Summary: Every UX research project should start with a plan. Project plans document the goals, methods, and logistics necessary to repeat the study.

Why Plans Matter

Creating a project plan structures your thinking around the research activity. Plans keep stakeholders involved and informed, while reducing the need for calls and meetings. Documenting your research-project planning can help prevent misunderstandings, unwanted method variation, and unnecessary rework.

A research-project plan is a living document that is shared and updated as needed. After your study, edit the plan to serve as the record of your research method. Plans take the work away from your limited memory and provide a convenient place to keep track of the many documents generated by each project.

The benefits of checklists are well known to people doing complex tasks, such as surgical staff and pilots. Busy people in distracting situations often forget to do something important, despite having many years of experience with a procedure. This checklist is meant to ensure that you don’t overlook any important elements when planning research studies.

What to Include in Your Research Plan

In the beginning, your research project plan should include not only the information needed during the actual study sessions, but also various information that the team may make use of beforehand. Most plans should cover:

Purpose of the plan

Information about what you will be conducting research on, such as basics about the product, method, and rationale

Purpose and goals of the research study

User tasks, metrics, and usability goals, such as maximum time on task and other success criteria (if applicable)

User profiles (characteristics of target participants for the research)

Screening questionnaire and recruitment plan (if applicable)

Expectations about deliverables and timing

Team Expectations and roles To-do lists

Note-taking and question-asking guidelines for observers, including how to collaborate in effective data gathering without biasing the sessions

Schedule

Facilitator script with questions for participants, including user scenarios (if applicable) and consent forms

Location information and contact details

Test setup, including equipment and supplies

Important Planning Considerations

Get stakeholders’ signoff on plans, so everyone understands what’s in scope and how you will meet the research goals . Provide written goals, user profiles, tasks, and participant scenarios as soon as possible, so any concerns and questions can be discussed well in advance.

. Provide written goals, user profiles, tasks, and participant scenarios as soon as possible, so any concerns and questions can be discussed well in advance. Research participants can sometimes be controversial, so keep stakeholders informed periodically by sharing the details of the recruits as they are scheduled. But don’t include participants’ names and identifying information in plans — use numbers (P1, P2, etc.) instead to preserve their privacy. If screening criteria need to be adjusted during recruitment, having this shared understanding can make rapid changes easier to accomplish.

periodically by sharing the details of the recruits as they are scheduled. But don’t include participants’ names and identifying information in plans — use numbers (P1, P2, etc.) instead to preserve their privacy. If screening criteria need to be adjusted during recruitment, having this shared understanding can make rapid changes easier to accomplish. Think through all the logistics : First, consider the schedule for research sessions, building in time for pilot session(s), lunches, and debrief and regroup time between participants, so you can have solid appointment times for recruitment. Choose the location where you will conduct the research. Gather logistic information (such as maps, nearest hotels, and travel contacts) to help the research team have a great experience. Arrange any needed onsite support , such as IT staff, equipment, chairs, desks, tables, catering, beverages, and snacks. Decide how to compensate study participants. If you will pay them directly at the time of the study, plan to obtain the needed cash, gift certificates, or checks. If you have observers , consider how many you can accommodate and how they can best help with data capture. Make a checklist of items needed for a user study. Share contacts , including everyone’s mobile phone numbers for urgent issues. Consider information sharing : when and how to disseminate information during and after the study.

: Consent forms are required for all participants in order to inform them of the purpose of the study and get their agreement in a way that protects everyone legally. The exact wording may require approval in advance by stakeholders and any businesses you may visit for the research. Include at a minimum: what the study involves, who is conducting the research, why you’re doing it, the date, any incentive paid (phrase this part to double as a receipt), which information will be collected and how (including recording details), and which information will be shared with whom (including any NDA requirement).

are required for all participants in order to inform them of the purpose of the study and get their agreement in a way that protects everyone legally. The exact wording may require approval in advance by stakeholders and any businesses you may visit for the research. Include at a minimum: what the study involves, who is conducting the research, why you’re doing it, the date, any incentive paid (phrase this part to double as a receipt), which information will be collected and how (including recording details), and which information will be shared with whom (including any NDA requirement). Provide tips for observers . Coach people in what to look for, how to take good notes, and how best to participate without interrupting. Set expectations about what to do and not do, and explain why that’s important to the research. Print observer guidelines to help everyone stay on track.

. Coach people in what to look for, how to take good notes, and how best to participate without interrupting. Set expectations about what to do and not do, and explain why that’s important to the research. Print observer guidelines to help everyone stay on track. Plan data capture, analysis, and reporting . Consider carefully how you will analyze the data and report it. Then plan a data-capturing method (and a fallback method) that meets your needs. Consider the abilities of the observers, the situation, and concerns of your participants. Plan to keep data confidential, and identify who will be responsible for protecting it appropriately.

