When to do research

Research with users at every phase in the service design process.

Discovery
The aim of user research in discovery is to find out who users are, what they’re trying to accomplish, and how your product or service can be better than anything they currently use.

Alpha
User research in alpha aims to improve the team’s understanding of users and their needs. They test different design ideas and prototypes, and learn how to develop a service so it helps users achieve their goal.

Beta
User research in the beta phase tests the service with likely users to make sure it meets their needs, and to understand and resolve usability issues. 

Go-live
The aim of user research in the live phase is to assess people’s experience of using your service, understand evolving user needs and test new features, changes or improvements.