A research brief.
Questions worth answering.

A research brief tells a researcher what decision the research must inform and what questions need answering. Start from the decision, not the method: “should we launch in Germany?” leads to better research than “run a survey”.

Details

• Client / company: [Name]
• Completed by: [Name, role]
• Date: [Date]

Background and decision

• What decision will this research inform? [Answer]
• What do we already know? [Answer]

Research questions

• What do we need to find out? [Answer]
• What would change our decision? [Answer]

Audience

• Who should we speak to or survey? [Answer]
• How many, and how will we reach them? [Answer]

Method

• Any preferred methods (interviews, survey, usability tests)? [Answer]
• Any constraints on data collection? [Answer]

Deliverables

• What output is needed (report, workshop, raw data)? [Answer]
• Who will use it? [Answer]

Timeline and budget

• When is the decision being made? [Answer]
• What is the budget, including incentives? [Answer]

1. Write down the decision the research will inform.
2. List what you already know, to avoid paying to learn it again.
3. Turn unknowns into research questions.
4. Describe the audience and how to reach them.
5. Agree deliverables, timeline and budget, including incentives.
6. Share the brief with the researcher and agree the method together.

Microsoft Word

1. Download the Word (.docx) file and open it. If Word opens it in Protected View, select Enable Editing.
2. Use Find (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for “[” to jump between the placeholders you need to replace.
3. Save a clean copy as a Word template (File → Save As → Word Template) so every new document starts from it.

Google Docs

1. Upload the .docx file to Google Drive.
2. Right-click it and choose Open with → Google Docs, then File → Save as Google Docs to keep an editable copy.
3. Use File → Make a copy for each new client so your master stays clean.

PDF

Fill it in Word or Google Docs, then export it: File → Save As → PDF in Word, or File → Download → PDF document in Google Docs.

Sample answers from a fictional client.

Sample answers

• Decision? Whether to introduce a lower-priced plan for freelancers.
• Questions? What freelancers pay for similar tools today and which features they’d trade for a lower price.
• Audience? 15 interviews with freelance designers and developers; survey of 300 trial users.
• Deliverable? A findings workshop with the product team and a short report.

• Start with the decision, not the method.
• Budget for participant incentives.
• Agree in advance what result would change your mind.

Angelwood turns questions like these into an onboarding plan: requests with instructions, owners and dates that clients answer in their portal, reviewed by your team before kickoff.

Browse all briefs templates or the full template library.