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.
| Technique | Best For | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Interview Design | Deep motivations, context, "why" | cookbook/discovery/interview-design.md |
| Journey Mapping | End-to-end experience, pain points | cookbook/discovery/journey-mapping.md |
| Card Sorting | User mental models, information architecture | cookbook/discovery/card-sorting.md |
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.
| Technique | Best For | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Prototype Feedback | Early concepts, interaction design | cookbook/validation/prototype-feedback.md |
| Usability Testing | Task completion, real product | cookbook/validation/usability-testing.md |
| Survey Design | Quantitative data at scale | cookbook/validation/survey-design.md |
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.
| Technique | Best For | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Design Critique | Structured design feedback | cookbook/design/design-critique.md |
| User Story Mapping | Feature prioritization, MVP definition | cookbook/design/user-story-mapping.md |
| Requirements Gathering | Constraints, trade-offs, specs | cookbook/design/requirements-gathering.md |
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.
| Technique | Best For | Read |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility Audit | WCAG compliance, inclusive design | cookbook/compliance/accessibility-audit.md |
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