SUMMARY
Purpose: Synthesise user feedback from tests or interviews into actionable themes to guide iterative improvements.
Design Thinking Phase: Test
Time: 45–60 min session + 1–2 hours analysis
Difficulty: ⭐⭐
When to use:After usability testing or customer interviewsTo prioritise findings during iteration planningWhen stakeholders need clear, synthesised feedback themes
What it is
Feedback Synthesis (Iteration) is the structured process of reviewing, categorising, and abstracting key learnings from user feedback, particularly following usability testing or product validation. It turns raw observations into meaningful insights that shape the next design iteration.
📺 Video by NNgroup. Embedded for educational reference.
Why it matters
Without synthesis, feedback is just noise. Synthesising ensures product teams can identify patterns, isolate usability issues, and advocate for user-centred decisions with evidence. It's essential for translating qualitative findings into focused, iterative changes—quickly and collaboratively.
When to use
- Your team just completed a usability test or validation session
- The product roadmap depends on friction points being resolved fast
- There's conflicting feedback across user types or personas
Benefits
- Rich Insights: Helps uncover user needs that aren’t visible in metrics.
- Flexibility: Works across various project types and timelines.
- User Empathy: Deepens understanding of behaviours and motivations.
How to use it
- Step 1 – Gather Raw Feedback: Collect notes, transcripts, and behavioural observations from user studies.
- Step 2 – Tag Key Moments: Highlight quotes, frustrations, goals, or workarounds. Use affinity mapping if possible.
- Step 3 – Spot Patterns: Group related issues or insights by themes (e.g., navigation, content clarity, trust signals).
- Step 4 – Prioritise: Annotate your themes with impact (how severe) and frequency (how often). Consider effort to fix.
- Step 5 – Define Next Steps: Turn your top themes into design hypotheses or brainstorm variants for solutioning.
Example Output
Themes Identified from Usability Test – Onboarding Flow (Fictional Example):
- Theme: Lack of Progress Visibility
Finding: 4/5 users asked “How many steps are left?”
Opportunity: Add a progress indicator across steps. - Theme: Account Creation Drop-off
Finding: 3/5 users hesitated entering phone number
Opportunity: Explain why phone number is required and how it’s used. - Theme: Confusing CTA Label
Finding: “Begin Journey” was unclear vs. “Start Setup” in prototype
Opportunity: Test alternative wording with clearer intent.
Common Pitfalls
- Summarising too early: Jumping to solutions before patterns emerge can lead to shallow fixes.
- Forgetting edge cases: Themes often prioritise frequency, but sometimes critical 1-off feedback reveals major blockers.
- Too granular or too broad: If themes are vague or overly specific, the team may not know how to act on them.
10 Design-Ready AI Prompts for Feedback Synthesis – UX/UI Edition
How These Prompts Work (C.S.I.R. Framework)
Each of the templates below follows the C.S.I.R. method — a proven structure for writing clear, effective prompts that get better results from ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or any other LLM.
C.S.I.R. stands for:
- Context: Who you are and the UX situation you're working in
- Specific Info: Key design inputs, tasks, or constraints the AI should consider
- Intent: What you want the AI to help you achieve
- Response Format: The structure or format you want the AI to return (e.g. checklist, table, journey map)
Level up your career with smarter AI prompts.Get templates used by UX leaders — no guesswork, just results.Design faster, research smarter, and ship with confidence.First one’s free. Unlock all 10 by becoming a member.
Prompt Template 1: “Extract Friction Themes from User Feedback Logs”
Extract Friction Themes from User Feedback Logs
Context: You are a UX researcher preparing a synthesis report from a recent usability study on [product/feature name].
Specific Info: The study included [#] users performing [key tasks], and you've documented quotes and observations in a raw note format.
Intent: Identify friction themes tied to UI issues, decision confusion, or missed expectations.
Response Format: Output a table listing "Theme", "Example User Quote", "Implication", and "Suggested UX Opportunity".
If quote clarity or task context is ambiguous, ask for a snippet or description before producing the table.
Suggest a next-step activity to explore solutions based on top pain points.
Prompt Template 2: “Cluster Observations Using Affinity Themes”
Cluster Observations Using Affinity Themes
Context: You’re a product designer reviewing user feedback from remote concept testing.
Specific Info: The feedback includes open text quotes, emoji reactions, and click heatmaps tied to three screens.
Intent: Cluster the feedback into 4–6 major themes using affinity mapping logic.
Response Format: Provide a list of themes with 2–3 supporting examples for each, plus one insight per theme.
