Overview
User Research Plan
![Operazionalizing-Logo-NoBack](https://uxtools4ag.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Operazionalizing-Logo-NoBack.png)
Planning Method
Suggested Time
1 day sketching / + 2 days to consult partners and your team / + 2 days if you need to read in on single methods
Level of UX Expertise
Medium to High
Materials
User Research Plan template
Participants
Project lead, consultation with all other stakeholders preferable, subject matter experts
Must have
This method can be applied to all types of innovations.
What
User Research plan is meant to give an overview on the goals, scope and timeline of your research project and helps aligning everybody on the team. In other words, it answers the who, what, when, why and how of any research project.
The basic elements of a User Research Plan are:
- Objectives & problem statement of the User Research
- Methodology & tools used
- Team definition: Roles & responsibilities
- Recruitment plan for testing and research
- Concept to share with partners and participants
- Timeline
- Reporting/ results sharing plan
Why
The plan will help you stay focused on your goals, avoid common research pitfalls (and unnecessary resource waste) and create buy-in from partners and other stakeholders you share the plan with.
Who
It is important to at least agree on the User Research Plan with all key stakeholders, even better if you can create it together with them.
When
A good User Research plan is extremely important to start good user research and should be developed in the planning stage of your program, even if you might have to revise the plan based on further insights or changed priorities.
Why it’s useful
Saves you time and resources during the project
Helps allocate budgets and adjust timelines in the project design
Aligns your team on the shared goals
Potential challenges
Needs some time to prepare if done with a larger group
Is this for you?
Get step-by-step guidance, expert tips and best practice examples for building a helpful User Research Plan
Emmanuel Zapata - Digital Agriculture and HCD, Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT
Image by Emmanuel Zapata
Mariette McCampbell - Independent Ux Researcher
Image by Mariette McCampbell
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These are other planning methods that might be useful for your research.