--- title: "User Research" url: "https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/user-research" language: "en" description: "What is user research? A plain-language explanation with an example, an overview of methods and tips. Learn how to pick the right method for your question." published: "2026-10-14T09:50:32+02:00" updated: "2026-10-14T12:58:49+02:00" --- # User Research User research is the systematic study of the people who use a product: their goals, their behavior and their context. It gives you a foundation for design decisions based on evidence instead of guesswork. - **Buchstabe:** U UX glossary # User Research User research is the systematic study of the people who use a product: their goals, their behavior and their context. It gives you a foundation for design decisions based on evidence instead of guesswork. Imagine a city library planning to redesign its app. The team is convinced people want more features, such as reading recommendations and a community area. Before building anything, it talks to a few people who use the app and watches them use it. The result is a surprise: most of them want just one thing, a quick way to see when their books are due. ## Explained simply User research means studying the people you’re designing a product for. You find out what they want to achieve, how they go about it today, where they get stuck and in what context they use the product. The goal is to base decisions on evidence rather than gut feeling or the loudest opinion in the meeting. Think of a good doctor: you don’t get a prescription until someone has asked questions, listened and examined you. User research is that check-up for digital products. It can happen before design starts, during development or after launch, when you want to see how the product holds up in everyday use. ## Which methods exist The Nielsen Norman Group maps research methods along several dimensions, two of which are especially useful. The first separates what people *say* (attitudinal methods, such as interviews or surveys) from what they *do* (behavioral methods, such as observation, [usability testing](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/usability-testing) or [A/B testing](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/a-b-testing)). The two often differ, which is why observing real behavior is so valuable. The second dimension separates qualitative from quantitative methods. Qualitative methods answer “why” questions and work with just a few participants. Quantitative methods like surveys or analytics answer “how many” questions and need larger samples. The right method always depends on your question, not on personal preference. ## An example Back to the library app. Before: the team plans three new sections and a chat feature, based on a hunch. After: five conversations and a look at the usage data make it clear that the home screen mainly needs to show due dates and a renewal option. The team builds that first, tests it with a prototype and saves months of work on features hardly anyone would have missed. ## Common misconceptions User research isn’t a one-off big project. Small, regular studies already go a long way. And it can’t be replaced by assumptions about your audience, not even by AI-generated answers. You can read why in [Synthetic Users: Can AI Replace Real User Research?](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/blog/synthetic-users-can-ai-replace-real-user-research). For a look at the day-to-day work behind it, see [What Does a UX Researcher Do?](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/blog/what-does-a-ux-researcher-do). ## In practice - **Start with a clear question.** Write down what you want to learn. The question decides whether you need interviews, tests or numbers. - **Combine what people say with what they do.** Add observation or usage data to your interviews. That’s how you spot where statements and behavior drift apart. - **Share findings in a way the team will use.** Short summaries, quotes and video clips are more convincing than a long report nobody reads. ## Related terms [Usability Testing](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/usability-testing), [Persona](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/persona), [A/B Testing](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/a-b-testing), [Journey Map](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/journey-map) ## Sources - [Christian Rohrer: When to Use Which User-Experience Research Methods. Nielsen Norman Group, 2022](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/which-ux-research-methods/) - [Susan Farrell: UX Research Cheat Sheet. Nielsen Norman Group, 2017](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ux-research-cheat-sheet/) ## More terms [ ### A/B Testing An A/B test is an experiment that shows two versions of a page or element at the same time to randomly split groups of visitors. It lets you decide with real data which version works better. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/a-b-testing) [ ### ARIA ARIA is a W3C standard that adds roles, states and properties to HTML. It tells screen readers what an element is and how it currently behaves. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/aria) [ ### Accessibility Accessibility means designing websites, apps and digital documents so that everyone can use them, including people with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive disabilities. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/accessibility) [ ### Affordance An affordance describes what action an object makes possible and whether people can recognize it: a button invites you to press it, a handle invites you to pull. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/affordance) [ ### Alt Text Alt text is a short text version of an image, stored in the HTML alt attribute. Screen readers read it aloud so people who can’t see the image get the same information. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/alt-text) [ ### Atomic Design Atomic Design is a method for building user interfaces from small, reusable building blocks, from single elements like buttons all the way up to complete pages. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/atomic-design) [ ### BFSG The BFSG, Germany’s Accessibility Strengthening Act, has required many companies since 28 June 2025 to make certain products and digital services, such as online shops, accessible. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/bfsg) [ ### Card Sorting Card sorting is a research method in which people sort terms written on cards into groups. It shows you how they mentally organize content, so you can plan navigation that makes sense to them. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/card-sorting) [ ### Cognitive Load Cognitive load is the mental effort it takes to understand and use an interface. The less unnecessary thinking a design demands, the easier the actual task becomes. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/cognitive-load) [ ### Color Vision Deficiency A color vision deficiency means someone has a harder time telling certain colors apart than most people. The most common type is red-green deficiency. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/color-vision-deficiency) [ ### Contextual Inquiry Contextual inquiry is a research method where you observe and interview people in their real work environment. It shows you how they actually get tasks done, not just how they describe it. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/contextual-inquiry) [ ### Contrast Ratio The contrast ratio describes how much two colors differ in brightness, such as text and background. WCAG requires at least 4.5:1 for normal text. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/contrast-ratio)