UX Research Plan - How Hypotheses, Objectives, and Secondary Questions Tie into the Business Case

By Philip Burgess - UX Research Leader

1. The Business Case Defines the “Why”

• The business case sets the stage:

  Why are we doing this research?

  What business decision or risk does it support?

• Example:

  Customer service calls about claims submissions have increased 30%, costing $250K per quarter. We need to understand what’s driving this friction to reduce costs and improve user satisfaction.

2. Hypotheses Translate Business Needs into Assumptions

• The business case → “We have a costly problem.”

• The hypothesis → “Here’s our assumption about what’s causing it.”

• Example:

  If we add a progress bar to claims submission, then users will abandon less, because they’ll feel reassured about process length.

• This makes the research not just exploratory but test-driven against a business pain point.

3. Primary Research Objectives Align Research with Business Goals

• Objectives should map directly back to the business case.

• They define the specific evidence you’ll deliver to inform business decisions.

• Example (objective aligned to business case above):

  Determine whether adding a progress bar reduces abandonment rates and customer service inquiries during claims submission.

• Notice: this directly connects to cost reduction + user satisfaction → the heart of the business case.

4. Secondary Questions Add Depth & Future Value

• They’re not critical to the business case but help:

  • Uncover adjacent insights.

  • Seed future improvements.

• Example:

  • Do users notice the progress bar without prompting?

  • Does it improve CSAT scores?

• While not the central decision point, they enrich understanding and provide bonus ROI.

5. Narrative Flow in a Research Plan

Here’s how it looks when tied together:

1. Business Case (The Why)

   → We need to reduce costly call center volume tied to claims submission abandonment.

2. Hypotheses (The Assumptions)

   → If we add a progress bar, drop-off will decrease, because users feel reassured.

3. Primary Objectives (The Learning Goals)

   → Evaluate whether the progress bar reduces abandonment and improves task success rates.

4. Secondary Questions (The Explorations)

   → Do users notice it? Does it improve satisfaction? What alternative cues also help?

UX Research Plan Alignment Template

Business Case (Why)	Hypothesis (Assumption)	Primary Research Objective (Core Goal)	Secondary Research Questions (Supporting Exploration)
Describe the business need, pain point, or opportunity driving this study. State the impact on cost, revenue, retention, or satisfaction.	If [we make this change], then [this outcome will happen], because [assumption about user behavior].	Evaluate/Measure/Understand [user behavior or experience] in order to [specific decision/outcome aligned to business case].	Exploratory questions that enrich findings but are not critical to the decision. “Do users notice X? How does Y affect satisfaction? What alternatives do users suggest?”

Example Filled-In (Claims Submission Case)

Business Case (Why)	Hypothesis (Assumption)	Primary Research Objective (Core Goal)	Secondary Research Questions (Supporting Exploration)
Customer service calls about claims submissions have increased 30%, costing $250K per quarter. Reducing abandonment will lower costs and improve user satisfaction.	If we add a progress bar to claims submission, then abandonment will decrease because users will feel reassured about process length.	Evaluate whether adding a progress bar reduces abandonment and improves task success rates in claims submission.	- Do users notice the progress bar without prompting?- Does the progress bar improve CSAT scores?- What alternative cues (color, icons, messaging) also reassure users?