I get asked a lot about my process. People expect to hear about the latest AI-powered transcription tool (spoilers, AI transcription can’t do geordie), some slick enterprise-level platform, or the "one weird trick" for finding insights.
My go-to "toolkit" isn't a glossy piece of software. It’s a messy, hand-drawn set of templates I've refined over years of jumping from one project to the next. I've always believed that the best tools are the ones that keep the process human, honest, and focused on what actually matters. They're not about looking slick; they're about getting to the truth.
Today, I want to show you the three core tools I use for every single research project. They are my user research plan, my session template, and my reporting checklist.
The Research Plan: My Project's North Star
Before I even think about talking to a single person, I grab a blank sheet of paper and sketch this out. This isn't a 20-page document; it’s a living brief to make sure everyone on the team is aligned before we start. Think of it as a way to bring calm to the chaos.
What's the problem?
This is the core. I can’t tell you how many projects start without a shared, agreed-upon understanding of the problem we're actually trying to solve.
Who?
I break down who our users are and, just as importantly, who our stakeholders are. What are their goals? What are their assumptions?
Assumptions
This is my favourite part. I get the team to tell me: "What do we know, and what do we just think we know?" It's a game-changer because it helps us get a sense of our own biases before we even start.
A simple plan like this keeps us from "crossing the streams," a theme I've talked about before. It's the blueprint that ensures all the hard work that follows will be focused and useful.
The Discussion Guide
Once the plan is in place, this is my go-to tool for the sessions themselves—whether it’s an interview, a usability test, or a workshop. It's the simple set of questions that can be iterated to find out what’s really going on.
I love this template because it’s simple and open-ended. It’s not a rigid script. There is nothing worse than having a conversation that sounds like a survey.
The top half helps me stay focused on the user's goals: "What are they trying to do?" And the bottom half is for capturing what's working ("What works?") and, critically, what isn't ("What doesn't?").
What I find really important is he little "Top 3 Takeaways" box at the end. I find it essential and uses discipline—it forces me to find the most important themes on the fly which is critical when you do multiple interviews and themes start to build. The 3 takeaways force you to differentiate between sessions and build out a full view of users.
This simple sheet helps me capture the human mess without panicking.
The Report Checklist: Turning Findings into Action
This is where the magic happens. After the sessions are done, this checklist helps me turn raw observations into a compelling story. It's the final piece of the puzzle that ensures all the hard work actually lands with the team and stakeholders.
What's the point?
This is the most important question. Don't bury the lead. The first slide of any report should answer this clearly and directly.
What’s the narrative?
I take the messy data and turn it into a journey, a story that contextualises what we found. This is where I channel what the story is and build out the hero’s journey.
What did we find out?
This section is all about the evidence. I don’t just make a claim; I back it up with video clips, direct quotes, and examples.
Recommendations & Next Steps
Research isn't just about what we found; it's about what we do next. These sections turn the insights into a clear, direct, and actionable roadmap for the team.
Putting It All Together
These three simple, hand-drawn tools form a complete, repeatable research process: Plan (before), Do (during), and Report (after). They are my keystones for keeping the process focused, empathetic, and actionable. They remind me that great research isn’t about fancy software; it’s about a clear, human-centered process that gets to the truth.
If you need any help on putting these in to action let me know!
