Research Planner

Installation

Via Clawdhub:

clawdhub install research-planner

Manual Installation:

npx skills add https://github.com/NKZ55/research-planner/tree/main/skills/research-planner

Research Planner

Market and user research planning skill focused on research design and documentation, not on data analysis.

This skill is inspired by systematic frameworks from:

• User/UX research books
  • Erika Hall, Just Enough Research (research strategy, scoping, stakeholder alignment)
  • Steve Portigal, Interviewing Users (study design and interview materials)
  • C. J. Hoefflich & Jeff Sauro, Quantifying the User Experience (quantitative UX measures and study design – used here for planning, not analysis)
• Market research and consulting
  • Naresh Malhotra, Marketing Research (problem definition → research design → data collection plan)
  • McKinsey-style hypothesis-driven, MECE research framing (issue trees, key questions, assumptions)
• Online frameworks
  • Nielsen Norman Group research-planning guidance (research plans, research methods overview)
  • Practice-oriented UX research strategy guides such as The Ultimate Guide to Research Strategy

This skill helps the agent:

• Select appropriate research methods given the user's goal, constraints, and audience
• Turn a chosen method into concrete research artifacts (screeners, questionnaires, discussion guides, task lists, etc.)
• Structure research projects into clear phases and deliverables

Data analysis (qualitative coding, statistical analysis, report writing) is explicitly out of scope and should be delegated to analysis-focused skills (for example, interview-analysis skills such as Interview Analyst).

Scope

• In scope

  • Clarifying research objectives and hypotheses
  • Choosing suitable research methods (e.g., in-depth interviews, usability tests, surveys, diary studies, field research, concept tests)
  • Designing multi-method research plans (mixed methods)
  • Drafting all research materials needed to run the study:
    • Recruitment screeners and eligibility criteria
    • Participant invitation text and consent wording
    • Interview and discussion guides
    • Usability test task scripts and success criteria
    • Survey questionnaires and question wording
    • Moderator notes and observation templates
  • Structuring timelines, milestones, and required roles for execution

• Out of scope

  • Cleaning, transforming, or aggregating collected data
  • Coding qualitative data or running statistical tests
  • Creating insights decks, final research reports, or recommendations
  • Any task that belongs to the separate analysis/reporting skills

Phase Model

Use this phase model for every project. This skill covers only the planning and documentation phases.

Problem framing
   ↓
Research strategy & method selection
   ↓
Study plan & logistics
   ↓
Research materials (screeners, guides, surveys, scripts)
   ↓
Fieldwork / data collection  [OUT OF SCOPE]
   ↓
Analysis & reporting         [OUT OF SCOPE – use analysis skills]

How to Use This Skill

For each user request:

1. Clarify the research need
2. Choose appropriate research approach(es)
3. Turn the approach into a concrete study plan
4. Generate the necessary research materials
5. Package everything into an execution-ready bundle

Always keep analysis out of scope and gently point users to analysis skills once data is collected.

Step 1: Clarify the Research Need

Before suggesting methods, derive a clear, consulting-style problem framing.

• Clarify business and research goals
  • What decision will this research inform?
  • What would success look like for stakeholders?
  • What hypotheses or assumptions are we testing?
• Define target users and context
  • Which segment(s), roles, geographies, or usage patterns matter?
  • In what context does the behavior occur (device, channel, environment)?
• Map constraints
  • Timeframe, budget, required sample size or coverage
  • Access to participants (existing users, prospects, internal staff)

Output for this step:

• A short Problem Statement
• 3–7 Key Questions (MECE where possible)
• A list of Assumptions / Hypotheses to probe

Step 2: Choose Research Approach(es)

Use a small set of canonical user and market research methods. Combine methods when appropriate (mixed methods).

Method-Selection Matrix

Method choice should balance:

• Stage (discovery vs validation vs evaluation)
• Decision type (go/no-go, prioritization, design iteration, positioning)
• Practical constraints (timeline, recruiting, tools already in use)

When recommending methods:

• Propose 1–2 primary methods plus any lightweight secondary methods
• Briefly justify each method in terms of the user’s goals and constraints

Step 3: Turn the Approach into a Study Plan

Following both classic marketing-research texts and NN/g research-plan guidance, every study plan should cover at least:

• Background & Objectives
  • Context, problem statement, business goals
  • Research objectives and key questions
• Methodology Overview
  • Chosen methods and rationale
  • Study type (exploratory, descriptive, causal; formative vs summative)
• Participants
  • Target population and segments
  • Inclusion / exclusion criteria
  • Planned sample size and justification
• Procedure
  • Study phases (pilot, main fieldwork)
  • Session format (remote vs in-person, moderated vs unmoderated)
  • High-level flow or timeline
• Roles and Responsibilities
  • Researcher, moderator, note-taker, stakeholders
• Risks and Ethical Considerations
  • Consent, privacy, incentives, sensitive topics

When the user asks for a plan, structure your answer in these sections and keep wording concise enough that it can be copy-pasted into a research plan document.

Step 4: Generate Research Materials

For each chosen method, generate concrete artifacts. Keep templates modular so they can be reused across projects.

4.1 Recruitment Screener

Structure:

• Study title and short purpose (participant-facing)
• Eligibility questions
  • Must-have criteria (knock-out logic)
  • Nice-to-have criteria (for quota balancing)
• Disqualification rules (e.g., professional researchers, competitors)
• Demographic / firmographic questions only as necessary

Make the screener:

• Simple enough for non-researchers to administer
• Explicit about inclusion/exclusion logic

4.2 Participant Invitation & Consent Wording

Include:

• Plain-language description of the study’s purpose
• What participation involves (time, activities, recording)
• Incentive and payment process
• Privacy and confidentiality statement
• Contact for questions or withdrawal

Ensure consent text is non-legalistic but clear; defer to the user’s legal or compliance team for final approval.

4.3 Interview / Discussion Guide

For qualitative interviews, base structure on best practices from interview-focused texts:

• Introduction and warm-up
• Core sections aligned to key questions or themes
• Probing prompts and follow-ups (avoid leading questions)
• Wrap-up, closing questions, and thanks

Organize the guide as:

• Section headings (themes)
• Bullet-point questions and probes
• Optional timing guidance per section

4.4 Usability Test Script

Components:

• Study intro (purpose, disclaimers, think-aloud instructions)
• Task list
  • Realistic scenarios framed in user language
  • Clear success criteria per task
  • Space for observers to note observations
• Closing questions (short interview or satisfaction questions)

Include simple moderator cues (what to read verbatim, when to stay silent, when to probe).