Aglet

Prioritize Research Questions for the Next Round

Prioritizing questions means protecting a research round from interesting but low-consequence work. Start with unknowns that could reverse a product direction or reveal an excluded group. Consider the cost of waiting, the quality of the likely method, and whether the answer will lead to action.

Decide where the work belongs

  1. Rank decision value

    For each question, name the decision that waits on it and the consequence of acting on a wrong assumption. Give weight to questions that concern blocked outcomes, access, or irreversible investment. Keep the reasoning beside the rank.

  2. Check method fit

    Compare interview, observation, prototype, survey, data review, or experiment options for each question. A method should produce evidence for the wording asked. Downgrade a question when the proposed method can only collect opinions about a hypothetical future.

  3. Publish the round plan

    Select the smallest set that the team can analyze and act on. Assign owners, participant needs, dates, and a decision review. Defer the rest with a revisit trigger such as a changed constraint or a result from the selected round.

What to carry forward

The priority output is an ordered research plan linking each question to a decision, method, owner, and review point. Select work that can change a meaningful choice soon. Mark the order provisional where method fit or consequence remains uncertain.

Technical background: GOV.UK user research guidance.

Keep the decision with the work.

Use a Work Item in Aglet to record the problem, the evidence you have, and the next decision. Add an owner and priority, then keep updates in the discussion so the next person can follow the reasoning.

Create an account See the product workflow