This is part of a new Looppanel blog series on AI and UX Research. Read the rest of the series for more on AI tools for UX research, or 6 Ways AI Makes Qualitative Data Analysis Faster.
A big part of research work is quite frankly, boring.
Talking to people and learning about how your product helped them is exciting, sure.
But what about drafting all those questions for the interview script first, touching upon every feature?
What about building those user feedback survey forms to embed on each page of the website?
Or painstakingly building a prototype on a design tool once you have the idea?
With hefty AI-powered tools, you can speed through all these tedious parts of research. Tools like Chat-GPT can get a lot done in a jiffy. However, they might not be omniscient enough, and demand oversight.
An easier alternative? Try Looppanel—an AI-powered tool made specially for UX research by UX researchers.
Ever since its historic launch in January 2023, Chat-GPT has changed the way we work. It’s like having a junior assistant who’s new (and not particularly bright), but incredibly good at doing what they’re told to do.
Despite the flurry it has caused in the job market, Chat-GPT isn’t actually capable of replacing human labor. It’s not smarter than a person yet, and needs a lot of hand-holding, especially for UX research tasks.
That being said, Chat-GPT can save you a ton of time and resources, if you provide enough information and the right instructions.
Before we get to the prompts, here are a few things to note about Chat-GPT’s advantages and limitations.
Here’s what AI tools like Chat-GPT are best at.
It can analyze huge amounts of data at superhuman speeds.
It is capable of accurately summarizing information from many pages.
It can scan large documents in seconds and retrieve information for you.
It can thus help researchers complete their tasks 5 times faster by automating the manual, time-consuming parts of the process.
Looking to speed up your research process? Check out our review of the 15 Best UX Research Tools in 2024.
Chat-GPT also has its fair share of limitations. Despite what Linkedin gossip says, it can never act as replacements for human workers. They can simply speed up some parts of the process, with the right instructions provided.
The current free version of Chat-GPT via GPT-4 only has knowledge about the world upto September 2021. The Premium and Enterprise version has web browsing capabilities, and is updated on the latest world affairs.
That being said, AI tools still don’t have access to a lot of data about your work.
They will miss out on obvious points that you, with years of experience at your company, intuitively understand.
If your research data references an obvious point from a previous research project, you’ll have to spell it out and provide full context for Chat-GPT.
AI supplements human expertise; it doesn't replace it entirely.
You cannot feed an entire project’s worth of data to Chat-GPT and expect fully formed final insights.
Even with the most detailed prompts, you will have to spend a little more time cross-checking and validating Chat-GPT’s answers.
Chat-GPT is not the most helpful with deep analysis, or brainstorming unique, creative ideas.
AI tools are good at spotting patterns in user behavior, like a detective sifting through clues. However, it struggles to grasp the "why" behind those behaviors. That's because human actions are influenced by a colorful mix of personal preferences, cultural norms, and situational factors.
So, limit its role to just pointing out the patterns and themes in the data you provide. You will have to do the analysis and making sense of the whys and how this affects your organization.
For AI-powered research analysis, tools like Looppanel are a great alternative. Looppanel is specially designed for UX research by UX researchers, and can make notes, organize important data and summarize user interviews, much more efficiently than Chat-GPT.
Simply put, Chat-GPT cannot answer any question outside the syllabus.
If your data is incomplete, inaccurate, or skewed, it might not provide the answers you're hoping for, simply because it doesn't have the full context.
For precise results, add as much detail and context about your product and users to the prompt. The more, the better!
Here are 14 Chat-GPT prompts you can use for different stages of the UX research process.
Consider these prompts as guidelines on how to get the best out of Chat-GPT, and edit them as per your research needs.
For complex planning and scripts, view Chat-GPT’s answers as a starting point, rather than the entire solution. A language model doesn’t have the context and insights that a human can offer. Give it tasks that you would give a capable intern-–reframing insights, generating questions with previously determined objectives, tasks that don’t require advanced thinking and analyses.
