ChatGPT for UX Research

AI is everywhere right now, and it's clear that it's here to stay. Whether we like it or not, it’s becoming part of our daily routines, and as designers, we need to understand how to make the most of it. It’s not just about knowing the tool, but about knowing how to work with it smartly.

In the context of UX research, ChatGPT can be a solid partner. It’s fast, it’s flexible, and it can support us in many different stages of the research and design process. It all comes down to how we use it.

Let’s start with the basics. One of the first things we usually do in a UX project is run a competitor analysis. You can ask ChatGPT to search and summarise information about competitors, helping you get a broad view of what’s out there. You can also ask it to compare tools, spot gaps, or give you a quick market overview. It won’t replace deep research, but it saves a lot of time in the early stages.

Next, you’ll probably need to run some user interviews. Here, ChatGPT can help you create your scripts. You can describe the context, your goals, and your audience, and it will suggest relevant and tailored questions. But it doesn't stop there. After generating the script, you can go one step further and ask ChatGPT to simulate some answers based on different persona profiles. That’s when things get even more interesting.

When it comes to creating personas, ChatGPT does a decent job. You can give it a bit of context, and it will suggest clear, structured persona profiles. But to get even more value, try adding emotions and specific roles to your personas. Ask the tool to act like a frustrated customer, a loyal user, or a sceptical CEO. By framing the prompt this way, you move past the usual neutral or extremely positive answers that large language models tend to give. This helps you explore potential blockers and pain points that you might not consider otherwise.

Once you’ve done this round of research, you’ll want to start thinking about solutions. At this stage, you can ask ChatGPT to help you generate a basic site map based on the pain points, needs, goals, and the competitor analysis done previously. It’s a good starting point to begin organising your ideas and sketching a structure.

You can even ask ChatGPT to suggest low-fidelity wireframes. It won’t give you visuals like Figma would, but it can describe layout suggestions, possible components, and interactions. This can be a great base for your design exploration.

With all this in hand, you might feel ready to move into high-fidelity design. ChatGPT has started offering image generation features that simulate high-fidelity UI design. You can use prompts to create different versions of screens and explore visual styles. However, you won’t be able to directly edit these images. So at some point, you’ll need to take them into a proper design tool like Figma. Another option is to upload them into design-to-code platforms such as Lovable or Builder, which can translate the visuals into something more interactive or editable.

After your designs are ready, it’s time to test. While ChatGPT can’t yet connect directly to a Figma prototype, you can still upload static images or share a coded prototype link. Based on that, you can ask the tool to generate usability testing scripts. These scripts can cover different flows, scenarios, or task prompts for your participants. To make the test simulation richer, you can go back to your personas and ask ChatGPT to play the roles again. Ask it to act like a user who understood everything with ease, or someone who got confused and gave up halfway. These different perspectives give you insights into what might be working and what still needs attention.

To wrap up, ChatGPT is a powerful tool that is evolving fast. It can boost your productivity and support you in multiple stages of UX research and design. But as with any tool, the value you get from it depends on how well you use it. Refine your prompts, double-check the output, and make sure it aligns with real user needs.

Think of AI as a very talented intern. It works fast, it brings a lot of ideas, and it helps you move forward. But it still needs direction. It’s not a senior professional who can work alone and be trusted with full responsibility. Use it wisely, and you’ll see how much it can support your creative process.

This article is part of an assignment for the AI for UX Designers certification, powered by UX Tree and guided by Valentina Antunovic.