Impact-Led User Research Framing template

Impact-Led Research Framing: A Powerful Tool for Structuring Your User Research

The Impact-Led Research Framing is a structured approach designed to help PMs, Product Designers, Researchers, and Founders effectively scope their user research initiatives, whether individually or as a team.

Why Framing Matters in User Research

The scoping phase is the most critical step in any research process. Poorly framed research leads to unusable insights, findings that are either too broad or too narrow, and teams spending excessive time in the field with little strategic impact.

To address this, I developed Impact-Led Research Framing—a structured approach that ensures research efforts are aligned with product decision-making and driven by desired outcomes.

This tool has been refined over four years, tested in over 100 real-world applications, and I’m excited to bring you its latest and most powerful version.

How It Works

🔹 Outcome-Centered Approach: Research is directly tied to the desired product outcome, positioning user research as a key driver of product decision-making. 🔹 Hypothesis and Research Question Prioritization: Instead of starting with broad explorations, this method prioritizes hypotheses and research questions based on their direct impact on the product outcome. 🔹 Iterative and Flexible Process: The tool encourages fluid navigation between steps, allowing teams to refine their framing as they go and ensure they stay on track.

How to Use It

👥 As a Team Workshop → Allocate 1.5 hours for a structured framing session. 📝 Asynchronous Work → Use it as a self-paced tool for defining and refining research initiatives.

💡 Pro Tip: Move fluidly between steps, revisit earlier decisions, and always anchor your framing to the desired outcome to maximize the impact of your research.

I hope this tool helps you structure your research efforts more effectively and empowers you to drive more impactful product decisions. 🚀