6 Templates with Examples for UX Research Projects 🧰

The value of having a standardized UXR process

In order to operate UXR at scale in an organization, you need repeatable processes. Every project cannot have a unique approach. Yes, some will be unique due to executive influence, budget, user access, etc. However, the majority of projects should follow a similar process, if you're to operate effectively within product design. Our goal as UX researchers is to help inform decisions within product, design, marketing, operations, engineering, etc. in-step, not after the fact. Therefore, it's important to have a structured approach to keep everything moving quickly.

See our related article, 5-phase UX Research Project Guide (+bonus) to learn even more about our UXR standardized process.

Overarching UX research process along with key artifacts (note: 6th phase not shown)

Additionally, partners will find tremendous value 💵 in you having a structured approach. They'll begin to understand what to expect in terms of deliverables, timelines, and inputs on their part. It will not only ease your mind, but the minds of those with whom you're working. Especially when they're in other disciplines beyond UX and UXR (and we all know partnerships with many other teams is essential to valuable research).

Lastly, when you're utilizing a standard operating UXR process, you can do more at the same time. Your processes help you run concurrent projects. Your processes help you spend less time creating artifacts. This is extremely helpful to meet our main goals of informing product at speed, which is generally very fast (like, yesterday). Because when you can have your pulse on several products (and subsequent user types) at the same time, you can find insights beyond the immediate-term, and what's asked of you. You'll begin to be seen as a strategic informer for the broader product organization, and business at-large.

Yes, let's earn a seat at the company's decision-making table.

1. Write the Project Brief (Plan)

OK, you'll need to start somewhere, somehow. This is a good place. We've had many o'project where we're vastly intimidated at the onset. We've learned to curb our anxiety with writing down the basics. You can't go wrong with writing down everything there is to know about the business context, metrics, goal, etc. Plus, this first artifact comes in handy when you can't think straight later on. Or, when you need to pass the project off to someone else (partner, agency, back-burner, or teammate). Both the "future you", and anyone else will tackling the project will appreciate this essential step in UX research... detailing the Project Brief at hand.

Start by writing a 1–2 page document detailing all the basics and context of the project at a high-level. Meet with multiple stakeholders (this gives you a purpose and shared artifact to build upon), both as individuals and in small groups. Spend the first week of the UX research project buttoning down the details. It's kind of like a contract, with yourself and others. The output is a high-level plan outlining the context, goal, objectives, and approach. Even better if you invite project stakeholders to collaborate on writing it (Gdrive, etc.).

It'll feel boring, tedious, and stating the obvious. Perfect. See 10 Components of a UX Research Project Brief to dive further into this topic.

 Project Brief – Blank template    Examples 

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2. Craft the Research Protocol (Execute)

Phase 2 is where rubber starts meeting the road in terms of putting your UX researcher hat on. The Research Protocol is what's going to set you up for success (or not), when it comes to the setting the stage for formulating great insights and recommendations later on. Whether you're planning on moderated interviews, unmoderated user studies, secondary research, user observations, first-hand walkthroughs... drafting a clear set of tasks, associated questions, and a well thought-out arc is essential. This Research Protocol will guide the user through the mindset, tasks, questions, prototypes, specifics, and more to elicit proper feedback. It also serves as a great feedback tool from internal stakeholders in preparation.

Basic hero's journey of a successful 30–45 minute user interview. A "guide" to drafting Research Tasks.

Craft a detailed Research Protocol within the guardrails of the Project Brief. The output of which will be a tactical plan on the “how” to generate insights. Typically, this looks like 15–20 Research Tasks with ~3 questions per task. Carefully consider the "arc" of the guide. You'll want to take users on a small journey (kind of like a hero's journey) through your tasks and subsequent questions. Your goal is to extract maximum user feedback without exhausting them entirely. Keep 'em focused, don't lead, but do provide ample opportunities to share their honest feedback. See illustration example 👆 above. Again, use this detailed question set as a focal point for stakeholder feedback, as well as user interviews.

Hint: start broad, narrow in, drill down, back up, reflect, drill further, reflect, and summarize. See our 6-step guide to drafting UX Research Tasks for even more detailed tips and tricks.

 Research Protocol – Blank template   Examples

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3. Conduct a thorough Data Analysis (Analyze)

Here at Turbo UXR we're sticklers for a thorough Data Analysis. We record sessions. We review sessions. We document verbatim. We code insights. In summary, we spend due diligence in this phase. Some might ask... "But why? Doesn't it take too long?" The answer is... because it pays dividends in the synthesis and recommendations phases shortly thereafter. If you spend the time to stay entrenched in the user feedback while normalizing all the commentary (without jumping to conclusions!) you will find that the true insights and ideas will emerge more easily as a fast-follow. It's kind of like properly greasing a pan, or cutting cookie dough cleanly / neatly before trying to peel up your 🍪 cookies.

Example of Data Analysis Grid from our work at Metromile. Notice how the "quotes" column is most robust at this stage.

