Short answer
User research plans and conducts inquiry that produces credible evidence about people, needs, and behavior. It helps teams replace assumptions with findings they can examine when making product and service decisions.
About User research
Plans and conducts research that produces credible evidence about people, needs, and behavior. The competency covers choosing suitable methods, collecting evidence responsibly, analyzing patterns, and communicating limits alongside findings.
Use this competency for
- Roles that plan or conduct interviews, observation, surveys, or usability studies.
- Roles expected to turn evidence about people into findings that inform decisions.
Do not use this competency for
- Roles that only receive research findings and are not accountable for how the evidence is produced.
Important distinctions
Design critique
User research produces evidence from people and their behavior. Design critique evaluates design work against goals and evidence already available.
Interaction design
User research investigates needs and behavior. Interaction design defines how an experience responds as people complete tasks.
Expectations by level
IC1
Individual contributor 1
Conducts a defined research activity with guidance, follows the agreed protocol, records evidence accurately, and separates direct observations from early interpretations.
Observable behaviors
- Uses the approved discussion guide or test plan without introducing leading prompts.
- Captures participant actions and statements in a form the team can review.
- Flags gaps in consent, recruitment, or session setup before collecting evidence.
Examples
- During a moderated task, records where a participant stops and what they say without guessing at the cause.
- Before an interview, notices that the consent step is missing and asks the study owner to correct it.
IC2
Individual contributor 2
Independently plans and runs research for a bounded product question, selects a suitable method, analyzes evidence across participants, and reports findings with confidence limits and open questions.
Observable behaviors
- Turns a product question into a research plan with method, participants, and analysis approach.
- Groups evidence into supported patterns while preserving contradictory observations.
- Explains what the study can and cannot support when presenting findings.
Examples
- For a confusing setup flow, chooses task-based sessions and defines what evidence would answer the team's question.
- Reports a recurring navigation problem while noting that the study did not test long-term use.
IC3
Individual contributor 3
Leads research across an ambiguous product area, coordinates evidence from multiple studies or methods, improves how the team makes research decisions, and guides others through methodological tradeoffs.
Observable behaviors
- Frames an ambiguous product concern as a sequence of answerable research questions.
- Combines evidence from separate studies without hiding differences in method or context.
- Reviews research plans and explains changes needed to reduce bias or unsupported conclusions.
Examples
- When several teams disagree about customer needs, creates a research sequence that separates discovery questions from usability questions.
- Reviews a survey proposal and narrows its claims because the planned sample cannot represent all user groups.