Emma presents the Eight Pillars of User Research — the broad areas researchers care about — drawn from the Research Ops community’s #WhatIsResearchOps work, as a practical way to understand priorities before operationalising research.
People
Emma Boulton
Methods
Research RepositoryCentralised storage, tagging, and synthesis of research insights
Participant RecruitmentParticipant recruitment finds people whose experience can answer the study’s research questions. Define the relevant user groups and screening criteria before choosing channels such as existing customers, specialist organisations or recruitment agencies. Include people with different access needs, and arrange suitable communication, locations and support. Explain the study, obtain informed consent and schedule participation without pressure. Use recruitment planning before interviews, observation or testing; selecting convenient colleagues can produce findings that poorly represent the people a service must support.
Insight SynthesisTurning raw notes, clips and data into shared findings — affinity mapping, themes, opportunity areas — so research informs decisions rather than sitting unused.
User InterviewsUser interviews explore people’s circumstances, experiences and needs through a guided conversation. Use them when you need to understand a problem in depth or learn how a service fits into someone’s life. Recruit current or likely users, prepare open questions and possible follow-ups, and ask for concrete examples rather than idealised accounts. Start with consent, listen carefully, and allow useful unexpected topics to emerge. A discussion guide keeps the research focused without turning it into a rigid questionnaire. Interviews can accompany usability tests when you also need to observe people using a service.