. Consider carefully how you will analyze the data and report it. Then plan a data-capturing method (and a fallback method) that meets your needs. Consider the abilities of the observers, the situation, and concerns of your participants. Plan to keep data confidential, and identify who will be responsible for protecting it appropriately. Make a Plan B . What could possibly go wrong? Don’t assume that you’ll be able to record audio or video, even if that’s the plan. Plan around not being able to print, get text messages, or use your devices. Decide what to do if anyone runs late or cancels at the last minute.

. What could possibly go wrong? Don’t assume that you’ll be able to record audio or video, even if that’s the plan. Plan around not being able to print, get text messages, or use your devices. Decide what to do if anyone runs late or cancels at the last minute. Make a detailed facilitation script that includes introductions, instructions, any needed prompts for materials exchanges, timing cues for switching tasks and turning tools on and off, task scenarios, questions you plan to ask, and so on. Plan how to edit scripts between sessions as needed. Scripts usually include some of these components: Introduction Thank the participant. Introduce yourself and explain why you are doing the study. Set expectations for how the session will proceed. Get consent from the participant in writing. If applicable, give the participant the compensation for the study. Go over any instructions and, if you’re using a think-aloud method, read the think-aloud instructions to the participants and maybe show them a quick demo of what’s expected. Alternatively, ask people to read the instructions to you, and then ask if they have any questions about the process. Initial questions Depending on the type of research you’re doing, you may want to ask some questions at the beginning of the session. For example, you might want to ask open-ended questions about the person’s role, experience with the task domain, industry, product, competitors, and so on. It might be helpful to ask what participants expect and what they hope for when using a system like yours. Interview or observations Depending on your research, you might be asking structured interview questions or watching people do tasks. Your script should contain planned wording for you to read as needed, so that you won’t accidentally introduce variations that might bias the answers. It’s often necessary to change wording, or to add or remove questions in the script between sessions. Some situations could require you to invent probing questions on the spot, as well, when interesting things occur. Set expectations with stakeholders that some variation will occur. Scenarios If your research will have a hands-on component, ask participants to read scenarios (one at a time) and show you how they would do the activities, while you watch quietly and take notes. Optional: After each scenario is complete, you might want to ask people to rate how easy or difficult it was for them. The Single Ease Question is designed for this purpose. The best reason to use rating questions in qualitative research is to ask, “Why did you give it that rating?” afterward, so be sure to ask that each time too. You might also want to compare ratings over many research projects having the same scenarios. People are notoriously inconsistent at assigning numbers to ease of use, however, so you may find that the numbers or the reasons people state for their rating are at odds with what you observed in the session. Even so, the rationale for the rating may point to top-of-mind concerns. Final Questions Near the end of the research session, ask about anything that you didn’t understand or need more information about. Other useful questions include: What did you like the most and the least about [X], and why? How do you normally do [Y activity] today; what’s easy and difficult about that? What could make that easier to do? Do you have any questions for me? Leave time for any observer questions and answers. Consider asking for permission to follow up with an additional question later. Ask people to contact you if they think of something else they want to tell you. You could also ask if the participant would like to be contacted for future research projects. If you used an outside recruiter, however, you should talk with the recruiter about that, not the participant.

that includes introductions, instructions, any needed prompts for materials exchanges, timing cues for switching tasks and turning tools on and off, task scenarios, questions you plan to ask, and so on. Plan how to edit scripts between sessions as needed. Scripts usually include some of these components:

What to Include in Your Final Research Plan

The final version of your project plan should serve as a record of the research at the level of detail required to replicate the study in the future. Start with the plan you used for the study and remove unneeded detail or add new sections as needed. Be sure to update anything that changed, such as script and scenario wording.

Include information about:

Team and product basics

Research purpose, method, and goals

User profiles and anonymized participant profiles

Screening questionnaire and recruitment plan (if applicable)

Checklists, schedule, script, documents, and forms

Anything that might be helpful to know about the location and travel

Any tested prototypes, any photos, screenshots, or other important artifacts from the research study

Deliverables list (file names, formats, responsible person, location), for the raw data, recordings, and report, if any

What to Deliver

Preliminary findings list

Bug list (for the developers)

Report, slide deck, or end prototype

Recordings and other raw data

Final research plan

Conclusion

Research-project plans are essential tools that help keep stakeholders informed. Planning helps you to remember what to do and to keep track of where you are in the research process. Each research project is a little different, so plans differ in structure and content. Make a research-plan template that you can modify as needed to save time in the future.