Discover Stage in UX Research: Guide and Resources (1/4)

Discover Stage in UX Research: Guide and Resources (1/4)

By Paulina ContrerasUpdated on 1 min read
UX Research Stages
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Following mentoring sessions with UX Researchers starting their journey, I decided to complement those sessions with curated web resources. Many others have published what I try to explain in a single mentoring session. This way, the session becomes less about transmitting information and more about discussing it and answering questions.

In this article series, I decided to share curated resources including: videos, templates, books, and blogs that masterfully explain what we should consider at each research stage to reach our goals.

Disclaimer 1: There are surely many more resources. If you see one that should definitely be included, especially if it's in Spanish, let me know and I'll add it.

Disclaimer 2: I must warn that many of these resources are in English, since what is still in its infancy on this side of the world is in a much more mature stage in other countries (like the US, Europe), and therefore we have much to learn from them. However, each year the number of publications in Spanish increases, and I'm betting on my part that this will continue by adding more publications that (I hope) provide value in our language.

Stages and resources

My recommendation when reviewing these resources is to read, listen, or review them with many questions in mind, questioning why it was done that way, whether it's applicable to my work context, my product or service, my type of users. How it can support my current work, and what aspects I have doubts about or are not entirely clear. Note those questions and keep looking for other ways to approach that moment, and ask for help if necessary with more experienced colleagues.

I divided the user research process into 4 stages, each of which I'll share in a separate article. These stages are:

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First Stage – Discover

In the first stage of the research process, what we seek is to understand and clarify what is expected from the project in terms of: objectives, timelines, users, who the counterpart is, and what is expected as a result. To achieve this understanding, one or several meetings may be necessary, with one or more stakeholders, or also a kick-off workshop depending on the scope of the research being proposed.

Each research stage is relevant, but I cannot emphasize enough the special importance of this stage, as it affects everything we do subsequently. If we define the objective poorly, everything we do will give us information that won't serve us, wasting effort and time. On the other hand, lack of alignment can lead us to end up frustrated because we don't meet stakeholder expectations.

Why is this stage critical?

Based on my experience and conversations with other researchers, most UX projects that fail do so because of a poor initial definition, not a lack of technical skills. I've seen methodologically flawless studies that ended up archived because they answered the wrong question.

I remember a project where I assumed that "improving conversion" meant the same thing to everyone. Spoiler: it didn't. For the product team it meant reducing checkout steps; for marketing, increasing qualified traffic; and for the CEO, increasing the average ticket size. Three months later, I delivered brilliant findings about checkout friction... that nobody implemented because marketing had already launched a campaign that tripled traffic (but of unqualified users). 🤦‍♀️

This stage connects directly to the Nielsen Norman Group's Discover-Explore-Test-Listen model. "Discover" is not just about discovering the users, it's about discovering what business problem we're actually solving. Without that clarity, everything that follows is building on sand.

I divided this first stage into two moments: the Kick-off and the Research Plan.

a) Research Project Kick-Off

The kick-off corresponds to the alignment, of all parties involved, on what we want from this project. In this first moment, we have to agree on the objectives, deliverables, timelines, budget, roles involved, team in charge, among others, of the project.

Resources related to the kick-off:

Key questions for the kick-off

These are the questions that should never be missing from your kick-off meeting. You don't have to ask them all literally, but you should make sure that by the end of the meeting you have clear answers to each one:

About the problem:

  • What business problem do we want to solve?
  • Why is it important to solve it now?
  • What happens if we do nothing?

About the users:

  • Who are the target users of this research?
  • Are there specific segments we should prioritize?
  • Do we have access to these users?

About the results:

  • What decisions will be made with the results of this research?
  • Who will make those decisions?
  • What format of deliverables do they need? (report, presentation, workshop)

About resources and context:

  • What is the available budget?
  • What is the timeline? When are the results needed?
  • What previous research exists on this topic?
  • Are there technical, legal, or privacy constraints we should consider?

