Background
Research only matters when it changes decisions. A readout deck synthesizes qualitative data into prioritized recommendations executives and designers can act on Monday morning.
Your mission
Conduct 5 user interviews (30–45 min each) on a focused topic — e.g. how students track job applications, how they trust AI job tools, or how they choose portfolio projects. Synthesize findings into a research readout deck.
Interview guidelines
- Screening — 5 participants matching one persona (e.g. final-year undergrad job seeking).
- Consent — anonymize names; use Participant A–E in deck.
- Guide — same core questions for all five; allow follow-ups.
- Capture — notes, recording (with permission), or structured spreadsheet.
Required deck sections
- Research goals & questions — what you needed to learn
- Method — who, when, how recruited, limitations
- Key themes — 3–5 affinity-grouped themes with anonymized quotes (2 per theme minimum)
- Journey snapshot — current-state flow diagram (apply → track → follow-up)
- Insights — "We learned that…" statements backed by evidence
- Recommendations — 3 prioritized with expected impact (H/M/L) and effort (H/M/L)
- Appendix — interview guide, raw quote table, or recruitment screener
Requirements
- 5 real interviews — synthetic-only data not accepted; note if remote vs in-person.
- Quotes as evidence — no theme without supporting quote.
- Actionable recs — "Improve onboarding step 2" not "make UX better."
- Appendix — separate section or slides at end.
Evaluation criteria
- Synthesis quality — themes emerge from data, not pre-decided hypotheses only.
- Neutrality — report includes disconfirming evidence if present.
- Prioritization — impact/effort matrix or clear ranking rationale.
- Presentation — readable by PM + design without you presenting live.
Tips
- Affinity map on sticky notes or FigJam before opening Slides.
- Journey map can be simple boxes + pain point icons.
- State sample size limitation honestly in method slide.
Submission checklist
