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๐Ÿ”78 Templates

Discovery & Research Templates

Free discovery and research templates for PMs. User feedback forms, customer interview scripts, A/B test plans, and persona templates.

Product discovery is about reducing risk before you commit engineering resources. These templates help you gather customer evidence, structure user interviews, plan experiments, and synthesize research findings into actionable insights.

Each template follows best practices from continuous discovery, jobs-to-be-done research, and experiment-driven development. You get a blank template for immediate use and a filled example showing what good looks like in practice.

For an end-to-end discovery methodology, see the Product Discovery Handbook or try the NPS Calculator to benchmark your customer satisfaction.

All Discovery & Research Templates

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TemplateFREE

Accessibility Audit Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 3-5 hours

A WCAG 2.1 accessibility compliance checklist for product teams. Covers perceivable, operable, understandable, and durable criteria with actionable fixes.

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TemplateFREE

Accessibility Testing Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes

Plan and execute accessibility testing across WCAG 2.1 guidelines with structured audit checklists, severity scoring, and a remediation tracker.

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TemplateFREE

Affinity Mapping Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 1-2 hours

A structured affinity mapping template for organizing qualitative research data into meaningful clusters.

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Assumption Mapping Workshop Template

โฑ๏ธ 90 minutes

An assumption mapping and risk assessment workshop template for product teams. Includes a 2x2 risk matrix, structured exercises for surfacing.

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Assumption Testing Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 20 minutes prep

Free assumption testing template for product teams. Map, prioritize, and test your riskiest product assumptions before committing development resources.

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Benchmarking Study Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30 minutes prep

Free benchmarking study template for product teams. Compare your product's UX, performance, and feature set against competitors with structured scoring.

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Beta Feedback Collection Template

โฑ๏ธ 20 minutes setup, 5 minutes per feedback entry

A structured template for collecting, organizing, and synthesizing beta user feedback into actionable product decisions.

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Beta Testing Plan Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30-60 minutes

A structured beta testing plan template for product managers. Covers objectives, participant selection, test scenarios, feedback collection, success.

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Brainstorming Workshop Template

โฑ๏ธ 1-2 hours

A structured brainstorming workshop template with diverge-converge phases, silent ideation, and voting.

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Buyer Persona Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 60-90 minutes

Free B2B buyer persona template covering demographics, buying behavior, decision criteria, objections, and messaging.

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Card Sorting Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 25-40 minutes

A card sorting study plan template covering open, closed, and hybrid methods with card lists, participant instructions, analysis techniques.

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Changelog Feedback Collection Template

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes setup, 5 minutes per release

A template for collecting structured feedback on product changes and feature updates. Includes adoption tracking, sentiment scoring, and follow-up actions.

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Competitive UX Audit Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 45-60 minutes

A competitive UX audit template with feature comparison matrices, experience scoring rubrics, heuristic evaluation criteria, and gap analysis framework.

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Concept Testing Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 25-40 minutes

A concept testing protocol with mockup evaluation criteria, participant reaction framework, desirability scoring, and purchase intent measurement.

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Contextual Inquiry Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30-45 minutes

A contextual inquiry field study protocol covering site selection, observation guide, master-apprentice interview technique, artifact collection.

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TemplateFREE

Crazy Eights Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 45-60 minutes

A Crazy 8s rapid ideation template for generating eight solution sketches in eight minutes. Includes facilitator instructions, timing scripts.

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TemplateFREE

Cultural UX Adaptation Checklist Template

โฑ๏ธ 30-60 minutes

Free cultural UX adaptation checklist for product teams. Review color, imagery, layout, tone, and interaction patterns by region to ensure your product.

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Customer Council Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 25 minutes prep

Free customer council template for product teams. Recruit, run, and maintain a customer advisory board that delivers ongoing product feedback.

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Customer Discovery Interview Template

โฑ๏ธ 30 minutes prep, 20-30 minutes per interview

A Mom Test-style customer discovery interview guide with question scripts, anti-patterns to avoid, and a synthesis framework for turning raw interviews.

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Customer Effort Score (CES) Template

โฑ๏ธ 30-60 minutes

Free customer effort score template with survey design, scoring methodology, analysis framework, and action planning.

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Customer Interview Analysis Template

โฑ๏ธ 30 minutes per 5 interviews analyzed

A structured framework for analyzing customer interview data at scale. Includes affinity mapping, quote coding, pattern extraction, and a decision.

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Customer Interview Script Template

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes prep

Free customer interview script template with structured questions for discovery, pain points, jobs-to-be-done, and solution exploration.

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TemplateFREE

Customer Lifecycle Map Template

โฑ๏ธ 60-120 minutes

Free customer lifecycle template covering awareness through advocacy. Includes stage definitions, KPIs, ownership, actions, and a filled example for.

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Customer Needs Documentation Template

โฑ๏ธ 45-90 minutes

Free template for documenting and prioritizing customer needs. Includes need statements, evidence tracking, priority scoring, and a filled example.

