In short
- User research replaces assumptions about users with evidence from real people.
- Ask about what people did in the past, not what they say they would do in the future.
- A handful of well-chosen interviews per user type often reveals the main patterns.
- Research is only useful if it changes a decision. Plan it around the decision you need to make.
Also called: UX research, Customer research, User interviews, Design research.
What user research is
Every product is built on beliefs about its users: who they are, what problem they have, how they solve it today, and what would make them switch. User research tests those beliefs before they are turned into designs and code. It ranges from a founder having ten conversations with potential customers to a dedicated team running studies every week.
Research is usually split two ways. Generative research explores the problem: what people need and how they work today. Evaluative research checks a solution: whether a design or product works for them. Early products need more of the first. Products in use need more of the second.
The main methods
Two kinds of evidence
Qualitative
- Interviews and observation
- Small numbers of people, in depth
- Explains why people act as they do
- Best for finding problems
Quantitative
- Surveys and product analytics
- Many people, less depth
- Shows how many and how often
- Best for sizing problems
| Method | What it is good for | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Interviews | Understanding needs, habits, and language | Before and during design |
| Observation or field visits | Seeing real context and workarounds | When the work happens in a specific place |
| Usability testing | Finding where a design confuses people | With a prototype or live product |
| Surveys | Measuring how common a need or opinion is | After interviews suggest what to ask |
| Product analytics | Seeing what people actually do at scale | Once the product is live |
How to run a useful interview
Interviews are the most useful research method for founders, and the easiest to get wrong. People are polite. Ask whether they would use your idea and most will say yes. Rob Fitzpatrick's book The Mom Test is built around this problem, and its advice is simple: talk about their life, not your idea.
- Ask about specific past events. Tell me about the last time you had to do this. What happened?
- Look for what they already do. Workarounds, spreadsheets, and paid tools show a problem is real.
- Avoid pitching. Once you describe your solution, the conversation turns into feedback on your idea.
- Listen for their words. The way people describe the problem is the language your product and landing page should use.
- Write notes right away. Patterns only show up when you can compare conversations side by side.
Compliments are not data
That sounds great is not evidence. Time, money, or effort people already spend on the problem is.
How much research an early product needs
Less than a large company does, and more than many founders do. Many teams find the main patterns start repeating after a handful of interviews with one type of user. Keep going until conversations stop surprising you, then build something people can react to. A working prototype often draws out better feedback than any number of questions about an idea.
Research belongs inside product discovery, not before it as a separate phase. At Choie, the one-week coded prototype for $4,900 turns one critical workflow into working software you can put in front of your own users. Recruiting participants and formal testing are not included, so those conversations stay with the founder, prototype in hand.
Common mistakes
- Asking about the future. Would you use this or how much would you pay invites guesses, not evidence.
- Talking to the wrong people. Friends, family, and investors are not your users.
- Leading questions. Wording that hints at the answer you want to hear.
- Research with no decision attached. Studies that do not change anything are expensive reassurance.
- Stopping after launch. Products in use raise new questions that only users can answer.
That last point is why the final week of a Choie build is spent watching real people use the launched product and fixing what gets in their way.
Common questions
What is the difference between user research and market research?
Market research looks at the size of a market, competitors, and buying trends. User research looks at how individual people behave and what they need, so the product can be designed to fit them.
How many user interviews do I need?
There is no fixed number. Many teams see the main patterns repeat after a handful of interviews per user type. Continue until new conversations stop teaching you anything important.
Can founders do their own user research?
Yes, and early on they often should. Founders hear the problem directly, and the conversations build relationships with first customers. The key is asking about past behavior rather than pitching. It also makes outside help more useful: Choie's 30-minute intro call is about your goals, your users, and what is in the way, and a founder who has done the interviews can answer all three.
What is the difference between user research and usability testing?
Usability testing is one method within user research. It checks whether people can use a specific design, while user research also covers understanding needs and problems before anything is designed.