UX researcher and manager with 15+ years of experience specializing in generative, evaluative and post-launch research with the application of mixed-methods research that informs product strategy, prioritization, and design decisions.
My Research process
A structured approach for turning product uncertainty into evidence-based decisions.
1. Identify the Product Problem
Research begins when a team faces uncertainty about users, behavior, or product direction. –– The key question is what problem are we trying to understand?
Typical triggers include:
- Drop in engagement
- Feature adoption is low
- New product or market exploration
- Conflicting stakeholder opinions
- Unknown user needs etc..
My job is to frame the problem and transform it into a problem statement.
Example: “New users abandon the onboarding flow before completing account setup. We need to understand why.”
2. Define Research Goals
Research goals translate the product problem into decisions the research will inform. A strong research goal always answers what decision this research will the team make.
| Problem | Research Goal |
|---|---|
| Users abandon onboarding | Identify barriers preventing onboarding completion |
| Low feature adoption | Understand why users ignore the new feature |
| New product idea | Discover unmet user needs |
3. Form Research Questions
Goals are translated into specific questions that research will answer. These guide what evidence must be collected.
Examples
Research goal: Understand onboarding abandonment.
Research questions:
- Where do users drop off in onboarding?
- What confuses users during account setup?
- What motivates users to complete onboarding?
4. Generate Hypotheses (If applicable)
The team writes down assumptions about why the problem exists. Hypotheses help focus the research and define what evidence would prove or disprove assumptions.
Example
| Hypothesis | Evidence Needed |
|---|---|
| Onboarding is too long | Completion rates + interviews |
| Users distrust ID verification | Interview insights |
5. Select Research Methodology
Research questions determine which methods will produce the right evidence. Different questions require different methodologies.
Example
| Research Question | Method |
|---|---|
| Why do users abandon onboarding? | User interviews |
| Where do users drop off? | Product analytics |
| Which onboarding design performs best? | Usability testing |
Mike Mouawad –– UX Researcher/Strategist/Manager 