UX Research Study Plan Template: Background

©Developed by Kevin Liang. All Rights Reserved ZeroToUX.
com Feel free to copy and use
Any questions or feedback: kevin@zerotoux.com
UX Research Study Plan Template

Conducted by:
Stakeholders:

Table of Contents
Background 1
Research Goal(s) 1
Research Questions 1
Success Metrics 2
Method 2
Participant Criteria 2
Materials 2
Procedure 3
Background
What is the problem to be solved here? Any previous research on this topic? Why are we doing
this research?

Research Goal(s)
State the high-level reason(s) for doing the study. What are you trying to get out of it? Try to keep
this to 2-3 sentences. If you have more than 3 high-level goals, consider conducting a second
study.

● Goal 1
● Goal 2
Research Questions
This is a list of questions you plan to answer during the study. Provide high-level questions and
also sub-questions you and your stakeholders are interested in.
Your study script should be planned around answering these questions.

● Question 1
● Question 2
©Developed by Kevin Liang. All Rights Reserved ZeroToUX.com Feel free to copy and use
● etc...
Success Metrics
What are the elements of success that you are looking for?
● (e.g. High satisfaction ratings, usability scales, correct mental models etc…)
This is where you think about the potential results. If you see X results, what then? If you see Y
results, what then?

● Ease of use
● Success/failure/error rates
Method(s)
This section describes as many details necessary for anybody else to conduct the same study
and ideally get the same results.

Type: The type of methodology used ( e.g. card sort, ethnography, contextual inquiry, survey,
click-test etc…)
# of participants: H ow many participants
Duration: T he time it will take
Location: W here the study takes place
Compensation: W hat will you give participants in exchange for their time?
Participant Criteria
List the main characteristics of the people you will recruit. Be sure to know why you’re recruiting
this particular set.
Next, provide a link to the screener form.

Group 1 These are just examples of criteria.
Age Basic demographic information so you can compare

differences, if any. Have a good reason for each of these and
Gender think about whether or not you would screen someone out for
not fitting a certain criteria.
Occupation Is it a flexible criteria? Or a must-have?

Location
Depending on the study, the criteria will be different.
Criteria X
Criteria Y

Materials
List the materials to be used
e.g. prototypes, paper printouts, phones, computer etc...

Timeline
Schedule: Provide important dates for the study (e.g. when recruiting begins, any preparation or
workshop dates, the actual study day(s), and ETA of the report and deliverables)
Due Date Action Responsible
Monday, March 14th Kickoff meeting Badass UXR, PM, Design,

Marketing etc...
Tuesday, March 15th Recruiting meeting UXR, Recruiting
etc...

Procedure
This is where you would include your study script if you run in-person studies.
This is the template I created and use in my studies, but feel free to adapt it to your needs!

*If the session contains confidential information, they should receive an NDA
*Sometimes pre-questions may come before the introduction. Be adaptable to your research
goals and questions. Remember not to prime them

Before you even begin the study, build rapport. Always say the following
things (linked here):
● Introduce yourself, thank them for participating
● This is not an exam - no right or wrong answers
● You are not testing them, you are testing the prototypes
Pre-study script ● Emphasize that the prototypes might not function perfectly, and
(1-2 minutes) should they encounter problems, remind them that it’s not them -
it’s the prototype
● Introduce them to the talk-aloud protocol if you need to
● If you are recording the session, tell them that and ask if they are
OK with it
INTRODUCTION Introduce topic, but do not expose too much.
Pre-questions Questions before getting into the tasks. Do you need to explore more
about them? Probe on screener questions? Compare any before/after
sentiments?
● (e.g. Have you ever used a smartwatch before?)
● (e.g. Based on your current experience with XYZ, what is your
overall satisfaction with XYZ?)
TASKS/ACTIVITY This section is the core of how you will answer the research questions.
Write out your tasks and what you will say.
Do not ask leading questions etc...
Post-questions Include any follow-up questions to your tasks, including scales and
survey items. Sometimes you may need to ask questions immediately
after a task, then proceed to the next task.
DEBRIEF If your study involves any deception or misleading content, you should
debrief your participant. Otherwise, this part is optional.

Introduction Script
This script is meant for first introducing yourself to your participant. It contains wording that is general
enough so that you won’t share too much about the topic, but enough to get them oriented correctly. This
is what I personally say (to some extent), but feel free to change it up to fit your style and be yourself! This
should take no longer than 3 minutes.
Hi! How’s your day going? [build some rapport] Thanks so much for participating in
our session today. My name is ________ and I am a (i.e. researcher, product, alien, Smurf etc…)
and I will be moderating the session. So we’ve asked to speak with you today because my team
is currently working on some concepts/new features/ideas which we would love your feedback
on. [if applicable: We asked you to come in today because you mentioned in our screen that you
(criteria).
Have you done one of these before? [response] Great! I promise it’ll be painless :)
[administer NDA] Before we get started, go ahead and read over this NDA and sign it. Let me
know if you have any questions.
[After signing] Thanks! Any questions about it? So, I’ll today be asking you some
questions and showing you some concepts or prototypes. And because they are prototypes,
they are not final designs, (and will not function perfectly). So if you notice anything wonky,
remember it’s not you, it’s the prototype.
I’m going to have you do some activities with the prototypes, and during these
activities, I’d like you to think-aloud. Talk-aloud your thoughts and feelings as you go along.
Whatever comes to mind. Your first impressions, what you like or dislike. If something sucks or
is confusing, let me know! This is not an exam! I’m not testing you, I’m testing the concepts out.
There are no right or wrong answers, just want your honest feedback.
Also, I didn’t make these things, so you’re not going to hurt my feelings nor compliment
me. In fact, I am a neutral evaluator, and your honest opinions and feedback will be useful in
helping the team decide how to improve it, so don’t hold back, go all out.
Logistics
Alright, if you need to leave for whatever reason, you are free to do so, just let me know.
You’ll still receive your full thank you gift regardless of when you leave (preferably not right
now! Harharhar jokes and laughs and stuffs). Also, no breaks are scheduled but if you have to
use the restroom or anything, just let me know.
[if recording] F
inally, are you okay with me audio and video recording the session? It’ll
only be used internally for research and will not be shared beyond _______. Are you okay with
that? [response] And finally FINALLY, there may be others watching on a livestream taking
notes, but no need to worry about them. Just you and me, I might ask them if they have any
questions for you at the end and I’ll relay them to you.

UX Research Study Plan Template: Background

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

UX Research Study Plan Template: Background

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

©Developed by Kevin Liang. All Rights Reserved ZeroToUX.

com Feel free to copy and use

Any questions or feedback: kevin@zerotoux.com