User Research Consultant

A user research consultant helps organisations understand the people they’re designing for before important product or service decisions are made. That might involve planning research, interviewing users, running usability testing, reviewing existing evidence or identifying gaps in what an organisation already knows. The goal isn’t simply to gather information. It’s to reduce uncertainty and help teams make better decisions with confidence.

The best time is before making significant product or service decisions, but research can add value at almost any stage. Some organisations use research to validate new ideas before development begins. Others use it to understand why an existing product isn’t performing as expected or to identify opportunities for improvement after launch. Good research helps answer important questions before expensive decisions are made.

Usability testing is one research method. User research is the wider discipline of understanding users, their behaviours, needs and motivations through a range of different methods. Usability testing focuses on observing people completing tasks with an existing product or prototype. User research can also include interviews, field studies, surveys, analytics reviews and many other approaches depending on the questions you’re trying to answer.

It depends on the questions you’re trying to answer. Many usability issues and behavioural patterns become clear after speaking to a relatively small number of carefully selected participants, while larger strategic or quantitative studies may require significantly more. The objective isn’t to reach an arbitrary number. It’s to collect enough evidence to make confident decisions.

Most organisations benefit from a combination of both. Qualitative research helps explain why people behave the way they do, while quantitative research helps measure how often those behaviours occur across a larger audience. Choosing the right approach depends on the decisions you’re trying to make rather than favouring one method over another.

Absolutely. Research isn’t there to tell organisations what they should build. It’s there to understand whether an idea solves a genuine user problem, identify potential risks and uncover opportunities to improve it before significant investment takes place. Sometimes research confirms the current direction. Sometimes it changes it completely.

That depends on the type of research being carried out. Most fixed-price research engagements are completed within one to two weeks and include a clearly defined scope, timeline and set of deliverables. Larger discovery programmes or ongoing research partnerships may take longer, but expectations are agreed before any work begins.

Every engagement ends with clear findings, practical recommendations and a playback session to discuss the results. Rather than producing research that sits on a shelf, the goal is to give your team the evidence they need to make better product decisions. If additional research or support is needed afterwards, we can discuss the most appropriate next steps.

There are times when an agency is the right choice, particularly if you need a large multidisciplinary team working across multiple workstreams. If you’re looking for senior expertise, an independent consultant offers a different way of working. You’ll work directly with the person delivering the engagement from start to finish, without account managers, handovers or layers of communication. Decisions are made faster, the work stays consistent and you benefit from experienced advice that’s focused on solving your problem rather than managing a project. For many organisations, it’s a simpler, more flexible and more cost-effective way to access senior product, UX and user research expertise.

I’m based in Manchester, UK and work with organisations across the UK, Europe and internationally. Most engagements are delivered remotely, although I’m always happy to travel when a project benefits from working together in person.

Yes. Most engagements are delivered remotely using Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or Zoom. Working this way keeps projects flexible, efficient and cost-effective while making it easy to support organisations wherever they’re based.

Yes. While most projects are delivered remotely, I’m happy to travel throughout the UK and internationally for workshops, stakeholder sessions, discovery activities and key project milestones where needed.

Absolutely. Most organisations I work with already have product managers, designers, researchers, developers or delivery teams in place. My role is to strengthen your existing capability by providing additional expertise, independent thinking or senior support where it’s needed most.

Yes. I’ve worked with startups, scale-ups, SMEs, agencies, charities, public sector organisations and global enterprises. Every engagement is tailored to your goals, regardless of the size of your organisation.

Yes. Much of my work involves commercially sensitive products, confidential research and government services. I’m happy to sign NDAs and regularly work with organisations where confidentiality is essential.

The fixed-price services are designed around the most common types of engagement, but every organisation is different. If you need something broader or a combination of services, I’ll put together a bespoke proposal based on your goals and the support you need.

Availability changes throughout the year, but many engagements can begin within one to two weeks. If you have a specific deadline or urgent requirement, let me know and I’ll always do my best to accommodate it.

That depends on the engagement, but I always aim to make the best use of your team’s time. Most projects start with a short kick-off session, followed by regular check-ins as findings and recommendations are shared. Before any work begins, you’ll know exactly what’s expected and when.

It starts with a conversation. We’ll discuss what you’re trying to achieve, where you’re experiencing challenges and whether one of the fixed-price services is the right fit. If not, I’ll recommend a more suitable approach based on your goals.