01
Decisions made on guesses
Features get built because someone senior liked the idea. Months later, nobody uses them and nobody knows why.
02 · UI/UX Design01 of 07
Interviews, data and personas built on evidence, not on the loudest opinion in the room.
Most design arguments are really arguments about who the user is. We settle them with research: talking to real customers, reading your data and turning what we learn into a few clear personas and jobs-to-be-done the whole team can use.
- Typical research sprint
- 2–4 wks
- Typical research sprint
- Interviews usually enough to find the main themes
- 8–12
- Interviews usually enough to find the main themes
- Shared picture of the customer for every team
- 1
- Shared picture of the customer for every team
Theme: trust before price
Heard in 7 of 9 interviews
Customer interviewsSurveysAnalytics reviewJobs to be doneBehavioural personasJourney mapsCompetitor reviewResearch reportCustomer interviewsSurveysAnalytics reviewJobs to be doneBehavioural personasJourney mapsCompetitor reviewResearch report
Sound familiar?
The problems we hear most often before someone asks us about user research & personas.
02
Personas that are just stock photos
'Marketing Mary, 34, likes yoga' tells a designer nothing about what Mary is trying to get done or what stops her.
03
Teams that disagree about the customer
Sales, product and marketing each describe a different user, so the product tries to please everyone and delights no one.
What's included
01
Research plan
The questions that matter for your next decision, and the right mix of methods to answer them quickly.
02
Customer interviews
One-to-one conversations with real or target customers, recorded, transcribed and tagged for themes.
03
Surveys and analytics
Quantitative signals from surveys, product analytics and search data to size what interviews uncover.
04
Behavioural personas
Personas built around goals, triggers, worries and decision criteria, not age and hobbies.
05
Journey maps
Each persona's path from first need to loyal customer, with the moments that make or break it.
06
Findings workshop
We walk your team through the evidence and agree the design priorities it points to.
How we do it
You follow every step live in Mission Control, your project dashboard: tasks, files, approvals and a launch forecast.
- 1
Frame
We agree the decisions the research has to inform, who to talk to and how to recruit them.
- 2
Listen
Interviews, surveys and data analysis, run in parallel so insight arrives in weeks, not months.
- 3
Synthesise
We cluster what we heard into themes, back each one with quotes and numbers, and draft the personas.
- 4
Share
A findings workshop, a concise report and persona one-pagers your team can pin up and use.
2–4 wks
Typical research sprint
8–12
Interviews usually enough to find the main themes
1
Shared picture of the customer for every team
Built for
Who this is for.
Teams about to redesign a website or product
Founders validating a new idea
Businesses entering a new market
Teams where sales and product disagree about the customer
Tools we useFigmaFigJamMazeHotjarFramerStorybook
Helpful extras
Try it yourself, or see what's built in.
Questions
User research & personas, answered.
Something else on your mind? Ask the Zelvorm Concierge in the corner, or talk to the team.
For finding the main themes, eight to twelve well-chosen interviews per audience usually reveal most of the patterns. We add surveys or analytics when we need to know how widespread something is.
More in UI/UX Design
The rest of the toolkit.
- 01Information architectureSitemaps, navigation and labels tested with real users, so nobody has to hunt for anything.
- 02Wireframes & user flowsEvery screen and every step mapped out, tested and agreed while changes are still cheap.
- 03High-fidelity UI designPolished, accessible screens with every state designed and ready for development.
- 04Interactive prototypesClickable prototypes realistic enough to test with users, show investors and brief developers.
- 05Design systems in FigmaTokens, components and patterns that make every new screen faster, cheaper and consistent.
- 06Usability testingModerated and remote testing that shows exactly where people struggle, and what to change.
From the Journal
Read before you decide.
UI/UX DesignSynthetic Users vs Real Usability Testing: What AI Personas Can (and Can't) Tell You
AI personas can test a website in minutes, but they aren't your customers. Here's what synthetic users catch, what they miss and how to combine them with real usability testing.
6 Nov 2026 · 4 min read
ConsultingHow to Write a Website Brief (Template and Examples)
A good website brief gets you better quotes and a better site. Here's what to include, section by section, a copy-ready template and the mistakes that lead to misunderstandings.
6 Nov 2026 · 4 min read
UI/UX DesignWhat's the Difference Between UI and UX Design? A Practical Guide
UI and UX get used interchangeably, but they're different jobs with different failure modes. A clear, practical explanation with real examples.
9 May 2026 · 5 min read
Next in UI/UX Design
Information architecture
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