plan will specify the desired results and the milestones that will be used to gauge progress. These serve as a benchmark for evaluating how the plan is developing and determining whether revisions are necessary to keep the plan on track.
• Increased Effectiveness
  A research plan will aid you in streamlining the procedure for conducting research and eliminate pointless or redundant efforts. This is done by keeping the precise research methodologies and activities to be carried out in check.

Now that you have checked out how an effective UX research plan has many benefits. Let us highlight the components that every UX research plan should have.

How can you tell when to begin a user research project?

Before indulging ourselves, get into the mechanics of making a plan for user research. It's crucial to think about when user research is most beneficial. Ensure you're devoting time to research where it will be most helpful.
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Let's discuss the conditions when UX research becomes a priority.

It may be time to give UX research priority.

• You need more innovative concepts for features or other projects that address user needs.
  
• You recently launched a highly successful or unsuccessful product effort. Now you're still determining what lessons may be drawn from the event for further development.
• Your team is divided or needs more information regarding the most pressing user needs.
• When developing a new flow or feature, you might wonder what the perfect user experience would be

It might not be the time for UX research.

• You need more time to refine whatever product aspect you want to study.
  
• Your existing inquiries about your users are driven more by curiosity than desire.
• When developing a new flow or feature, you might wonder what the perfect user experience would be

Conducting user research makes sense if you have a valuable justification to complete the study and establish actionable insights.

Let's assume you've given this some thought and are now prepared to begin.

Here is the step-by-step guide to creating a solid UX research plan.

What Every UX Research Plan Should Include

Highlighting the Problem statement at the beginning of your research plan would deem highly influential during the study. Along with the problem statement, the details of your objectives, technique, brief, and reporting should all be included in your strategy. In addition to assisting you as a researcher, a research plan helps stakeholders align and ensures everyone knows the project's timeframe, objectives, and scope.
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Researchers are ensured that they have an established path and structure for their investigations by including these crucial components in a UX research plan. The strategy acts as a road map, directing the research procedure and assisting in generating insightful data.

How to Write a UX Research Plan

There are only so many best ways to develop a UX research plan, as every company is unique. The teams performing in the company could be in charge of achieving various business objectives.
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We'll outline the steps to consider when designing your plan in this section.

• Presenting the problem statement.
  
• Objectives behind the study
• Research Techniques
• List of Participants
• Test Strategy
• Timeline of the procedures
• How will you be presenting your research?

Let's understand all these one by one.

Step 1: Presenting the Problem Statement

As with most plans, you should begin by stating the issue you're trying to tackle in as much detail as possible. The same applies to a UX research plan. Your problem statement must be precise, clear, and provide enough information to the stakeholders. In this way, they can comprehend the study's core issue.
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Problem statements do not appear out of thin air. Your customer service team, often dealing with client issues, your customer service team is an excellent place to seek inspiration. Building a solid UX research plan begins with knowing what data is available and what information is still needed.

Once you are done presenting your problem statement, It's time to specify your objectives.

Step 2: Objectives behind the study

You will represent a much clearer picture if you define your objectives via

• What you’re doing
  
• Why you're doing
• What you hope to learn

Every task you give and question you pose to research participants should be motivated by your established objectives. This implies that “being specific” is crucial. You can specify the project scope and the questions you must pose to participants to gather the data you need by setting explicit objectives. Anything and everything becomes a research question if the scope is narrow enough, which is challenging to manage.

Begin with a problem statement, and specify your objectives to achieve the goals. Then develop tasks and questions that will ask participants the right questions to elicit the correct information.

Step 3: Research Techniques

Based on the pre-determined objectives, the next step is to select the research methodology to help you reach your stated goals. Broad issues must be addressed before delving into particular research techniques or UX research strategies. What types of UX research are there, then?

Although we won't go into great detail here, the following methods are widely used and accepted in research studies.

• Qualitative research methodology
  
• Quantitative research methodology

Brief difference between qualitative and quantitive research
Although qualitative vs. quantitative research may seem intimidating, the ideas are simple. Whether you call it research or something else, most business professionals desire to learn about their customers.

First and foremost, it is false to imply that qualitative and quantitative research are incompatible. Even though quantitative research is the approach that receives the most credit, the two complement one another. Together they can provide a more comprehensive understanding of a situation or problem. Both are important for gauging your customers' experiences.

Quantitative Study
The process of gathering and interpreting numerical data is known as quantitative research. Presenting data as numbers seeks to identify trends and averages, make forecasts, examine causality, and extrapolate findings to larger groups.

Crucially, quantitative research differs from qualitative research in that it uses numbers. This is thus because numbers and statistics are the results of quantitative studies.

Qualitative Study
Qualitative data differs from quantitative data in that it focuses on the why and how of human behavior in a particular scenario. It is obtained by examining participants in their natural surroundings. It works particularly well for learning about people's beliefs, attitudes, and actions. At UserTesting, contributor observation and interviews are used to get qualitative data.