In this phase, you'll analyze the data set generated from your approach thus far. Inputs includes raw data in the format of video, audio, written, etc. The output is a spreadsheet with 20–200 rows of verbatim quotes, stats, tags, ideas for early themes, and comprehensive / exhaustive details. We find quotes to be the most powerful tool. While it takes more time to capture each and every important one, quotes retain the voice of the user, which encapsulates honest feedback and ideas. You can use quotes in presentations. Stakeholders listen to them more without bias. And no one can argue with a user's voice / opinion. Pro tip: use ellipses within your quotes to fast forward the reader (and writer!) through to the most valuable moments... like this... then that... and so on...

Grab a coffee ☕. It's time to grind out some user data. For more detailed tips, see 12 frameworks that assist in Data Analysis.

 Data Analysis – Blank template   Examples 

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4. Compile the Insight Themes (Synthesize)

Phase 4 — Time to synthesize (make coherent / bring together) of all your great user data into coherent "Insight Themes" and "User Stories". From a UX research standpoint, this is where the money 💰 is made. You'll leverage your experience, creativity, and skill as a UX researcher to make sense of large amounts of data. By the end of this phase, you'll hold standalone Insight Themes, User Stories, and early recommendations that are well-articulated and documented for project stakeholders (engineers, designers, product managers, marketers, etc.) with which to read and run.

If you only make it this far, the process makes sure at least others can move through the following action-oriented phases, with or without you (preferably with). Sometimes teams don't require you to provide recommendations, and will be content with the just the Insight Themes. However, if it's not clear, we strongly recommend to always having a perspective. It makes you more invested in the outcomes of the product and user experience.

Pull together an easy-to-digest set of 3–7 Insight Themes. These will take the form of a presentation deck containing normalized User Stories (more about this in next paragraph), quotes, title, and early recommendations along with any supporting video, audio, or visual proof. You'll also develop clear and catchy 5–10 word title for each Insight Theme (we like to pick an emoji as a visual cue 😉), accompanied by a video / audio clip to support. Lastly, include 3–5 recommendations with each Insight Theme (unless specifically asked not to). See 7 components of compelling Insight Themes to learn more about how to construct Insight Themes in more detail.

Example of an Insight Theme from our work at Meta... summarized with clear title, User Story, quotes summary, supporting proof, and actionable recommendations.

As touched on above, normalized User Stories are a key component. By normalized, we mean that all the User Stories follow the 'need statement' format, "As a user [X], I need [Y], so that / because [Z]". This makes things simple and repeatable. It allows others to easily understand your typical output. It affords stakeholders to act on their own, if you're no longer present (moved on, let go, too busy, whatever). And normalization allows you to more easily identify strategic insights beyond just this one project in your Insight Database. See 4 elements of an effective User Story for more tips on how to write User Stories with additional guidance on this normalization process.

Another critical component is the supporting evidence for each Insight Theme. In our experience, short video highlight compilation clips that are 30–120 seconds are most effective. They showcase the user experience, the voice of the customer, and their thoughts/ideas/actions in a very consolidated format. In a best-case-scenario, the collection of users summarize your Insight Theme, opportunity, and recommendations all in a succinct manner. The audio and video drive the point home, and leave only room for ideation and action by the team. In situations lacking video recordings... a photo, audio clip, and/or verbatim typed large can suffice.

Overall, when considering how to best organize your User Insight Storytelling (8–12 presentation slides), we recommend a slight variation to the "sandwich method". Start with a brief nod to the positives the user may have for the experience. Reason being internal stakeholders have spent their hard earned time and energy creating the user experience at hand. Then, outline critical opportunities to improve. End with specific recommendations on how to solve for the opportunities. With each, be sure to detail clear actions on "how" to improve the user experience.

Example of sandwich method of insight communication on TL;DR slide... start with positive, then highlight specific opportunities to improve.

At a high-level across your Insight Themes, the sandwich method looks something like, "Users appreciate / value [X], and to be even better, we need to improve [Y]; specifically... update / change / remove [Z] to accomplish this." A TL;DR (too long; didn't read) summary page upfront in the presentation deck does a nice job of boiling down this arc for the intro to your Insight Themes. See 3 points to successful User Insight Storytelling to learn more about how to best organize your insight presentation decks.

Note: save the writing of your TL;DR to the end of your process (till after phase 5), but place it in the very beginning of your Insight Themes presentation. And include a Key Takeaway statement, "If you only did one thing, DO THIS..." to keep in your front pocket. This is useful for teams that are really short on patience and time.

So go on. Pull it all together. This is where the magic 🪄 happens.

 Insight Themes – Blank template   Examples 

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5. Establish the Prioritized Recommendations (Implement)

You've made it this far. Great work!

Unfortunately, one could say that everything you've done up to this point doesn't really matter (that's being harsh, but hey, the corporate world is at times). The process so far is supremely important, but action is the outcome UX researchers are here to instigate. Action, based on user insight, is necessary to drive real change in the user experience. And 'change' is what improves the user experience, increases revenue, reduces business costs, and more. Therefore, it's time to sift out all your recommendations, reformat 'em, summarize 'em, and prioritize 'em.

Example of Prioritized Recommendations from our work at UnitedHealth (Optum). Clear titles, descriptions, value measurements, etc.

