Automate the $*%! out of user research so it's not painful — and actually happens

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Automate the $%! out of user research so it's not painful — and actually happens
Automate the $%! out of user research so it's not painful — and actually happens

Get user insights without the overhead. We built this process to stay close to users as we built Coda's Packs platform. With no dedicated researcher, we automated painful logistics and leveraged the team for insights — improving the product immensely.

Get user insights without the overhead. We built this process to stay close to users as we built Coda's Packs platform. With no dedicated researcher, we automated painful logistics and leveraged the team for insights —  improving the product immensely.

Punit Shah

We wanted to do more user research, but we were strapped for resources. With no dedicated researcher, planning to scheduling to synthesis were just not going to get done.

I’ve heard a similar story from so many other product teams — user research is so time consuming, so we do too little. And yet, we all agree it’s invaluable to make the right decisions and motivate the team.

This doc presents a process and tools all-in-one to reduce the drudgery of user research.

⁠

Problems 😰

Solutions 🥳

⁠
`1. Recruit`⁠
⁠

How do I find the right users to target?

How do I easily schedule time with users? Manage reschedules, all the back-and-forth?

Import raw user lists into a table and sort with quick filters. Coda tables make this easy.

Rely on

Calendly⁠

, which makes scheduling super easy via a simple link. Automate drafting emails to users. I now recruit users in 1-2 mins for weekly calls.

⁠
`2. Interview`⁠

Managing notes, staying organized takes so much effort

Scheduled calls automatically get pulled in via the

Calendly Pack⁠

. You can include the team to help take notes, all in one place. You spend no time managing the process anymore, and instead engage with the user.

⁠
`3. Immediate reflections`⁠
,
`4. Review`⁠
, and
`5. Synthesize`⁠

It takes so much time to synthesize research that I often don’t do it.

It’s hard to figure out what we learned a few months later

Leverage your team for immediate insights while they’re fresh. Make it easy to see all the content you have, and then use a simple synthesis format that takes 10s of minutes to fill out, not hours. Want to go further? Video has been amazing to show not tell; try

Blossom’s Pack⁠

and

template⁠

to easily cut and share videos.

Keep a clean view of your top learnings for every project that anyone can visit at

Summary⁠

⁠

Try the process

⁠

Copy this doc

⁠

Clear all example data and get started

⁠

Then... delete this page and get going!

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Automate the $*%! out of user research so it's not painful — and actually happensAutomate the $*%! out of user research so it's not painful — and actually happens