Research plan
The decision, the questions, the method, who takes part and what’s out of scope.
Download the blank template ↓Deliverables librarySee what
See what
you actually get.
Before you hire anyone, look at what lands on your desk. Here’s a real report from my own old website, and the blank templates I work from.
What’s what
The report is a real review of my previous website. The downloads are blank templates.
01 / A real reportRead one
Read one
right now.
I reviewed my own old website the same way I’d review yours. You can see the finding, the fix and the before-and-after numbers.
Open the sample reportUsability.ie / Finding 0122 AUG 2026
A primary action
that was harder to read.
2.80:1
Before · recorded ratio5.24:1
After · recorded ratioA real finding from my previous website. The left specimen reproduces the original low-contrast pairing.
02 / Blank templatesThe documents I work from.
The documents I work from.
Take them.
Finding record
What I saw, where, what I think it means, how bad it is, what to do and whether the fix has been checked.
Download the blank template ↓Research brief
The task, who it’s for, what you already know, your deadline and any constraints.
Download the blank template ↓03 / Depends on the jobWhat you get depends
What you get depends
on what you need to know.
Screenshots with context
Where the problem is, which task it breaks, and what’s still uncertain.
Observation and synthesis
What people did, kept apart from what I think it means. Recordings only with agreement and consent.
Reproduction and criteria
What was checked, with what, what I found and what wasn’t covered.
A verification plan
How we’ll check a fix worked. Retesting only if it’s in the scope.
These are typical examples. Your proposal says exactly what you get.