User Research
User Research
User research is the practice of studying people's needs, behaviors, and motivations to inform design decisions.
Why it matters
It replaces guesswork with evidence. Building on assumptions is risky; research grounds decisions in how people actually think and act.
In depth
User research spans qualitative methods (interviews, observation, usability tests) and quantitative ones (surveys, analytics, A/B tests). It happens before, during, and after design. The goal is to understand users deeply enough to design the right thing, not just build the thing right.
Real-world example
Interviewing ten customers about how they currently track expenses before designing a budgeting app reveals real needs and pain points.
Principle
User Research
Replacing assumptions with what people actually need and do.
Related terms