Summary
Research has to come together somewhere, happen somewhere, live somewhere, and—in order for it to have an impact on product—it has to be effectively shared somewhere. There are more user research tools than ever, and choosing among them can be overwhelming. That’s why the team at User Interviews created the UXR Tools Map, along with a searchable database of over 200 user research tools. We’ll talk about the process behind creating the map, plus share insights and examples of how to create the best stack for your team, regardless of budget.
Key Insights
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The User Research Tools Map organizes over 100 tools into five main categories: research ops, passive insights, active research, insight management, and design tools.
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Many UX research tools have grown multifunctional, making visual categorization more complex and prompting innovative design solutions in the map.
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Only 8% of researchers report that their stakeholders frequently access research results, highlighting a major communication gap.
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44% of UX researchers are unaware of their research budgets, and many operate with limited funds.
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The map uses subway-style visuals including lines, stations, interchange stations, bus lines, and private shuttle lines to represent tool functionality and intersections.
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The map has evolved over three editions, from a broad spreadsheet to a curated, visually rich guide with editorial decisions to improve clarity.
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The User Interviews team uses their own products alongside other specialized tools like Mixpanel and Figma, showing practical, mixed-tool stacks.
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The map includes a public, updateable spreadsheet for community contributions and continual curation between editions.
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Simple, low-fidelity design and prototyping tools can be highly effective for lean or occasional researchers to gather quick feedback.
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Recruiting less tech-savvy participants remains a known challenge in user research requiring thoughtful tool selection and strategies.
Notable Quotes
"Research has to happen somewhere, live somewhere, and if it's going to have an impact, it has to be shared."
"Only 8% of people we talk to said their stakeholders know how to access results and do so often."
"44% of people who do research don't know their research budget, and many have fairly small budgets."
"Tools are getting much more complex and have more crossover, which makes the map harder to design but also more reflective of reality."
"We use subway lines to represent tool functions, stations for specialized single-function tools, and interchange stations for multifunctional ones."
"Bus lines were a creative solution because some tools didn't fit into our existing grid and intersect cleanly with others."
"We wanted to keep with the subway feel because people really like the design and come back for this content every year."
"Simple, low-fi prototyping tools can get you a ton of feedback without a bunch of upfront design work."
"The spreadsheet lets us quickly add, delete, or update tools in between editions instead of juggling dozens of Figma versions."
"One big challenge many face is qualitative data management — organizing and making sense of open-ended user answers."
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