About the team:

  • Who are the key stakeholders?
  • Who approves the research plan?
  • How will the success of this research be measured?

b) UX Research Plan

This second moment of the Discover stage consists of implementing what was agreed upon in the project kick-off. We put in writing all the agreements from the meeting or workshop in a document that serves as a means for all those involved to be aligned. In this document, we indicate the objective, hypothesis, people/roles involved, expected deliverables, and the methodology (method, timelines, type(s) of users) to be carried out, to achieve what we have set as our goal.

Resources related to the Research Plan:

Our own resource: Need a template? Check out our UX Research Plan - Template that you can adapt to your project. You can also use our Methodology Selector to choose the most suitable method for your objectives.

5 Common Mistakes When Planning UX Research (and How to Avoid Them)

They say it's wise to learn from other people's mistakes, so here I share a collection of "classic stumbles" I've seen (and lived through) in the planning stage, so you can dodge them gracefully. 💃

1. Not involving stakeholders from the start

  • The mistake: Assuming we know what the business needs and jumping into research alone.
  • Why it happens: Sometimes out of fear of being a bother, or because we believe "protecting" the process makes it purer.
  • Consequence: You deliver brilliant results that nobody uses because they don't answer the team's real questions.
  • Solution: Schedule that Kick-off meeting. Ask, listen, and make them feel part of the ship from day 1.

2. Objectives that are too broad or vague

  • The mistake: Setting objectives like "Understand the user" or "Improve the experience."
  • Why it happens: Lack of experience or fear of closing doors.
  • Consequence: You gather an ocean of superficial data without actionable depth.
  • Solution: Use the "5 W's" technique (Who, What, Where, When, Why) to sharpen your pencil. A good objective should be painfully specific.

3. Choosing the method before defining the problem

  • The mistake: "Let's do a Focus Group!" (when we don't even know what we want to find out).
  • Why it happens: Falling in love with a tool or a trend.
  • Consequence: You use a hammer to drive a screw. Irrelevant data for your question.
  • Solution: Fall in love with the problem, not the tool. Define your Research Question first; the method will show up on its own.

4. Not considering realistic time/budget constraints

  • The mistake: Planning a 3-month ethnography when the sprint ends in 2 weeks.
  • Why it happens: Excessive optimism or disconnection from development cycles.
  • Consequence: Frustration, stress, and deliverables that arrive after the decision has already been made.
  • Solution: Always ask: "When does this decision need to be made?" Design your study backward from that date.

5. Not documenting agreements in writing

  • The mistake: Sticking with what was said in the meeting and assuming everyone understood the same thing.
  • Why it happens: Excessive trust in collective memory.
  • Consequence: The classic "I thought we were also going to test the mobile version" two days before delivery.
  • Solution: The Research Plan is your contract. Send it by email and ask for an explicit "Ok."

Real-life confession: I remember once skipping step 5. We had a great meeting, everyone was nodding, all smiles. I went ahead and recruited "advanced" profile users. Two weeks later, when presenting the findings, the Product Manager looked at me confused: "But Paulina, this quarter's focus is new user adoption." I wanted to disappear. 🫠 Since that day, I don't move a finger without a validated Research Plan.

Final reflection: Most of these mistakes aren't technical, they're about communication. A good Kick-off and a solid Research Plan aren't bureaucracy; they're your life insurance against misunderstanding and irrelevance. Plan with care!

Exit checklist: are you ready to Explore?

Before moving on to the next stage (Explore), make sure you have all of this ready. If something is missing, go back and complete it. Your future self will thank you:

  • Research objective defined and approved by stakeholders
  • Research questions documented (3-5 specific questions)
  • Methodology selected and justified (why this method and not another?)
  • Timeline agreed with key dates: recruitment, execution, analysis, delivery
  • Budget approved (incentives, tools, recruitment)
  • Stakeholders identified and their expectations aligned
  • Research plan documented, shared, and validated in writing
  • Success criteria defined (how will we know this was useful?)

If you checked all the boxes, congratulations! 🎉 You're ready to move on to the Explore stage with solid foundations.

I imagine this list as a constantly reviewed and growing resource, rather than a fixed source of resources. So come back from time to time to see the new resources added 🙂

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