Research Synthesis Template

WHAT'S INCLUDED

Template sections

• Study summary — research question, method, number of participants, dates, and facilitator
• Affinity clustering log — space to capture and group raw observations into emerging themes
• Theme prioritisation matrix — rank themes by frequency and impact to focus synthesis
• Top 5 insights — structured insight statements (Observation → So what → Now what)
• Supporting evidence — key quotes, video timestamps, and usability metrics per insight
• Recommendations — prioritised action items mapped to insights with owner and timeline
• Next steps — unresolved questions for future research and stakeholder share-out plan

HOW TO USE

Best practices

1. Synthesise within 48 hours. The longer you wait, the more context you lose. Raw notes without context are just noise.
2. Separate observation from interpretation.
3. An insight requires evidence from multiple sources. One participant saying something is a data point. Three participants independently saying the same thing is an insight.
4. Write insights as "Observation → So what → Now what". This format forces you to connect evidence to implication to action — and stops vague insight statements.
5. Present the recommendations before the methodology. Stakeholders care about what to do next, not how you ran the sessions. Lead with action.