How to write a user research plan 

Creating a user research plan at the start of a project phase will help you to outline what you need to consider before you recruit participants and conduct your user research.

Your plan will need to consider:

  • the purpose of your research
  • what is needed to conduct your research
  • the research methods you will use
  • your approach to analysis
  • how you will share your findings
  • how you will ensure your research is ethical

You can find examples of user research plans on the user research library to help you to create your own.

There is also advice on planning user research in the GOV.UK service manual.

Explain why you are conducting user research

Explain the purpose of your plan at the start and include a project summary. This will give your team and stakeholders an overview of why you are conducting user research.

This may include:

  • defining the purpose of the plan
  • introducing the scope of the problem
  • introducing your user groups

Resources needed to conduct user research

State what is needed to carry out the research, such as other people and documentation.

You may need to consider:

  • who is available to help and what expertise they can offer
  • what documentation you need, such as consent forms or discussion guides
  • timescales for different tasks or stages of the project
  • the research location, for example meeting spaces or travel requirements
  • your budget

User research methods and tools

State the methods and tools you plan to use to gain insights from participants.

You need to consider:

  • the activities you are planning with participants, such as interviews, card sorts or surveys
  • any software you might use, like Optimal Workshop, HotJar or communication tools
  • how you will capture and record data —- for example, note-taking, spreadsheets and video recordings

Find out about when to use different user research methods.

Analysing user research

Outline how you will make sense of the data you collect so that you can identify insights. For example, using affinity mapping to sort observations and determine findings.

Read more about analysing research.

Sharing findings

You will want to share your findings with stakeholders in the best way possible. You do not need to include this in your user research plan, but it is worth considering your audience and how you might share your findings with them.

Read more about sharing findings.

Ethical approach

Your plan should consider how you will conduct your research ethically.

Read our guide on conducting user research ethically.