A full stack content designer is a designer who can execute along the entire design process from strategy to research to final content design, and sometimes even code. I often tasked with providing a high-level understanding of the user experience process to help structure the approach to solving any problem.

It is during the discover and iteration phases of content design that we connect with the user to get a better understanding of user needs and pain points. We do this with usability testing, A/B testing, focus group, and other research methods. 

This project took place between March  and April, 2023. I worked on this project as a UX Full Stack Content Designer.

I collaborated with the broader UX Research team at The Home Depot (THD). This team is committed to achieving exceptional research outcomes by providing insights to EUX designers and researchers.

Our mission is to empower designers and researchers with the tools, resources, and training necessary to optimize user experiences. Our goal is to elevate standards and practices to establish best-in-class research at THD.

Your template should contain the following components all available in the EnjoyHQ portal:

• Project identification
• Overview & Background
• Business Objectives
• Research Objectives
• Methodology & Participants
• Timeline
• Optional: add draft script, tasks, etc. (this can also be a separate document

A RESEARCH PLAN

• Fosters team alignment around a common understanding
• Helps focus on the right objectives and outcomes
• Increases stakeholder buy-in
• Avoids common research mistakes
• Elevates the perception of research

BEFORE CREATING A RESEARCH PLAN

• Conduct a literature review (also called secondary research)
  • EnjoyHQ (EHQ)
  • Slack
  • Industry research
  • Academic research

• Stakeholders can include team, business, manager, and others
• Write your plan assuming readers are unfamiliar with the subject matter
  • Define acronyms
  • Identify the stakeholders and team
  • Convey why the research matters and the impact it’ll have
• Briefly describe the research methods and provide the reasoning for choosing them
• Include an overall time estimate for the research
• Be specific and comprehensive, but less is usually more
• List the business objectives in the plan – what issues need solving? For example
  • Increased usage or value
  • Decreasing cost or certain behaviors
  • Creating new ideas, products or services
• Write in the voice and tone of your team stakeholders

• Research objectives must support the business objectives
  • What decisions must be made to achieve the business objectives?
  • What information would support those decisions?
• Research objectives should be written in a S.M.A.R.T. way
  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Relevant
  • Time-bound when possible
• Be specific in terms of methods
  • Describe the methods
  • Participant + recruiting details
  • List the tools that’ll be used by researcher and participant
• Identify participant incentives, the amount, and how they’ll be provided (if any)
• List the steps to conduct the research
• Include steps occurring before the research starts
• Align the research to the sprint or project timeline
• Review the timeline with stakeholders and team for buy in

• Peer review
• Share + discuss plan with your stakeholders and team – and iterate
• Start a project in EHQ, copy/paste in the plan into the “Plan” tab
• Don’t’ just file the plan away – use it!
  • Regularly refer to the plan when writing the test script/tasks
  • Resist scope creep and last-minute changes
  • Provide regular updates to the team based on the timeline
  • Ensure the research addressed all the objectives
  • Include parts of the plan in your research write-up

“It’s the process of UX research that matters, not the beauty of the final artifact.”

– David Travis, Managing Director of Userfocus in Think Like a UX Researcher