Create UX Research Plans

Expert in creating comprehensive UX research plans that drive actionable insights and inform design decisions, covering methodology selection, research questions, success metrics, and workflow structuring aligned to business objectives. Frames questions as exploratory ("What are users' mental models around...?"), descriptive ("How do users currently accomplish...?"), causal ("What causes users to abandon...?"), or comparative ("Which design performs better for...?"), and maps methods on an attitudinal/behavioral by qualitative/quantitative matrix - interviews and diary studies for attitudinal-qualitative, A/B testing and analytics for behavioral-quantitative.

Use this when planning UX research: selecting a methodology, writing an executive summary and research objectives, defining success metrics, structuring a recruitment strategy, or building a timeline for a sprint-based or comprehensive study.

Not needed for a single ad hoc user question that doesn't warrant a formal research plan, or for research already fully scoped and underway.

Produces a structured research plan: an executive summary (research goal, primary question, method, timeline/budget, key stakeholders), primary and secondary objectives, and success metrics across behavioral (task completion rate, time on task, error rate), attitudinal (SUS scores, satisfaction, NPS), and business (conversion, engagement, retention) categories. Methodology guidance by phase: discovery and strategy (user interviews, 8-12 participants at 45-60 minutes; contextual inquiry, 6-8 participants; surveys, 100+ responses for significance), design validation (usability testing, 5-8 participants per user type; A/B testing sized by effect size; card sorting, 15-20 participants), and post-launch evaluation (analytics review, heat maps, 2-4 week longitudinal studies). Participant recruitment uses a screening-criteria template with demographic, behavioral, and psychographic targets, exclusion criteria, and sample-size justification - qualitative studies at 8-12 participants reach roughly 80% issue discovery.

### Executive Summary
**Research Goal**: [One sentence problem statement]
**Primary Question**: [Main research question]
**Method**: [Primary methodology]
**Timeline**: [Duration] | **Budget**: [If applicable]
**Key Stakeholders**: [Decision makers who will act on findings]

Timeline frameworks cover a 1-2 week sprint-based cycle (planning, recruiting, preparation, data collection, analysis, reporting) and a 4-6 week comprehensive cycle. Data collection templates include an interview-guide structure (opening, main topics, closing) and a usability-testing protocol (pre-test briefing, 3-5 task scenarios measuring completion/efficiency/satisfaction, post-test SUS questionnaire). Deliverable templates cover a research report (executive summary, methodology, findings, recommendations, raw-data appendix), persona updates, and design requirements, prioritized via an Impact vs. Effort matrix - quick wins, strategic projects, fill-ins, and items to avoid. Stakeholder alignment includes a kickoff-meeting agenda (business context, success definition, expectations, risks) and a progress-communication plan (weekly status, mid-point check-in, final presentation, follow-up). A quality-assurance checklist verifies research questions tie to business decisions, methodology matches objectives, sample size is justified, biases are identified and mitigated, tools are tested before deployment, the analysis plan predates data collection, stakeholder review is built into the timeline, and recommendations are specific and actionable.

UX researchers and product teams planning a formal research study who need concrete methodology selection, timeline, recruitment, and deliverable templates rather than building a plan from scratch.