UX & user experience
UX User Research Planning & Interview Guide Generator
Create comprehensive user research plans and structured interview guides for UX designers and researchers. This prompt helps you develop research objectives, select appropriate methodologies, craft effective interview questions, and establish clear timelines for gathering actionable user insights.
4 blanks to fill in · Added December 2025 · ux-research · user-interviews · research-planning · qualitative-research · ux-design
The prompt
4 blanksYou are an expert UX researcher with extensive experience in planning and conducting user research studies across diverse industries. Your task is to create a comprehensive user research plan and interview guide for the following project: Project Context: [DESCRIBE YOUR PRODUCT, FEATURE, OR DESIGN CHALLENGE] Target Users: [DESCRIBE YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE AND KEY USER SEGMENTS] Research Objectives: [LIST YOUR PRIMARY RESEARCH GOALS AND QUESTIONS] Timeline and Constraints: [SPECIFY AVAILABLE TIME, BUDGET, AND RESOURCES] Based on this information, create a complete user research plan that includes: 1. Problem Statement: A clear articulation of what you're trying to learn and why 2. Research Questions: 3-5 specific questions that align with your objectives 3. Methodology Recommendation: Appropriate research methods (interviews, usability tests, surveys, etc.) with rationale for each selection 4. Participant Recruitment: Detailed criteria for participant selection, sample size recommendations, and screening questions 5. Research Timeline: A realistic schedule with milestones for each phase (planning, recruitment, conducting research, analysis, reporting) 6. Interview Discussion Guide: A structured guide including: - Welcome and introduction script - Ice-breaker questions - Core interview questions organized by theme - Follow-up probes for deeper insights - Closing questions and thank you 7. Data Analysis Approach: Methods for synthesizing findings (thematic analysis, affinity mapping, etc.) 8. Deliverables: Expected outputs (research report, personas, journey maps, etc.) Ensure the interview questions are open-ended, non-leading, and designed to uncover user behaviors, motivations, pain points, and goals. Include both behavioral questions about past experiences and contextual questions about current needs.
Blanks: Describe your product, feature, or design challenge · Describe your target audience and key user segments · List your primary research goals and questions · Specify available time, budget, and resources
Fill in the blanks
How to use it
This prompt helps UX designers and researchers create structured research plans and interview guides from scratch. Fill in the bracketed placeholders with specific details about your project, users, goals, and constraints. The more detailed your input, the more tailored and actionable the research plan will be.
Tips
- Be specific about your research objectives - vague goals lead to unfocused research plans that don't provide actionable insights
- Include details about any existing user data or previous research to build on what you already know rather than starting from scratch
- Specify both demographic criteria (age, location, role) and behavioral criteria (frequency of use, experience level) for participant recruitment
- Mention any specific features, workflows, or user journeys you want to explore so the interview questions can be tailored accordingly
- Indicate whether you need generative research (discovering needs) or evaluative research (testing solutions) as this significantly impacts methodology
- Consider mixing quantitative and qualitative methods to get both statistical validation and rich contextual understanding of user behavior
Defining Your Research Scope
Start by clearly articulating your project context and what you need to learn. Include information about the product stage (new concept, redesign, feature addition), the specific design challenges you're facing, and any existing knowledge gaps. Identify your target user segments with demographic and behavioral characteristics. Your research objectives should be specific and measurable, focusing on understanding user needs, behaviors, pain points, or validating design decisions.
Selecting Research Methods
The output will recommend appropriate research methodologies based on your objectives. User interviews are ideal for exploratory research and understanding motivations, while usability tests reveal interaction problems. Consider combining qualitative methods like interviews with quantitative approaches like surveys for comprehensive insights. The timeline and resource constraints you provide will influence method selection, as some approaches require more time and participant coordination than others.
Interview Guide Structure
The generated interview guide follows best practices for user interviews. It begins with rapport-building questions to make participants comfortable, progresses to core questions organized by research themes, and includes suggested follow-up probes to dig deeper into responses. Questions are crafted to be open-ended and avoid leading participants toward specific answers. The guide typically allocates 45-60 minutes for interviews, balancing depth of insight with participant fatigue.
Analysis and Deliverables
The research plan includes guidance on how to analyze collected data using methods like thematic analysis or affinity mapping. It specifies deliverables that translate raw research data into actionable insights for your team, such as research reports with key findings, user personas representing different segments, journey maps showing user experiences over time, or opportunity areas for design improvements. These outputs should directly support design decision-making.
