How to Run User Research in ClickUp

ClickUp makes it easier to plan, run, and organize user research so your product team can turn real customer insights into better features and experiences.

This how-to guide walks you step by step through building a user research workflow based on the templates and best practices described in the official ClickUp user research templates article.

Why Manage User Research in ClickUp

Before you set anything up, understand why a centralized workspace matters for research.

With a properly designed structure, ClickUp helps you:

• Keep interview notes, surveys, and testing sessions in one place
• Standardize research documentation across your team
• Turn raw findings into prioritized opportunities and tasks
• Give stakeholders self-serve visibility into insights

The ClickUp user research templates guide shows several layouts. The steps below show you how to implement a practical version of that system.

Step 1: Create a ClickUp Space for Research

Start by separating research from your delivery work so insights stay clean and searchable.

1. Create a new Space named “User Research” (or similar).

2. Set privacy so only researchers and key stakeholders can edit, while others can view.

3. Choose simple default ClickUp views first (List and Board). You can add more later.

Keeping a dedicated Space ensures studies, notes, and outcomes are not mixed with day-to-day execution tasks.

Step 2: Add a ClickUp Folder for Each Research Program

Within your research Space, organize long-running efforts into Folders.

Create Folders such as:

• Product Discovery
• Usability Testing
• Customer Interviews
• Market & Competitor Analysis

Each Folder in ClickUp becomes the home for multiple related studies, so you can track patterns over time instead of in isolated documents.

Step 3: Use ClickUp Lists as Individual Studies

Inside each Folder, create a List for every study you plan to run. This mirrors the structure recommended in the ClickUp user research templates.

1. Create a new List for each study, for example:

   • “Onboarding Usability Test – Q1”
   • “Pricing Page Interviews”
   • “New Feature Concept Validation”

2. Add a short description explaining:

   • Research goal
   • Target audience
   • Methods used (interviews, tests, surveys)

3. Attach any existing planning docs or discussion threads directly to the List.

Each List in ClickUp now acts as the container for recruitment tasks, session notes, and synthesis for that one study.

Step 4: Define Custom Fields in ClickUp for Research Data

To make insights sortable and filterable, use Custom Fields across your research Space.

Within any List, create Custom Fields such as:

• Participant Type (Dropdown: New user, Power user, Prospect, Churned)
• Research Method (Dropdown: Interview, Usability Test, Survey)
• Product Area (Dropdown or Label: Onboarding, Billing, Mobile app, Dashboard, etc.)
• Sentiment (Dropdown: Positive, Neutral, Negative)
• Severity / Impact (Number or Dropdown: Low, Medium, High)

By using consistent fields in ClickUp, you can later slice data to answer questions like “What are the top High-impact onboarding issues for power users?”

Step 5: Create Core Task Types in ClickUp

Next, standardize the kinds of tasks you will use to represent research work.

For each study List, add tasks for:

• Recruitment
  • Tasks for screening criteria, outreach, and scheduling
  • Custom Fields for participant status and incentives
• Sessions
  • One task per interview or test session
  • Use the task description or subtasks for the discussion guide
  • Attach call recordings or transcripts
• Findings
  • Tasks capturing a single observation, pattern, or problem
  • Apply severity and product area Custom Fields
• Opportunities / Recommendations
  • Tasks describing potential solutions or design changes
  • Link these tasks to your product roadmap Lists in ClickUp

Keeping these task types consistent means your research workflow looks the same across all ClickUp studies.

Step 6: Use ClickUp Views to Analyze Research

Once data is captured, different views help you understand and share results.

Table View in ClickUp for Structured Insights

Switch a List to Table view to see every session or finding as a row with Custom Fields as columns.

Use Table view to:

• Quickly sort findings by severity or sentiment
• Filter to a specific product area
• Export data if you need to share with other tools

Board View in ClickUp for Thematic Grouping

Use Board view to cluster findings by theme or severity.

Practical board setups:

• Columns by Theme (Onboarding, Navigation, Pricing, etc.)
• Columns by Research Stage (Raw Note, Synthesized, Prioritized, Handed Off)
• Columns by Sentiment (Positive, Neutral, Negative)

This layout lets you visually group related insights and see where the biggest problems or opportunities sit.

Doc View in ClickUp for Research Reports

Create a Doc inside each List or Folder to summarize a study.

In the report Doc, include:

• Background and objectives
• Methodology and participant profile
• Key findings with links to underlying tasks
• Recommended opportunities and next steps

Because Docs live inside ClickUp, stakeholders can open a summary and then drill directly into a specific task, recording, or insight.

Step 7: Automate Routine Steps in ClickUp

Automations save time on repetitive research management tasks.

Example automations you can configure in ClickUp:

• When a session task moves to Completed, automatically create a “Synthesis Needed” finding task.
• When a finding is set to High Impact, notify the product manager or designer responsible.
• When a new opportunity task is created, auto-assign it to a triage owner and add it to your product backlog List.

Automating follow-ups keeps your user research process moving without relying only on manual reminders.

Step 8: Connect Research to Your Roadmap in ClickUp

Research is only valuable when it influences decisions. Connect findings to delivery inside ClickUp.

1. Use task relationships (links) to associate research findings with roadmap or sprint tasks.

2. Tag roadmap items with a label like “Research-backed” so teams can filter for work grounded in real evidence.

3. Mention research tasks directly in comments on feature tickets to provide context for why a change is needed.

This integration keeps your roadmap accountable to user needs without endless status meetings.

Step 9: Standardize With ClickUp Templates

To avoid rebuilding structures each time, convert your best research setup into reusable templates.

Create templates for:

• Study List Template
  • Predefined views, Custom Fields, and task statuses
• Session Task Template
  • Embedded interview script or usability test flow
• Finding Task Template
  • Fields for evidence, severity, and linked sessions
• Research Report Doc Template
  • Sections for goals, methods, insights, and recommendations

The official ClickUp blog article on user research templates demonstrates many of these structural ideas, which you can adapt to your own workflow.

Step 10: Share and Iterate on Your ClickUp Research Hub

Finally, treat your research setup as a living system.

To keep improving:

• Ask designers, PMs, and engineers what views they use most.
• Retire Custom Fields that are never filled in.
• Add quick-start templates for new team members.
• Review how quickly findings move from discovery to implementation.

Over time, your ClickUp research hub becomes a long-term repository of customer knowledge instead of a collection of disconnected notes.

Next Steps and Additional Resources

If you want expert help turning your workspace into a structured research and delivery system, you can explore implementation services from partners like Consultevo.

For more structural ideas and example layouts, study the official ClickUp guide to research templates here: ClickUp User Research Templates.

By following these steps, you will build a practical, repeatable user research workflow in ClickUp that keeps insights organized, actionable, and directly tied to your product roadmap.

Need Help With ClickUp?

If you want expert help building, automating, or scaling your ClickUp workspace, work with ConsultEvo — trusted ClickUp Solution Partners.

Get Help

“`