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+---
+name: user-research-techniques
+description: Master user interviews, usability testing, surveys, and research synthesis. Use when planning research, gathering user insights, or validating assumptions.
+---
+
+# User Research Techniques
+
+## Overview
+
+Comprehensive guide to qualitative and quantitative research methods for understanding users, validating ideas, and informing product decisions.
+
+## When to Use This Skill
+
+**Auto-loaded by agents**:
+- `research-ops` - For research methods, planning, and best practices
+
+**Use when you need**:
+- Planning research studies
+- Choosing research methods
+- Conducting interviews or tests
+- Analyzing research data
+- Validating product decisions
+
+## Research Methods Matrix
+
+```
+           Quantitative ← → Qualitative
+           (What & How Many)  (Why & How)
+              │
+Behavioral ─┼─ Analytics        Usability Testing
+(What they  │  Surveys          Field Studies
+  do)       │  A/B Tests        Diary Studies
+              │
+Attitudinal ─┼─ Surveys          Interviews
+(What they  │  NPS              Focus Groups
+  say)      │  Questionnaires   Concept Tests
+```
+
+## Qualitative Methods
+
+### 1. User Interviews
+
+**Types**:
+- **Discovery**: Understand problems and needs
+- **Validation**: Test solution fit
+- **Evaluative**: Assess existing product
+
+**Best Practices**:
+- Open-ended questions
+- Listen more than talk (80/20 rule)
+- Ask "why" 5 times
+- Avoid leading questions
+- Record and take notes
+
+**Interview Structure** (60 min):
+```
+Introduction (5 min)
+- Build rapport
+- Explain purpose
+- Get consent
+
+Warm-up (5 min)
+- Background questions
+- Context setting
+
+Main Questions (40 min)
+- Behavioral: "Walk me through..."
+- Pain points: "Tell me about a time when..."
+- Goals: "What are you trying to achieve?"
+
+Wrap-up (10 min)
+- Anything missed?
+- Who else to talk to?
+- Thank you
+```
+
+**Sample Questions**:
+```
+Discovery:
+- "Walk me through the last time you [task]"
+- "What's most frustrating about [process]?"
+- "Tell me about a time when [problem] occurred"
+
+Validation:
+- [Show concept] "What's your initial reaction?"
+- "How would you use this?"
+- "What concerns do you have?"
+```
+
+---
+
+### 2. Usability Testing
+
+**Types**:
+- **Moderated**: Facilitator guides session
+- **Unmoderated**: User completes alone
+- **Remote**: Video call or tool-based
+- **In-person**: Lab or coffee shop
+
+**Process**:
+1. **Recruit**: 5-8 participants (80% of issues)
+2. **Prepare**: Tasks, scenarios, prototype
+3. **Test**: Think-aloud protocol
+4. **Analyze**: Issues, patterns, severity
+5. **Report**: Findings and recommendations
+
+**Task Format**:
+```
+Scenario: "You want to [goal]"
+Task: "Using this prototype, [specific action]"
+
+Example:
+Scenario: "You want to find last month's sales report"
+Task: "Find and download the December 2024 sales report"
+```
+
+**Think-Aloud Protocol**:
+- "Please speak your thoughts out loud"
+- "What are you looking for?"
+- "What do you expect to happen?"