Step 4: List of Participants

The correct participants (and the appropriate number of them) are one of the most crucial components of a successful UX research plan. The number of participants you should include in your UX study is a topic of discussion. The best answer will depend on the questions you're seeking to answer.

You'll require a larger sample size if you're looking for user trend information. This will assist you in establishing quantitative data so you can make a stronger argument to your stakeholders. In addition to participant count, you should consider how closely study participants should resemble your target audience.

There are two schools of thought about selecting your participants. Either get super specific or go for a wider reach and general audience. There are, of course, instances in which one will be better suited to your research needs than the other.

Hence, You must revisit your established objectives and unanswered questions to determine who your participants should be.

Step 5: Test Strategy

Making a fantastic test strategy requires a certain level of skill. Yes, it can take some getting used to. Test plans can come in various forms, from moderated user interviews to unmoderated usability tests to prototyping. You're in luck since our team has created a user-friendly course for creating test strategies.

Benefits of Usability testing

For the majority of businesses, user testing is always an essential phase. Following random ideas is preferable to having a solid usability test plan. With a project plan, you can save time and money on practical endeavors.

You run the additional risk of releasing a product that needs to meet client demands or expectations. The benefits of developing a usability testing plan are as follows:

• It makes it simpler to incorporate UX testing. Your project team may benefit most from UX research if you know how and when to do it.
  
• It enables you to get the most out of user research. With thoughtfully organized UX testing, you will obtain the high-quality information required for the success of your project.
  
• It facilitates and expedites the analysis of UX data. You will find it simpler to analyze the data you gather if you are clear about the objectives you want to pursue.
  
• It facilitates and expedites the analysis of UX data. You will find it simpler to analyze the data you gather if you are clear about the objectives you want to pursue.
  

Step 6: Timeline of the Procedures

Scheduling is essential to negate delays. Yes, making a UX research plan requires determining your study's schedule. Any project must consider the research project's duration and the anticipated release date of the results. Even if it isn't accurate, establishing an approximate schedule will help you control stakeholders' expectations of the procedure and the outcome.

A timetable should be easy to create if study techniques and participant numbers have been chosen. How long ought should UX research last? The size of each project determines the duration. Our experience has shown that research often takes between one and five weeks. Think about the following elements while estimating:

• Time required for data collection and analysis
  
• the number of team members you can have participated in user interviews and other research activities
  
• time for recruitment
  
• Considering the human element. People might cancel or show up late for an interview.
  

Many researchers avoid setting deadlines or scheduling as it can become tricky. But developing a timeline to get a fist of things is always stressed upon.

Step 7: How will you be presenting your research?

The findings of your project will be compelling and implemented throughout the organization if you plan how you'll present them from the beginning. If you establish this understanding immediately, you will successfully engage stakeholders.

Ultimately, it's crucial to pick a presentation format appropriate for your main stakeholders for the sake of your UX research plan. It doesn't matter if you communicate the information to stakeholders through a report, a slide deck, or a PowerPoint presentation. You would want to do it in a way that makes them feel at ease and encourages their openness.

The findings of your project will be compelling and implemented throughout the organization if you plan how you'll present them from the beginning. If you establish this understanding immediately, you will successfully engage stakeholders.

Ultimately, it's crucial to pick a presentation format appropriate for your main stakeholders for the sake of your UX research plan. It doesn't matter if you communicate the information to stakeholders through a report, a slide deck, or a PowerPoint presentation. You would want to do it in a way that makes them feel at ease and encourages their openness.

Appendix in research plan (Optional)

In this section, you can list any other resources pertinent to your UX study.

It might consist of the following:

• Exclusive document links
  
• Meeting summaries
  
• Stakeholder feedback
  

You can record anything that has been discussed before or throughout the UX research study in this section to preserve it all in one easily searchable location.

UX Research Plan should be Ethical

One thing that is integral to any UX research plan is ethical considerations. However, it is much too frequently forgotten in user research plans. When we ask specific individuals to interact with an app and share their experiences, should we pay extra attention to ethics? Whatever your stance, it is always preferable to go overboard regarding ethical considerations than not go far enough.

Ethical considerations need to be kept in mind when conceiving the research plan.

• Obtain approval to record or film the procedure.
  
• Obtain consent to use the data for research (specifically stating if it is required for publication is required)
  
• Explain the entire UX research process to the participants.
  

It can be annoying, and many researchers believe it is unnecessary to explain the history of the study, the methodologies, and the study's objective to every participant. However, people must be aware of what they give and receive.

Create a Research Participation Agreement (RPA) to secure the ethical issues and save time on justifications. The document is optional to be lengthy or written short.

Key Takeaways

Following these steps will ensure you in creating an effective UX research method. It's well worth your time, even though it may seem tedious. A significant accomplishment that will be recognized and valued by everyone involved. A robust research plan can ensure a solid research project, whether it actively directs your interviews or provides an active framework for organizing your thoughts. So, orchestrate an excellent research plan by signing up for UX courses today.