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Customer Outcomes Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 45-90 minutes

Free template for defining desired customer outcomes with measurable success criteria. Includes outcome statements, baseline tracking, gap analysis.

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TemplateFREE

Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Survey Template

โฑ๏ธ 30-60 minutes

Free CSAT survey template with question design, scoring methodology, segmentation analysis, and action planning.

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Design Brief Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30-45 minutes

A structured design brief template for product managers and designers. Covers problem context, user needs, constraints, success criteria, and design.

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Design Critique Session Template

โฑ๏ธ 20-30 minutes

Free design critique facilitation template with structured agenda, feedback frameworks, and role assignments.

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Design Review Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30-60 minutes

A structured design review and critique session template with agenda, feedback framework, and decision log.

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Design System Documentation Template

โฑ๏ธ 1-2 hours per component

A design system component documentation template for product and design teams. Covers component specs, usage guidelines, variants, accessibility.

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TemplateFREE

Design Thinking Workshop Template

โฑ๏ธ 4-8 hours (full day)

A structured design thinking workshop template covering all five phases: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.

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Diary Study Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30-45 minutes

A diary study protocol template covering participant recruitment, study design, daily prompts, entry analysis, and synthesis framework.

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Dot Voting Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 20-45 minutes

A structured dot voting template for running quick group decision-making exercises. Includes facilitator instructions, voting rules, tally sheets.

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Emotional Journey Map Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 60-120 minutes

Free emotional journey mapping template with sentiment tracking, emotional peaks and valleys, trigger analysis, and design interventions.

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Empathy Map Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30-60 minutes

Free empathy map template with Says, Thinks, Does, Feels quadrants. Includes a group facilitation guide, a filled example for an enterprise buyer.

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Employee Experience Survey Template

โฑ๏ธ 45-90 minutes

Free employee experience survey template for HR product teams. Includes survey design framework, question bank organized by lifecycle stage, analysis.

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Ethnographic Research Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30 minutes prep

Free ethnographic research planning template for product teams. Structure field studies, contextual observations, and in-situ user research.

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TemplateFREE

Feature Request Scoring Template

โฑ๏ธ 30 minutes setup, 5 minutes per request scored

A template for scoring and prioritizing feature requests using weighted criteria. Includes request intake, scoring rubrics, and a stack-rank output.

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Feature Validation Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 20 minutes prep

Free feature validation template for product teams. Test feature ideas with users before committing development resources using structured validation.

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Feedback Classification Template

โฑ๏ธ 20 minutes setup, 2 minutes per feedback item

A structured template for classifying product feedback by theme, urgency, and user segment. Includes a tagging taxonomy, severity matrix, and routing.

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Field Research Plan Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 45-60 minutes

Plan and execute field research studies that capture how users interact with your product in their natural environment.

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TemplateFREE

First-Click Test Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes prep

Free first-click testing template for product teams. Design, run, and analyze first-click tests to evaluate navigation clarity and UI discoverability.

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TemplateFREE

Fishbone Diagram Template (Free, Editable)

โฑ๏ธ 45-90 minutes

Free fishbone (Ishikawa) diagram template with blank and sample versions. Map cause-and-effect for any product problem. Editable PowerPoint download.

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Five Whys Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30-60 minutes

A structured Five Whys root cause analysis template for product teams. Includes facilitator instructions, analysis worksheets, and action planning.

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Focus Group Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30-45 minutes

A focus group facilitation guide with recruitment criteria, discussion script, moderator techniques, group dynamics management, and analysis framework.

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How Might We Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30-60 minutes

A structured How Might We (HMW) template for reframing user problems into actionable design challenges.

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Hypothesis Backlog Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 20 minutes setup

Free hypothesis backlog template for product teams. Maintain a living backlog of product hypotheses with evidence tracking and priority scoring.

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Information Architecture Template

โฑ๏ธ 2-4 hours

An information architecture planning template for sitemap structure, navigation design, and content organization.

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Intercept Survey Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes prep

Free intercept survey template for product teams. Design in-product surveys that capture user feedback at the moment of experience without disrupting flow.

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Jobs to Be Done Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30 minutes

Free JTBD template for product teams. Capture customer jobs, desired outcomes, pain points, and hiring criteria to build products people actually choose.

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Jobs-to-Be-Done Canvas Template

โฑ๏ธ 45-90 minutes

Free JTBD canvas template with job statement, current solutions, pain points, desired outcomes, and switching triggers.

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Learner Journey Map Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 45-75 minutes

Free learner journey map template for EdTech products. Map enrollment to completion with engagement milestones, dropoff risk points, and interventions.

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Lightning Decision Jam Template

โฑ๏ธ 45-60 minutes

A structured Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) template for solving problems and making decisions in under 60 minutes.

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Monthly Customer Feedback Review Template

โฑ๏ธ 30-45 minutes

Free monthly customer feedback review meeting template with structured agenda for synthesizing support tickets, NPS comments, interview insights.

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Opportunity Solution Tree Template

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes

Map customer outcomes to opportunities and solutions using Teresa Torres' Opportunity Solution Tree framework.

