Research planning
Use when user needs are unclear, assumptions need validation, or the design brief identifies gaps in understanding — plans what to learn, which methods to use, and from whomFrom its SKILL.md
npx -y skills add Owl-Listener/designpowers --skill research-planningAssembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.
SKILL.md
3.6 KB, as published. Nobody here has run it
Research Planning
Research is how we replace assumptions with evidence. This skill structures what you need to learn before committing to a design direction.
When to Use
- The design brief identifies unknowns about users, context, or behaviour
- The team is making decisions based on assumptions rather than evidence
- A design is being created for a new audience or unfamiliar context
- Stakeholders disagree about user needs
Process
Step 1: Identify Knowledge Gaps
Review the design brief and list:
- What do we know about the people who will use this? (Evidence-backed)
- What do we assume? (Believed but unverified)
- What do we not know? (Acknowledged gaps)
Present this to the user. Assumptions and unknowns become research questions.
Step 2: Frame Research Questions
Convert gaps into answerable questions. Good research questions are:
- Specific — "How do users with screen readers navigate multi-step forms?" not "Is the form accessible?"
- Observable — focused on behaviour, not opinion
- Actionable — the answer will change a design decision
Aim for 3-5 research questions. More than that means you need to narrow scope.
Step 3: Select Methods
Match methods to questions:
| Question Type | Recommended Methods |
|---|---|
| "What do people currently do?" | Journey mapping, diary studies, contextual inquiry |
| "Why do people struggle with X?" | Usability testing, think-aloud protocols |
| "What do people need?" | Interviews, jobs-to-be-done analysis |
| "Which approach works better?" | A/B testing, preference testing, card sorting |
| "How does our offering compare?" | Competitive analysis, heuristic evaluation |
| "Who are we designing for?" | Persona development, ability spectrum mapping |
Step 4: Plan for Inclusion
Every research plan must address:
- Participant diversity — include people with disabilities, different ages, different technical literacy, different languages
- Method accessibility — ensure research methods themselves are accessible (e.g., interview formats that work for people with communication differences)
- Situational contexts — include scenarios of stress, distraction, low bandwidth, unfamiliar environments
Step 5: Write the Research Plan
# Research Plan: [Topic]
## Research Questions
1. [Question]
2. [Question]
3. [Question]
## Methods
| Method | Questions Addressed | Participants | Timeline |
|--------|-------------------|-------------|----------|
| [Method] | Q1, Q2 | [Who and how many] | [When] |
## Inclusion Considerations
[How participant diversity and method accessibility will be ensured]
## Expected Outputs
[What deliverables this research will produce — personas, journey maps, findings report]
## Decision Points
[Which design decisions this research will inform]
Save to: docs/designpowers/research/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>-plan.md
Step 6: User Review
Present the plan. Confirm scope, methods, and timeline are realistic.
Integration
- Called by:
design-discovery - Calls:
inclusive-personas(when persona development is a research output) - Pairs with:
design-strategy(research informs strategy)
What This Skill Does NOT Do
This skill plans research — it does not execute it. Execution happens with real people in the real world. The plan ensures that when research happens, it is structured, inclusive, and actionable.