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User research can be simple

Effective approaches to user research that don't require extensive resources or specialised tools.

Thought Piece
User research can be simple
Table of Contents

Breaking Down the Myths

Let's be honest - user research has a bit of an image problem. Many teams think it requires fancy labs, expensive tools, and weeks of time they don't have. I've literally heard a product manager say, "We'd love to do research, but we're not Google." Sound familiar?

Friends chatting casually Research doesn't have to be formal - sometimes the best insights come from casual conversations

Quick and Dirty Methods That Actually Work

After years of doing research in less-than-ideal circumstances (including once conducting user interviews in a broom cupboard - long story!), I've found these approaches work brilliantly:

  1. Five-Second Tests: Show someone a design for five seconds, then ask what they remember. It's amazing how quickly this reveals whether your important stuff actually stands out.

  2. Guerrilla Testing: Grab your laptop, head to a café, and offer to buy someone a coffee in exchange for 10 minutes of feedback. Not scientifically perfect? No. Useful? Absolutely.

  3. Remote Unmoderated Testing: Tools like Maze or even a simple Google Form with screenshots can get you quick feedback from lots of people without you having to be there.

  4. Support Ticket Mining: Your support team is sitting on a goldmine of user pain points. Buy them a cake, ask nicely, and dig through those tickets!

A Real Example: The No-Budget Redesign

I was once the only designer working on redesigning an internal tool for a financial company. The situation was... not ideal:

  • Zero budget for research
  • No research team or lab
  • A six-week timeline for the entire redesign
  • Stakeholders who thought research was a luxury

I needed to show the value of research without the resources to do it "properly." Sound impossible? It wasn't!

My Scrappy Approach

Here's what I cobbled together:

  1. Support Ticket Deep Dive: I spent an afternoon with the support team, going through three months of tickets. We used Post-it notes to group common issues (very high-tech, I know).

  2. Break Room Testing Station: I set up a table in the break room with paper prototypes and snacks. The deal was simple: give me 5 minutes of your time, get a free coffee. Over three lunch breaks, I got 24 test sessions.

Coffee shop testing My break room setup looked a lot like this - casual but effective

  1. Five-Second Tests: I created three different dashboard designs and sent them to colleagues using a Google Form. Each person saw each design for five seconds, then answered questions about what they remembered.

  2. Stakeholder Shadowing: I asked five key stakeholders if I could watch them use the existing system for 30 minutes. Not only did this reveal workflows I didn't know about, but it also got the stakeholders invested in the process.

The Results

This scrappy approach took less than 20 hours total but gave me gold:

  • A prioritised list of the top 5 pain points with actual data on frequency
  • Three critical workflows that weren't even in the original requirements
  • Validation of my information architecture changes before I built anything
  • Stakeholders who were suddenly very interested in what users had to say

The redesigned tool was a hit:

  • 40% less time spent training new employees
  • 25% fewer support tickets
  • 85% of users giving positive feedback

Before and after sketches Simple before and after sketches helped everyone see the improvements

Tips for Keeping It Simple

Here's what I've learned about making research happen when conditions aren't perfect:

  1. Use what you've already got: Support tickets, analytics, customer feedback - this is all research that's already been done!

  2. Go where the people are: Don't make people come to you. Break rooms, coffee shops, or even quick video calls are all valid options.

  3. Focus on specific questions: Don't try to learn everything at once. What are the 2-3 things you absolutely need to know?

  4. Get stakeholders involved: Let them observe sessions or even participate in testing. Nothing builds buy-in like seeing user struggles firsthand.

  5. Keep deliverables visual and brief: Nobody wants to read a 50-page report. A one-pager with key findings and visuals works wonders.

The Bottom Line

The best research is the research you actually do. Perfect methodology is nice, but consistent learning is what really matters. By keeping things simple and scrappy, you can build a sustainable practice of user-centered design that delivers real value.

"Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Some user insight is infinitely better than none."

I've used these approaches to introduce user research into organisations that previously relied entirely on assumptions. Start small, show value, and you might be surprised how quickly people get on board with research.

And remember - you don't need a lab, a huge budget, or fancy equipment. You just need curiosity and a willingness to listen to your users.