AI prompts for user researchers
Copy-paste prompts for the jobs researchers actually run: scoping, instruments, survey launch, same-day debriefs, and decision-ready readouts. Built for rigor, not a pile of extra templates.
Plan studies
Sharpen the question, pick a method, and recruit without a vague brief.
- Research
Research Question Sharpener
Turn a vague or bloated stakeholder question into scorable, method-mapped research questions with prioritization and out-of-scope flags. Use before writing a discussion guide or survey.
user-researchscopingresearch-questions - Research
UX Research Plan Generator
Scaffold a full research plan from a vague stakeholder ask: objectives, methods, participants, phased timeline, deliverables, assumptions to validate, and risks. For usability-only scope, pair with the Usability Test Plan prompt.
user-researchresearch-planningux-research - Research
User Research Recruitment Plan
Create participant criteria and recruitment materials for user research studies.
user-researchrecruitmentparticipants - Research
Participant Screener Survey Builder
Draft a recruitment screener with intro copy, behavioral and qualifying items, explicit disqualifiers, routing notes, and recruiter guidance. Goes deeper than a high-level recruitment plan.
user-researchrecruitmentscreener - Research
Participant Consent & Session Comms
Plain-language consent and logistics: recording, data use, how to stop, incentive, and calendar copy. Variants for interviews, usability tests, surveys, and diaries.
research-opsconsentrecruitment
Run sessions
Guides, concept tests, diaries, and same-day debriefs from transcripts.
- Research
User Interview Guide
Simple generative interview outline: objectives, question sets, probes. Need a timed session with tasks or a concept? Use Moderated Discussion Guide Generator, Usability Test Script, or Concept Test Protocol instead.
user-interviewsresearchux - Research
Usability Test Plan
Create a comprehensive usability test plan with scenarios, tasks, and success metrics.
usability-testingresearchux - Research
Usability Test Script & Moderator Guide
Create detailed test scripts and moderator guides for running usability test sessions with specific tasks, questions, and facilitation tips.
usability-testingtest-scriptmoderator-guide - Research
Concept Test Protocol
Protocol for showing a concept or prototype to learn whether the idea is understandable and desirable, not whether a flow is usable. Stimulus order, reaction probes, and build / do-not-build signals.
concept-testingprototype-testinggenerative-research - Research
Diary Study Setup
Longitudinal protocol: research questions suited to diaries, cadence, daily prompts, dropout plan, and a debrief guide. Use when one interview cannot see behavior over time.
diary-studylongitudinal-researchuser-research - Research
Session Debrief From Transcript
Turn one interview or usability transcript into structured notes: task outcomes, timestamped quotes, surprises, and follow-ups. Not a full-study synthesis. Run after each session; affinity mapping comes later.
user-interviewsusability-testingtranscript
Surveys
Write, audit, pretest, field, clean, then analyze.
- Research
Survey Question Generator
Design effective, unbiased survey questions that yield actionable insights.
survey-designuser-researchquantitative-research - Research
Survey Question Auditor
Quality-check a draft survey before launch: leading language, double-barreled items, scale mismatches, bias, order effects, and more. Pairs with Survey Question Generator for write-then-audit workflows.
survey-designquestionnairequantitative-research - Research
Survey Cognitive Pretest
Turn a draft survey into a 5-person think-aloud protocol: what to listen for, likely misreads, time estimate, and rewritten items before you field. Use after Survey Question Auditor, before the Fielding Kit.
survey-designcognitive-interviewquestionnaire - Research
Survey Fielding Kit
Launch package for a survey: who to send to, quotas and implied send volume, invitation, 3-day and 7-day reminders, thank-you, and channel variants. Not a generic email prompt.
survey-designfieldingrecruitment - Research
Survey Data Quality & Open-End Coder
Before analysis: exclusion rules for speeders, straightliners, and junk; then a codebook for open-ends with example recodes. Hand off a clean file to Survey Analysis Framework. Does not invent statistics.
survey-designdata-qualitycoding - Research
Survey Analysis Framework
Analyze survey data to extract design insights, identify patterns, and generate actionable recommendations.
researchsurveyanalysis
Synthesize and share
Cluster evidence, write insight statements, and build the readout.
- Research
Affinity Mapping Assistant
Synthesize raw qual data (interviews, usability, diaries) using an affinity-style flow: clean, code, cluster into themes with evidence counts, outliers, severity-weighted ranking, and surprises.
affinity-mappingsynthesisqualitative-research - Research
Research Insight Statement Writer
Turn themes and observations into decision-ready insight statements (Observation, Pattern, Implication, Recommendation) plus a short exec "So What" summary. Use after synthesis or affinity output.
insightssynthesisstakeholder-communication - Research
Research Readout Builder
Build a research readout deck structure: TL;DR, overview, one slide per finding with evidence and recommendations, prioritized actions, unknowns, appendix, plus speaker notes. More research-specific than generic shareouts.
readoutpresentationstakeholder-communication - Research
Behavioral Persona From Research
Build 2-4 behaviorally distinct personas from qual synthesis: archetype, grounded quote, mental model, needs vs wants, day-in-life, design implications - without inventing demographics. Complements the broader User Persona Creation prompt.
personabehavioral-personasuser-research
Related on AI UX Playground
Frequently asked questions
What are AI prompts for user researchers?
Templates for scoping a study, writing instruments, launching surveys, debriefing sessions, and turning evidence into a readout. They give ChatGPT or Claude a research structure so you spend time on judgment, not blank pages.
How should I launch a user survey?
Sharpen the question, generate items, run Survey Question Auditor, then Survey Cognitive Pretest. Field with Survey Fielding Kit, clean with Survey Data Quality & Open-End Coder, then Survey Analysis Framework. The Design & Analyze a Survey workflow chains these in order.
Best prompts after interviews?
Run Session Debrief From Transcript after each session. When you have 5–8 debriefs, use Affinity Mapping Assistant, then Research Insight Statement Writer and Research Readout Builder. Skip inventing personas until the themes hold.
Can AI replace user research?
No. These prompts accelerate instruments, notes, and first-pass clustering. They do not recruit honest participants, moderate a room, or turn five survey responses into a significant finding.