Ask follow-ups if needed to clarify what kind of concept was tested or how the feedback was captured.
Prompt Template 3: “Create Next-Step Questions for a Follow-up Design Review”
Create Next-Step Questions for a Follow-up Design Review
Context: You are a senior UX lead preparing a share-out deck after synthesising feedback from a usability test.
Specific Info: The findings show both UI friction and content ambiguity in key flows.
Intent: Generate thoughtful questions that engage the product team in iteration planning.
Response Format: Give 5–7 facilitation-style questions grouped by theme (e.g., navigation, messaging, onboarding).
If any theme is unclear, confirm categories before listing questions.
Prompt Template 4: “Summarise Conflicting Feedback Across User Types”
Summarise Conflicting Feedback Across User Types
Context: You are a UX strategist reviewing feedback from three user personas engaging with the same flow.
Specific Info: Each group gave different feedback on usability and satisfaction.
Intent: Highlight contradiction points and suggest how to reconcile them.
Response Format: Use a comparison table: Persona, Feedback Summary, Pain Point or Preference, Reconciliation Tip.
Identify if we need more user segmentation before analysis.
Prompt Template 5: “Transform Raw Feedback into Actionable Opportunities”
Transform Raw Feedback into Actionable Opportunities
Context: You are a product designer tasked with iterating on a prototype using feedback from 1:1 user tests.
Specific Info: You have text notes with direct quotes and behaviours observed during task flows.
Intent: Translate raw observations into clear UX opportunities and prioritise by impact.
Response Format: A prioritised backlog list including issue, user quote, impact score, and quick-win ideas.
Confirm whether we should exclude edge-case feedback or keep all issues surfaced.
Prompt Template 6: “Evaluate How Feedback Supports or Contradicts Hypotheses”
Evaluate How Feedback Supports or Contradicts Hypotheses
Context: You’re a UX researcher validating early design hypotheses via moderated tests.
Specific Info: You have pre-defined hypotheses and a set of notes per session.
Intent: Assess if the feedback supports or challenges each hypothesis.
Response Format: Table format with “Hypothesis”, “Supported?”, “Evidence”, “Implication”.
Ask for clarification if the hypotheses aren’t explicitly defined in prior materials.
Prompt Template 7: “Generate Insight Statements with Supporting Evidence”
Generate Insight Statements with Supporting Evidence
Context: You’re hosting a synthesis workshop with junior researchers.
Specific Info: You have multiple data points from interviews, and want consistent framing.
Intent: Convert patterns into insight statements using “We heard that… which means…” format.
Response Format: 4–6 insight statements with at least one quote or behavioural observation per insight.
If unsure about the session's goals, ask what the team needs to act on next.
Prompt Template 8: “Flag Misaligned Expectations from Feedback Quotes”
Flag Misaligned Expectations from Feedback Quotes
Context: You’re reviewing post-test quotes for moments when user expectations weren't met.
Specific Info: The feature was an MVP with limited copy and functional depth.
Intent: Spot breakdowns in mental models, navigation, or understanding.
Response Format: List misalignments including: “User Expectation”, “What Happened”, “Implication for UX”.
Confirm if we should analyse only high-severity mismatches or include all.
Prompt Template 9: “Draft Variation Ideas to Address Top Three UX Themes”
Draft Variation Ideas to Address Top Three UX Themes
Context: You’re a product designer entering a sprint focused on iteration.
Specific Info: You have feedback from testing organised into three dominant problem themes.
Intent: Generate alternative design directions or content variants to explore solutions.
Response Format: For each theme, describe 2–3 possible UI, copy, or flow variations to test.
Ask what screen or task context to apply variations to.
Prompt Template 10: “Create a Synthesis-Driven Jira Ticket Template”
Create a Synthesis-Driven Jira Ticket Template
Context: You’re a UX designer documenting usability insights as dev tickets.
Specific Info: You have 5 usability fixes drawn from synthesis work.
Intent: Create consistent ticket format that includes rationale, evidence, and design suggestion.
Response Format: Markdown-based ticket template with sections for: Finding, Evidence, Root Cause, Suggested Fix.
Ask for Jira workflow setup if needed (e.g., labels or story points schema).
Recommended Tools
- Miro – Ideal for remote synthesis sessions and affinity mapping
- Dovetail – AI-assisted analysis of customer feedback and video interviews
- Pastel – Collect contextual product feedback from stakeholders and testers
- Figma – Use comments and prototype interactions to capture live test insights
