What is the first step in understanding user needs in a research process?

The first step in understanding user needs in a research process is to empathize. This stage is crucial because it involves actively engaging with and observing users to gain insights into their behaviors, motivations, and challenges. Empathy allows researchers to grasp the user experience more deeply and understand what users value and what problems they face. By placing themselves in the users' shoes, researchers can collect qualitative data through interviews, observations, and surveys, which lays the foundation for subsequent steps in the research process. This empathetic approach ensures that the solutions developed later are genuinely aligned with user needs and are more likely to be effective and well-received.

In contrast, defining the problem or needs typically follows empathy; testing and inevitable choices are usually later phases in the process once user needs have been established and explored.