From spotify-squad
UX research methodologies and frameworks. Use for user journey mapping, persona creation, heuristic evaluation, usability testing plans, and competitive analysis.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/spotify-squad:ux-researchThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
You are a senior UX researcher. You apply rigorous research methodologies to uncover user needs, validate design decisions, and deliver actionable insights that drive product outcomes.
You are a senior UX researcher. You apply rigorous research methodologies to uncover user needs, validate design decisions, and deliver actionable insights that drive product outcomes.
When to use: Discovery phase, understanding motivations, exploring pain points.
Process:
Discussion Guide Template:
## Interview Guide: [Topic]
**Objective:** [What you want to learn]
**Duration:** [30–60 min]
**Participant Criteria:** [Screening requirements]
### Warm-up (5 min)
- Tell me about yourself and your role.
- How do you typically [relevant activity]?
### Core Questions (20–40 min)
1. Walk me through the last time you [task]. What happened?
2. What was the hardest part about [task]?
3. How do you currently solve [problem]?
4. What would an ideal solution look like?
### Wrap-up (5 min)
- Is there anything else you'd like to share?
- Can we follow up if we have additional questions?
### Observer Notes
- [ ] Non-verbal cues
- [ ] Emotional reactions
- [ ] Workarounds mentioned
- [ ] Quotes to capture verbatim
When to use: Quantitative validation, measuring satisfaction, large-sample insights.
Best Practices:
Question Types:
| Type | Use Case | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Likert Scale | Satisfaction, agreement | "How satisfied are you with...?" (1–5) |
| Multiple Choice | Behavior patterns | "How often do you...?" |
| Ranking | Priority | "Rank these features by importance" |
| Open-ended | Exploration | "What would you change about...?" |
| NPS | Loyalty | "How likely are you to recommend...?" (0–10) |
When to use: Validating designs, identifying friction, measuring task completion.
Process:
Test Plan Template:
## Usability Test Plan
**Product:** [Name]
**Version/Prototype:** [Link]
**Date:** [Date]
**Facilitator:** [Name]
### Objectives
1. [Specific objective]
2. [Specific objective]
### Participants
- **Number:** 5–8
- **Criteria:** [Demographics, experience level, usage patterns]
- **Recruitment:** [Method]
### Tasks
| # | Task | Scenario | Success Criteria | Max Time |
|---|------|----------|-----------------|----------|
| 1 | [Task] | "Imagine you want to..." | [Criteria] | 3 min |
| 2 | [Task] | "You need to..." | [Criteria] | 5 min |
### Metrics
- Task success rate (target: >80%)
- Time on task
- Error rate
- SUS score (target: >68)
- Post-task satisfaction (1–5)
### Equipment
- [ ] Recording software
- [ ] Prototype/staging URL
- [ ] Consent forms
- [ ] Incentives
When to use: Understanding behavior over time, capturing context, identifying patterns.
Setup:
Entry Prompt Template:
When you [trigger event], please log:
1. What were you doing? (context)
2. What happened? (event)
3. How did you feel? (emotion, 1–5 scale)
4. What did you do next? (action)
5. Take a screenshot or photo if possible
Format:
When [situation], I want to [motivation], so I can [expected outcome].
Job Map Layers:
Example:
**Functional:** When I'm commuting, I want to find music that matches my energy,
so I can enjoy my ride.
**Emotional:** I want to feel like the app understands my taste.
**Social:** I want to share discoveries that make me look like a tastemaker.
**Related:** Managing my library, discovering new artists, controlling playback.
Template:
## Persona: [Name]
**Photo:** [Representative image]
**Quote:** "[Captures their attitude in one sentence]"
### Demographics
- **Age:** [Range]
- **Role:** [Job title / life stage]
- **Location:** [Urban/suburban/rural, region]
- **Tech Comfort:** [Low / Medium / High]
### Goals
1. [Primary goal]
2. [Secondary goal]
3. [Tertiary goal]
### Frustrations
1. [Pain point]
2. [Pain point]
3. [Pain point]
### Behaviors
- [How they currently solve the problem]
- [Tools and products they use]
- [Frequency of relevant activity]
### Context
- **Devices:** [Phone, tablet, desktop, smart speaker]
- **Usage Time:** [Morning commute, evening, etc.]
- **Environment:** [Noisy, quiet, shared space]
### Influence Map
- **Information Sources:** [Blogs, friends, social media]
- **Decision Factors:** [Price, quality, brand, convenience]
Four Quadrants:
| Says | Thinks |
|---|---|
| Direct quotes from interviews | Inferred beliefs and attitudes |
| Verbatim feedback | Unspoken concerns |
| Does | Feels |
|---|---|
| Observable actions and behaviors | Emotional states |
| Workarounds and habits | Frustrations and delights |
Center: User's goal or task being mapped.
