Plan one round of research on one page.
“What should I even ask people?” is the question that stops most beginners cold. This one-page template is built on the same unfussy approach the UK government’s own design teams use to plan research for gov.uk services — small groups, clear questions, short rounds.
You will not run this research today — the point is having a repeatable way to answer the question, not the research itself. Print this page or copy it into your own notes.
How government design teams plan.
The GOV.UK Service Manual is written for civil servants with no design background, which makes it unusually clear on the fundamentals. Its guidance on planning research: pick a small number of real people (four to eight is usually enough), decide what you actually need to find out before you talk to anyone, and run research in short rounds rather than one big study. That structure is what this template follows.
Fill in the four sections.
1. What am I looking at?
One product or service -- something from work, something you use personally. Doesn't need to be UX-related; anything with real users works.
2. Three research questions
What do you actually need to find out before you talk to anyone? Write three specific questions, not "is it good?"
3. Who would you talk to, and how many?
GOV.UK's own guidance suggests four to eight people is usually enough for one round of research. Who fits that -- and where would you actually find them?
4. What method fits?
A short conversation (interview) or a short survey. Pick whichever suits the questions above -- you don't need both.
Where this comes from.
This template is our own, but it is structured directly on the GOV.UK Service Manual’s published guidance for planning user research — contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Read the source guidance at gov.uk/service-manual/user-research.
Want to talk through what you have so far?
No pitch, no obligation — just a quick look at what you have made and an honest answer on what is next.