+- Don't help unless stuck >2 minutes
+
+**Metrics**:
+- Task completion rate
+- Time on task
+- Errors
+- Satisfaction (SEQ: Single Ease Question)
+
+---
+
+### 3. Field Studies (Ethnography)
+
+**When**: Understand context and environment
+
+**Methods**:
+- **Contextual Inquiry**: Observe in natural setting
+- **Shadowing**: Follow user through day
+- **Diary Studies**: Users log activities
+
+**Process**:
+1. Observe silently
+2. Take field notes
+3. Ask clarifying questions
+4. Look for workarounds
+5. Identify pain points
+
+---
+
+### 4. Card Sorting
+
+**Purpose**: Understand mental models, organize information
+
+**Types**:
+- **Open**: Users create categories
+- **Closed**: Users sort into given categories
+- **Hybrid**: Start closed, allow new categories
+
+**Tools**: OptimalSort, UserZoom, Miro
+
+---
+
+### 5. Focus Groups
+
+**Format**: 6-10 participants, moderated discussion
+
+**When to Use**: Explore opinions, generate ideas
+
+**When NOT to Use**: Validation (groupthink risk)
+
+---
+
+## Quantitative Methods
+
+### 1. Surveys
+
+**Types**:
+- **NPS (Net Promoter Score)**: "Likelihood to recommend" (0-10)
+- **CSAT (Customer Satisfaction)**: "How satisfied?" (1-5)
+- **CES (Customer Effort Score)**: "How easy?" (1-7)
+- **Custom**: Specific questions
+
+**Survey Design**:
+```
+Good Question:
+"How often do you use [feature]?"
+□ Daily
+□ Weekly
+□ Monthly
+□ Rarely
+□ Never
+
+Bad Question:
+"Do you love our amazing new feature?"
+(Leading, biased)
+```
+
+**Best Practices**:
+- Keep short (< 10 questions)
+- One question per topic
+- Mix question types
+- Avoid double-barreled questions
+- Pilot test first
+
+**Sample Sizes**:
+- 100+ for directional insights
+- 384+ for 95% confidence, ±5% margin
+- Calculator: surveymonkey.com/mp/sample-size-calculator
+
+---
+
+### 2. Analytics (Behavioral Data)
+
+**Metrics to Track**:
+- **Engagement**: DAU, WAU, MAU, session duration
+- **Conversion**: Funnel drop-offs, completion rates
+- **Retention**: Cohort retention curves
+- **Feature Adoption**: % users using feature
+
+**Tools**: Mixpanel, Amplitude, Heap, Google Analytics
+
+---
+
+### 3. A/B Testing
+
+**Process**:
+1. Hypothesis
+2. Design variants
+3. Determine sample size
+4. Run test (1-2 weeks)
+5. Analyze (significance)
+6. Ship or iterate
+
+(See experiment-designer skill for details)
+
+---
+
+## Research Synthesis
+
+### Affinity Mapping
+
+**Process**:
+1. Write observations on sticky notes
+2. Group similar notes
+3. Label themes
+4. Identify patterns
+5. Extract insights
+
+**Tool**: Miro, FigJam, physical wall
+
+---
+
+### Thematic Analysis
+
+**Steps**:
+1. **Familiarize**: Read all data
+2. **Code**: Tag recurring concepts
+3. **Theme**: Group codes into themes
+4. **Review**: Refine themes
+5. **Define**: Name and describe themes
+6. **Report**: Write findings
+
+---
+
+### Jobs-to-be-Done Framework
+
+**Job Statement**:
+"When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [outcome]"
+
+**Example**:
+"When I'm preparing for a client meeting, I want to quickly find relevant past conversations, so I can provide informed recommendations"
+
+**Interview Questions**:
+- "What job were you trying to get done?"
+- "What were you using before?"
+- "What triggered you to switch?"
+- "What obstacles did you face?"
+
+---
+
+## Research Planning
+
+### Define Research Questions
+
+**Good Research Questions**:
+- "How do users currently [task]?"
+- "What prevents users from [goal]?"
+- "Which features drive retention?"
+
+**Bad Research Questions**:
+- "Will users like this?" (too vague)
+- "Should we build X?" (not research question)
+
+---
+
+### Choose Method
+
+**Decision Tree**:
+```
+What vs Why?
+├─ What/How Many? → Quantitative
+│  ├─ Behavior → Analytics
+│  └─ Attitudes → Survey
+└─ Why/How? → Qualitative
+   ├─ Discover → Interviews
+   ├─ Validate → Usability Test
+   └─ Context → Field Study
+```
+
+---
+
+### Recruit Participants
+
+**Screener Questions**:
+```
+1. How often do you [relevant behavior]?