1. To read and analyse related research: Provide a brief summary of these articles/research reports: [insert links]
2. To find the right UX research method: I need to do a UX research project for my product X, a [describe the product]. The research goal is to find out [describe the goal]. The target audience is [add user demographics, numbers, and relevant details]. What research methods would be right for this project? Give me a broad research plan for each option.
3. To create a research plan to test a new feature: Create a user research plan to explore the feasibility of a new feature for our product X. X is a [Insert details]. The new feature Y does [details]. We want to understand our users’ possible needs, their openness to Y, and any potential concerns they might have. Please include sections in the plan for user interviews, surveys, and usability testing, within a Z-month timeline (customize this section based on your needs!)
4. To generate potential user personas: We are in the early stages of developing a new product X, a [describe the product]. X can [ describe product features and tasks]. Please generate a list of potential user personas in detail, that we should consider in our design and development process.
5. To create user interview scripts: Create a user interview script of 15-20 questions as a UX researcher, to gather detailed insights from users of X app that [insert product details]. Include warm-up questions about the user’s day and work life. Covers key topics such as user needs, preferences, and experiences with similar products. Ask about A, B, and C features. Use simple language.
6. To design feedback surveys: Create a short 5-minute user feedback survey for users of product X, which does [insert details]. X provides features that include [add features] for users who are [describe users]. The survey should cover aspects such as ease of use, satisfaction with features, areas for improvement, and overall user experience. Please include a mix of question types, such as multiple choice, Likert scale, and open-ended questions.
7. To generate test scenarios for usability testing: I’m doing usability testing for X product, a [describe the product]. X does [list the features] and is designed for [describe the users]. Please generate test scenarios that cover key user tasks and interactions with X.
8. To do usability testing: Create a usability testing script for product X, a [describe the product]. X’s features include [list the features] and it is designed for [describe the users]. The script should guide the user through [describe tasks] with X, and provide instructions for the tester on what to observe and record. Please include sections in the script for the introduction, task instructions, and closing remarks.
9. To script a focus group discussion: We are conducting a focus group discussion for X product, a [describe the product]. X does [list the features] and is designed for [describe the users]. Please draft a discussion guide for a focus group on the latest update that allows Y. The guide should cover key topics such as user needs, preferences, and experiences with X and the update Y.
10. To generate insights: Here are the results of a product feedback survey conducted on product X’s latest feature Y. The product X does [list the features] and is designed for [describe the users]. Summarize the survey findings as 5-6 key insights.
[Paste survey results]
11. To identify patterns and trends: Read the 5 condensed interview transcripts pasted below and identify the common patterns and trends in user experiences based on them. The product X does [list the features] and is designed for [describe the users]. Summarize the patterns and trends into bullet points. Also, share summaries of user responses to each question as a tabular column.
[Paste interview transcriptions]
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12. To rewrite research insights: Given the following research data about our product X, a [describe the product], please provide a concise summary of this insight. Use simple, readable language that can be shared in a report. [Paste data + insights]
13. To outline a research presentation: I’m preparing a presentation to share our user research findings on product X’s new update Y with stakeholders. X does [list the features] and is designed for [describe the users]. Please create an outline for the presentation that covers the research objectives, methodology, key findings, and recommendations. [Paste key findings here.]
14. To write an article on research findings: I need to write an article that summarizes our user research findings about X with the rest of the organization. Read the findings and insights pasted below, and draft an article that’s engaging, informative, and accessible to a general audience. Avoid UX jargon, keep it action-oriented, and highlight the outcomes of the research.
[Add key findings to share here.]
If you really want to make the most of AI for user research, try an AI-powered tool like Looppanel instead.
Looppanel is an AI-powered research repository tool that can:
- Transcribe calls in minutes with over 95% accuracy
- Take notes for you during interviews
- Organize tags and data with automated affinity mapping
- Smart search (find everything you know about “why users churn”, even if you didn’t tag it)
Looppanel is also featured on User Interviews’ State of AI in User Research Report—13% of survey respondents use Looppanel’s AI features to speed up note-taking & analysis.
Sign up for a free 15-day trial, and watch the magic happen. Trust me.
Looppanel automatically records your calls, transcribes them, and centralizes all your research data in one place
