I need your help!

Today I’d like to try crowdsourcing alternatives to the phrase “user research.” What other words, phrases or descriptions do professionals use to describe the ways we learn about the people we are trying to serve through our design, development and marketing efforts?

For example, a research team might be called:

• qualitative research

• consumer insights

• UX research

• design research

• contextual inquiry

• shopper insights

• customer experience

• consumer experience

It goes on and on. Let’s brainstorm the possibilities in one place (i.e. the comments section of this post).

If you are a user researcher, how do you explain what you do to others?

Let me say in advance how grateful I am for your willingness to indulge me in this little experiment. There are certainly no right or wrong answers.

And with that said...

Ready, set, go!