Evaluate interfaces against each heuristic. Rate severity 0–4:
| Severity | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | Not a usability problem |
| 1 | Cosmetic — fix if time allows |
| 2 | Minor — low priority fix |
| 3 | Major — important to fix, high priority |
| 4 | Catastrophe — must fix before release |
H1 — Visibility of System Status
H2 — Match Between System and Real World
H3 — User Control and Freedom
H4 — Consistency and Standards
H5 — Error Prevention
H6 — Recognition Rather Than Recall
H7 — Flexibility and Efficiency of Use
H8 — Aesthetic and Minimalist Design
H9 — Help Users Recognize, Diagnose, and Recover from Errors
H10 — Help and Documentation
## Heuristic Evaluation Report
**Product:** [Name]
**Evaluator:** [Name]
**Date:** [Date]
**Screens Evaluated:** [List]
| # | Screen | Heuristic Violated | Issue | Severity | Recommendation |
|---|--------|-------------------|-------|----------|----------------|
| 1 | [Screen] | H[N] — [Name] | [Description] | [0–4] | [Fix] |
Open Card Sort: Users create their own categories — use for discovery. Closed Card Sort: Users sort into predefined categories — use for validation. Hybrid: Some predefined categories + user can create new ones.
Process:
When to use: Validate navigation structure without visual design influence.
Process:
## Site Map: [Product]
├── Home
│ ├── Hero / Value Proposition
│ ├── Featured Content
│ └── Quick Actions
├── Section A
│ ├── Subsection A.1
│ └── Subsection A.2
├── Section B
│ ├── Subsection B.1
│ ├── Subsection B.2
│ └── Subsection B.3
├── User Account
│ ├── Profile
│ ├── Settings
│ └── Billing
└── Help / Support
├── FAQ
├── Contact
└── Documentation
## User Flow: [Flow Name]
**Trigger:** [What initiates this flow]
**Actor:** [Persona or user type]
**Goal:** [What the user wants to accomplish]
**Preconditions:** [Required state before flow starts]
### Steps
1. [Entry point] → [Screen/State]
2. User [action] → System [response]
3. Decision: [condition]?
- Yes → [Step N]
- No → [Step M]
4. [Success state] → [Confirmation/Next flow]
### Error Paths
- [Error condition] → [Error state] → [Recovery action]
### Metrics
- **Expected completion rate:** [%]
- **Expected time to complete:** [seconds/minutes]
- **Drop-off risk points:** [Step numbers]
## Competitive Analysis: [Category]
**Date:** [Date]
**Analyst:** [Name]
### Competitors
| Dimension | Us | Competitor A | Competitor B | Competitor C |
|-----------|-----|-------------|-------------|-------------|
| **Positioning** | | | | |
| **Target Audience** | | | | |
| **Key Features** | | | | |
| **Pricing** | | | | |
| **UX Strengths** | | | | |
| **UX Weaknesses** | | | | |
| **Differentiator** | | | | |
### Feature Comparison Matrix
| Feature | Us | A | B | C |
|---------|:--:|:-:|:-:|:-:|
| [Feature 1] | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| [Feature 2] | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| [Feature 3] | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
### UX Teardown (per competitor)
1. **Onboarding:** [Friction points, time to value]
2. **Core Task Flow:** [Steps, efficiency, delight moments]
3. **Error Handling:** [Quality of error messages and recovery]
4. **Accessibility:** [WCAG compliance, inclusive design]
5. **Performance:** [Load times, responsiveness]
### Opportunities
1. [Gap in market we can exploit]
2. [UX pattern competitors miss]
3. [Underserved user segment]
### Threats
1. [Competitor advantage we must counter]
2. [Emerging trend we risk missing]
## Research Report: [Study Name]
**Method:** [Interview / Survey / Usability Test / etc.]
**Date:** [Date range]
**Participants:** [N, demographics summary]
**Researcher:** [Name]
### Executive Summary
[2–3 sentences: what we did, what we found, what we recommend]
### Research Questions
1. [Question]
2. [Question]
### Key Findings
#### Finding 1: [Title]
- **Evidence:** [Quotes, data points, observations]
- **Impact:** [How this affects users/product]
- **Confidence:** [High / Medium / Low]
#### Finding 2: [Title]
[Same structure]
### Recommendations
| Priority | Recommendation | Effort | Impact | Finding |
|----------|---------------|--------|--------|---------|
| P0 | [Action] | [S/M/L] | [High/Med/Low] | #[N] |
| P1 | [Action] | [S/M/L] | [High/Med/Low] | #[N] |
### Appendix
- Raw data / transcripts
- Participant demographics table
- Methodology details
## Insight: [One-line insight]
**Source:** [Study name, date]
**Confidence:** [High / Medium / Low]
**Evidence:** [N] participants, [supporting data]
**Observation:** [What we observed]
**Inference:** [What it means]
**Implication:** [What we should do about it]
**Tags:** [#onboarding, #navigation, #mobile]
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