# Choosing a research method and planning the study

*Platform User Experience Designer Study Guide · Discovery · Last updated October 16, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/user-experience-designer/discovery/choosing-a-research-method-and-planning-the-study*

How to match a research question to a method (behavioral vs attitudinal, qualitative vs quantitative; surveys, interviews, contextual inquiry, focus groups, heuristic review), what a research plan contains, who to recruit and how many, and how to keep interviewer bias and the Hawthorne effect out of the data.

- Certification: Salesforce Platform User Experience Designer
- Exam section: Discovery
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/user-experience-designer

**Official exam objective:**

> Provided with a set of business requirements, determine which research methodology and tools should be used to design a solution.

## What the exam expects

- Pick a research method from the question being asked: what people do or say, and "why/how" versus "how much/how many".
- Choose between surveys, individual interviews, contextual inquiry, focus groups and a heuristic review given a scenario's scale, time and access to users.
- List what a research plan contains before the study starts, and what is only filled in afterwards.
- Recruit the right participants and size the study (interviews versus usability tests).
- Spot and remove bias: leading questions, training the participant, filling silences, generalities and the Hawthorne effect.
- Key terms: **behavioral method** (studies what people do); **attitudinal method** (studies what people say); **contextual inquiry** (observing people in their own environment); **research plan** (the agreed scope, timeline, recruits and methods); **Hawthorne effect** (people change behavior because they are being watched).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral vs attitudinal | Behavioral = what people do; attitudinal = what people say | [Define Your Research Plan](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/ux-research-basics/define_your_research_plan) |
| Qualitative vs quantitative | Qualitative answers why/how; quantitative answers how much/how many | [Define Your Research Plan](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/ux-research-basics/define_your_research_plan) |
| Usability study size | At least 5 participants | [Define Your Research Plan](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/ux-research-basics/define_your_research_plan) |
| Interview study size | Up to 30 users; start with 15 and check for patterns | [Define Your Research Plan](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/ux-research-basics/define_your_research_plan) |
| Research plan contents | Scope (problem and prior research), timeline, recruitment list, methods | [Define Your Research Plan](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/ux-research-basics/define_your_research_plan) |
| Resources section | Participants, questions, results summary; filled in after the study | [Define Your Research Plan](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/ux-research-basics/define_your_research_plan) |
| Contextual inquiry parts | Context, partnership, interpretation, focus | [Collect Your Data](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/ux-research-basics/collect_your_data) |
| Hawthorne effect | Stronger with a power difference; fades as rapport builds | [Collect Your Data](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/ux-research-basics/collect_your_data) |
| Non-leading wording | Ask what users think, not what they like or feel | [Craft Your Questions](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/ux-research-basics/craft_your_questions) |
| Heuristics | Rules of thumb designers use to evaluate quality, such as the Nielsen Norman 10 | [Evaluate AI Agent Value](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/agent-behavior-evaluation/evaluate-ai-agent-value) |

## Check yourself

- Why is a self-estimate questionnaire weak evidence when reported and actual behavior disagree?
- When should you recruit more interview participants beyond the first 15?
- Which contextual inquiry principle has the researcher perform the user's tasks the way the user does them?
- Why should a researcher probe when a participant says "most people usually skip that"?

## Sources

- [Define Your Research Plan](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/ux-research-basics/define_your_research_plan)
- [Collect Your Data](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/ux-research-basics/collect_your_data)
- [Craft Your Questions](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/ux-research-basics/craft_your_questions)
- [Learn About Discovery (UX Designer Cert Prep)](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/ux-designer-certification-prep/learn-about-discovery)
- [Evaluate AI Agent Value](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/agent-behavior-evaluation/evaluate-ai-agent-value)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 12 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Platform User Experience Designer pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams