Carrying out User Needs Studies

Research into user needs is a vital part of the Person-Based Approach if there are evidence. There is no single method we use since different methods are needed to investigate different aspects of user needs. Methods that can be useful include:

• Surveys, focus groups or interviews to collect data on the needs, lifestyle and preferences of the target user population
  
• Ethnography to obtain an in-depth understanding of user contexts
  
• Participatory research to generate and prioritise ideas for useful interventions
• Analysis of population data to identify the population groups with specific needs and their characteristics (e.g. underserved groups or communities)
  

Guidance on carrying out these different types of studies is given elsewhere.