From your Insight Themes, cull 15–25 recommendations into a spreadsheet (download this below). Often times, the recommendations need further clarifying and cleaning up. We've now turned a corner, and we're really looking at forward action, beyond insights and process. What? (Insight Themes) — So, what? (Recommendations) — Now, what? (Prioritized Recommendations). At this phase, we're laser-focused on the 'Now, what?'...

For each recommendation, begin with an action-oriented verb (i.e. DO this, CHANGE that, REMOVE those...). This gets to the point, and leaves no room for misunderstanding. Also, you'll need a 3–5 word title that summarizes each recommendation into an abbreviated statement.

Think like an executive. Be decisive. Be bold (it's what will really matter when your job is over).

Output looks like a spreadsheet with the prioritized list of recommendations, each accompanied by a value measurement. Additionally, columns for the succinct title and User Story are useful. After totaling the sum of each recommendation, establish 3 major buckets of recommendations: 'must-have', 'need-to-have', and 'nice-to-have', ranging from high priority to low. Create a prominent slide in your presentation that details the 'must- and need-to-have' recommendations. Ensure your #1 recommendation is showcased clearly in your 1-line Key Takeaway statement.

It's time to get bossy. For additional guidance, see 5 methods of prioritizing recommendations.

 Recommendation Prioritization – Blank template   Examples 

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Bonus: Build an Insight Database across projects (Influence)

Yes. You're awesome.

You've managed to conduct quality user research, analyze and synthesize great insights. More importantly you've communicated clear recommendations, and now changes are actually happening to your product's user experience. All because you've pushed through each phase and empowered others to listen to the user's needs in a well-documented and well-presented manner.

Now, do this OVER and OVER and OVER again. All the while you'll be gathering user needs in the format of User Stories (that leverage that all-so-important standard need statement format!) and beginning to see bigger, more strategic opportunities for which no one in the organization may be asking (yet!). This Insight Database spans all of your projects, and houses key highlights from each.

Example of UX research Insight Database from work at Meta. Documents all Insight Themes across variety of projects to help leadership identify significant opportunities

You WILL become the expert on your company's user base. Both the existing customers / users, and target users. This is because through all your UX research projects you're interviewing them, watching them, listening to them, thinking like them, acting like them, hanging out with front-line operations who have relationships with them, etc. Very cool. 😎

You'll begin to fully understand the users' mindsets, journeys, thoughts, behaviors, needs, top complaints, desires, and more. If you're doing your job right, you'll build an internal reputation for having an excellent understanding of the company's users / customers. Whether it's the marketing team, design, product, sales, research, or leadership, they'll start to ask your input into decisions when it comes to what the user experience (current- and future-state).

This won't just happen by accident. You've created a scalable system that helps you capture and manage UX opportunities in a systematic way. Documentation is key. And making the time to do so, even more. After every completed project, move / copy over the content of your individual Insight Themes (title, User Story, quote, video, source, etc.) into your Insight Database. See 4 ways an Insight Database creates value to learn about more tools and tips.

Once per half, you'll create a presentation format of this document to be able to share with management, product partners, leadership, etc. Pull together an easy-to-digest 3–5 Design Principles from your Insight Database. Give each Design Principle a title, visual, statement, reel, context, and direction. See 3 so-what's to develop Design Principles to learn more about this process.

Example of Insight Database outputs in presentation format. Each Design Principle has a detailed page to further outline the strategic UX opportunity.

The goal of the presentation is to act as a strategic guide for user experience improvements necessary to move the business forward in significant ways. Think of this process as a macro UX research project in of itself. This takes initiative. No one is asking for this (or even knows it's possible), but it will certainly buy you a seat at the table of higher level decision-making moving forward. The presentation summary of the Insight Database is a powerful input to quarterly and annual planning processes. And much more.

After all, the user will thank you 🙏.

 Insight Database – Blank template   Examples 

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From where the process came:

The standardized UXR process we're sharing here, and the one we use ourselves, came from 3 places: school, work, and teaching others. First, when Paul from Turbo UXR attended the design research program at IIT's Institute of Design, he became exposed to a whole new world of frameworks and methods (some may call it Design Thinking). This laid the foundation for how to approach product design / innovation in a systematic, structured approach. We've taken this education and embedded it deep within our process ethos.

Second, years of hands on work at large organizations, practicing UX research within product teams honed our craft. Figuring out what sticks at UnitedHeatlh Group, seeing what drives value in a timely manner at Esurance, operating at scale at Meta... all these and more whittled away the least valuable elements, and left the most valuable core to our UX research process intact.

Third, we began teaching others how to approach UXR in a strategic, yet practical way. Discussing our process with others yielded great feedback. Showing fellow researchers our way to gather, analyze and synthesize insights exposed any holes and highlighted opportunities. While teaching newcomers helped us simplify the process so everyone can understand and use right away. All in all, this process outlined in the next section came from lots of time (and tears 😭) spent. It emphasizes simplicity, speed, and repeatable artifacts.

We're proud of it, and happy to share. And if you liked this article, check out our 5-phase user experience research guide to more tips and tricks for how to operate UXR projects at scale.

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