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Patient Journey Map Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 60-90 minutes

Free patient journey mapping template for health tech PMs. Map touchpoints, pain points, emotions, and digital opportunities across the full care...

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Pre-Mortem Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 45-75 minutes

A structured pre-mortem template for anticipating project failures before they happen. Includes facilitator instructions and risk categorization...

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Problem Statement Template: Structured Format + Examples

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes

Problem statement template with 3 formats, evaluation rubric, and 4 examples. Help your team align on what to solve and why in under 15 minutes.

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Product Discovery Sprint Template

โฑ๏ธ 1 week

Free 5-day discovery sprint template for product managers. Run a structured week of customer interviews, assumption testing, and solution validation.

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Product Discovery Weekly Sync Template

โฑ๏ธ 20-30 minutes

Free weekly product discovery meeting template with structured agenda for reviewing customer insights, experiment results, and opportunity assessments.

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Product Feedback Dashboard Template

โฑ๏ธ 45 minutes to set up, 15 minutes weekly to maintain

A template for building a product feedback dashboard that tracks volume, themes, sentiment, and resolution across all feedback channels.

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Product Hypothesis Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes

Write testable product hypotheses that connect assumptions to experiments and success criteria. Includes formats for value, usability, and feasibility...

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Rapid Prototyping Plan Template

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes

Plan and execute rapid prototyping cycles to test product concepts quickly. Includes sprint structures, fidelity selection criteria, and feedback capture.

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Research Repository Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30 minutes setup

Free research repository template for product teams. Build a searchable, organized archive of user research findings that the entire team can reference.

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Solution Ideation Workshop Template

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes

Generate and evaluate solution ideas systematically using structured brainstorming, How Might We framing, and a scoring matrix.

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Stakeholder Interview Template for Discovery

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes

Interview internal stakeholders to surface assumptions, constraints, and business context for product discovery.

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Survey Design Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 1-2 hours (design); 1-2 weeks (fielding); 2-4 hours (analysis)

A customer survey design template for product managers. Covers question types, survey structure, sampling strategy, bias avoidance, and a full analysis...

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Tree Test Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 20 minutes prep

Free tree testing template for product teams. Validate your information architecture by testing whether users can find content and features in your...

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UX Audit Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 2-4 hours

Structured UX heuristic audit checklist for evaluating product usability. Covers Nielsen's 10 heuristics, severity scoring, and a prioritized...

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Unmet Customer Needs Analysis Template

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes

Identify and prioritize unmet customer needs using a structured analysis of jobs-to-be-done, satisfaction gaps, and outcome-driven scoring.

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Usability Testing Scenario Template: Design & Document

โฑ๏ธ 2-4 hours

Usability testing scenario template for planning sessions, documenting tasks, and capturing user interactions with severity ratings and findings.

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User Feedback Collection Template

โฑ๏ธ 30-45 minutes

Free user feedback template for product managers. Collect, tag, and synthesize user feedback with structured forms, sentiment tracking, and theme analysis.

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User Flow Documentation Template

โฑ๏ธ 1-3 hours

A user flow mapping template with decision points, edge cases, and error states. Covers happy path, alternative paths, and error recovery with a filled...

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User Interview Script Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes prep

A ready-to-use interview script with warm-up questions, core discovery probes, follow-up techniques, and a post-interview debrief sheet.

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User Persona Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 20-30 minutes

Free user persona template for product managers. Build research-backed personas with demographics, goals, pain points, jobs-to-be-done, and behavioral...

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User Research Plan Template for User Research

โฑ๏ธ 30-45 minutes

A structured research plan template covering objectives, methodology, participant criteria, timeline, discussion guide, and analysis framework.

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User Segmentation for Research Template

โฑ๏ธ 15 minutes

Segment your user base for targeted product research using behavioral, demographic, and needs-based criteria.

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User Story Mapping Workshop Template

โฑ๏ธ 2-3 hours

A user story mapping workshop facilitation guide with step-by-step exercises for building a story map, identifying MVP scope, and planning releases.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many user interviews should I conduct?+
For most discovery research, 5 to 8 interviews per customer segment reveal the majority of patterns. If you are still hearing new themes after 8 interviews, expand your sample. Quality matters more than quantity: one deep 45-minute interview beats five shallow 10-minute chats.
What is the difference between user feedback and user research?+
User feedback is reactive. Customers tell you what they think about what exists. User research is proactive. You observe and ask questions to understand problems, motivations, and workflows before building anything. Both are valuable; templates exist for each.
When should I run an A/B test vs. a qualitative study?+
Run an A/B test when you have enough traffic to reach statistical significance (typically 1,000+ users per variant) and a clear metric to optimize. Use qualitative research when you need to understand why users behave a certain way, or when you are exploring a new problem space.
Do I need a user persona for every product?+
A persona is useful when your team does not have shared clarity about who the customer is. If your team already talks to customers weekly and can describe their top pain points from memory, a formal persona document adds less value. Start with one primary persona and add more only when you serve meaningfully different audiences.

Explore More Templates

Browse all discovery & research resources or explore other template categories.