+   ○ Daily (CONTINUE)
+   ○ Weekly (CONTINUE)
+   ○ Monthly (SCREEN OUT)
+   ○ Never (SCREEN OUT)
+
+2. Do you work at [Competitor/Partner]?
+   ○ Yes (SCREEN OUT)
+   ○ No (CONTINUE)
+```
+
+**Incentives**:
+- $50-100 for 1-hour consumer interview
+- $150-300 for B2B professional
+- Gift cards, credits, or cash
+
+**Sources**:
+- User Interviews, Respondent.io
+- Your user base (email list)
+- Social media, communities
+
+---
+
+## Best Practices
+
+### 1. Avoid Bias
+
+**Confirmation Bias**: Seek disconfirming evidence
+**Leading Questions**: Ask neutral questions
+**Selection Bias**: Recruit diverse participants
+**Observer Effect**: Users behave differently when watched
+
+---
+
+### 2. Sample Sizes
+
+**Qualitative**:
+- 5-8 users per segment (diminishing returns)
+- 15-20 total for diverse product
+
+**Quantitative**:
+- 100+ for trends
+- 384+ for statistical significance
+- Use power calculations
+
+---
+
+### 3. Triangulate
+
+**Combine Methods**:
+- Interviews (why) + Analytics (what)
+- Usability tests + Surveys
+- Quantitative → Qualitative → Quantitative
+
+---
+
+### 4. Continuous Discovery (Teresa Torres)
+
+**Weekly Touchpoints**:
+- Talk to 2-3 customers per week
+- Mix research types
+- Share with team
+- Document insights
+- Map to opportunities
+
+---
+
+## Common Mistakes
+
+###  Avoid
+
+- Asking what users want (they don't know)
+- Leading questions ("Do you love this?")
+- Only talking to power users
+- Research without action
+- Skipping synthesis
+
+###  Do
+
+- Observe behavior, not just opinions
+- Ask open-ended questions
+- Recruit diverse participants
+- Act on findings
+- Share insights widely
+
+---
+
+## Tools
+
+**Research Platforms**:
+- UserTesting, Maze (unmoderated testing)
+- User Interviews, Respondent.io (recruitment)
+- Lookback, Zoom (moderated testing)
+
+**Analysis**:
+- Dovetail, Airtable (synthesis)
+- Miro, FigJam (affinity mapping)
+- Typeform, SurveyMonkey (surveys)
+
+**Analytics**:
+- Mixpanel, Amplitude (product analytics)
+- Hotjar, FullStory (session replay)
+- Google Analytics (web analytics)
+
+---
+
+## Templates
+
+### Research Plan
+
+```markdown
+# Research Plan: [Topic]
+
+## Goals
+- [Research question 1]
+- [Research question 2]
+
+## Method
+- Type: [Interviews / Testing / Survey]
+- Timeline: [Dates]
+- Participants: [N, criteria]
+
+## Questions/Tasks
+1. [Question/Task 1]
+2. [Question/Task 2]
+
+## Analysis
+- [How we'll synthesize]
+- [Key metrics]
+
+## Deliverables
+- [Report, insights, recommendations]
+```
+
+---
+
+## Resources
+
+**Books**:
+- "The Mom Test" - Rob Fitzpatrick
+- "Just Enough Research" - Erika Hall
+- "Continuous Discovery Habits" - Teresa Torres
+- "Don't Make Me Think" - Steve Krug
+
+**Online**:
+- Nielsen Norman Group articles
+- IDEO Design Kit
+- Google Ventures Research Sprint
+
+---
+
+## Quick Guide
+
+```
+Need to understand why? → Interviews
+Testing usability? → Usability Tests
+Measure satisfaction? → Survey (NPS/CSAT)
+Understand behavior? → Analytics
+Validate solution? → Prototype Test
+Deep context? → Field Study
+
+Always: Define questions, recruit right users, synthesize, act on insights
+```