User research is the systematic study of how people interact with a product, usually through interviews, usability tests or surveys. Originally championed by Don Norman at Apple in the late 1980s, qualitative user research is now considered foundational by teams practicing design thinking. This template covers the full discovery loop: initial hypotheses, interview script, synthesis into insights, and next steps. Includes structure for affinity mapping with 10-15 interview transcripts.
User research is the systematic study of how real people interact with a product — including what they say, do, think, and feel. The field was founded by Don Norman at Apple in the late 1980s, when he coined the term 'User Experience.' Modern qualitative research splits into methods: in-depth interviews (5-10 users, 45-60 min each) generate insights about motivations; usability tests show where people get stuck; diary studies reveal behavior over time. Synthesis happens through affinity mapping: interview transcripts become notes, notes become clusters, clusters become themes. A common mistake is asking users what they want — a classic Apple study showed people asked for more buttons but used products with fewer buttons more.