User research basics: interviews and usability testing
For marketers, product owners, content and customer-experience staff who need to learn directly from customers. You'll plan a small round of research, recruit the right people, get informed consent, run an in-depth interview and a moderated usability test without leading the participant, take notes that record what happened rather than opinions, and turn the sessions into findings and actions. Based on the GOV.UK Service Manual's user research guidance. No research background needed.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- About 60 minutes
- Contents
- 5 lessons · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 10 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Choose suitable participants and numbers for a round of interviews or usability tests
- Identify what participants must be told to give informed consent
- Write a discussion guide with open questions about real past experiences
- Write usability test tasks that set a clear goal without telling the participant how to do it
- Write session notes that separate observations from interpretations, and turn grouped observations into findings and next actions
Course outline
- 1.Choosing participants and numbers for a roundLesson · 12 min
- 2.What participants must be told for informed consentLesson · 8 min
- 3.Writing a discussion guide for interviewsLesson · 10 min
- 4.Writing usability test tasks that set a clear goalLesson · 12 min
- 5.Session notes, findings and next actionsLesson · 12 min
- 6.User research basics: interviews and usability testing: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 12 questions
- 7.User research basics: interviews and usability testing: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 8.Final exam10 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Using in-depth interviews
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Using moderated usability testing
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Find user research participants
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Getting users' consent for research
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Taking notes and recording user research sessions
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Analyse a research session
- GOV.UK Service Manual: Plan a round of user research
See it with your own jobs and topics
Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.