User research is the systematic study of target users—their behaviors, needs, motivations, and pain points—to inform product decisions. It's how you understand users deeply rather than making assumptions about what they want.

Types of User Research

Generative research (exploratory): Understanding problems and discovering opportunities. Done early, before building. Answers: "What problems do users have?"

Evaluative research (validation): Testing solutions and measuring effectiveness. Done during and after building. Answers: "Does our solution work?"

Quantitative research: Numbers and metrics. What and how much. Examples: surveys, analytics, A/B tests.

Qualitative research: Stories and context. Why and how. Examples: interviews, observations, usability tests.

Common Research Methods

User interviews: One-on-one conversations to understand needs, behaviors, and pain points. Best for deep insight into motivations and context.

Surveys: Structured questions to many users. Best for validating patterns and quantifying needs across your user base.

Usability testing: Watching users interact with your product. Best for identifying friction, confusion, and workflow issues.

Field studies/observation: Watching users in their natural environment. Best for understanding real-world context and workflows.

Card sorting: Users organize concepts into categories. Best for information architecture and navigation design.

A/B testing: Comparing two versions to see which performs better. Best for optimizing existing features.

Analytics analysis: Examining usage data for patterns. Best for understanding what users do vs. what they say.

User Research vs. User Feedback

User research is proactive. You decide what to study and design methods to learn it.

User feedback is reactive. Users tell you what's on their mind when it's on their mind.

Both are valuable. Research gives you structured insight into specific questions. Feedback gives you organic signal about what matters to users right now.

Great product teams use both:

• Feedback identifies problems worth researching
• Research validates whether feedback represents broader patterns
• Both inform roadmap decisions

When to Do User Research

Before building: Understand the problem space. Don't build solutions for problems that don't exist or aren't painful enough.

During building: Test prototypes and early versions. Course-correct before investing too much.

After launching: Measure effectiveness and find improvement opportunities. Understand how users actually use features vs. how you expected.

Continuously: User needs evolve. Markets change. Regular research keeps you aligned with reality.

Common Mistakes

Asking leading questions: "Would you use a feature that saves you time?" (Everyone says yes. Meaningless.)

Talking instead of listening: Pitching your solution rather than understanding their problem.

Researching the wrong users: Talking to anyone available instead of your target customers.

Small sample sizes: Drawing conclusions from 3 users when you need 15.

Confirmation bias: Only hearing what validates your existing beliefs.

Research without action: Doing research but not using insights to inform decisions.

Over-researching: Analysis paralysis. Sometimes you need to build and learn by doing.

How Much Research Is Enough?

For generative research: Talk to 5-8 users per segment. More than that yields diminishing returns—you stop learning new things.

For usability testing: 5-7 users finds 85% of usability issues. Beyond that, you're seeing repeats.

For surveys: Aim for 100+ responses for statistical confidence, but even 30-50 can reveal patterns.

The smell test: Stop researching when you can predict what the next user will say. You've reached saturation.

Integrating Research and Feedback

Use feedback to identify research topics: Feedback shows what users care about. Research reveals why and what to do about it.

Validate feedback patterns through research: One user complaining might be an outlier. If research confirms it's widespread, it's real.

Close the loop with research participants: When you act on research insights, tell participants. This builds relationships and encourages future participation.

Track feedback after changes: After implementing research-driven changes, monitor feedback to validate you solved the problem.

Research for Different Stages

Pre-seed: Heavy user interviews, light on formal process. You're learning the problem space.

Seed: Mix of interviews, feedback analysis, and usability testing. Validating solutions.

Series A+: Dedicated research function, systematic research programs, specialized methods. Continuous learning at scale.

The fundamentals don't change—understanding users deeply. But the sophistication and formality increase.