User research can make or break your mobile app—but only if you have the right tools to gather insights, schedule interviews, and run surveys efficiently. This list covers the essential resources that will streamline your research process from start to finish.
Of course, research is only valuable when you can quickly act on what you learn. That's where building and iterating with Adalo comes in—Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. This lets you rapidly prototype based on user feedback, test with real people, and refine your app without writing code.
Below you'll find tools to help you launch a successful MVP, reach the widest audience through app store distribution, and leverage push notifications to keep users engaged.
Our previous blog discussed user research in way more detail, including some ways to conduct research, from focus group discussions, to surveys, A/B testing, and more. We'd recommend giving it a quick read before you get to this one!
To make the process of user research easier, here are some helpful resources and tools that will get you right on track to building an app that your people will want to use. Whether you're validating an idea before building or refining an existing product, these tools streamline every stage of the research process.
Tools for Scheduling Research Meetings
While this may seem like the smallest step in the process, it can get quite complicated to schedule multiple meetings, calls, and conversations to conduct your research. If you're looking to set up a few meetings with early app users, or someone that fits your user persona, here are some tools that will make scheduling a breeze.
Scheduling meetings has never been easier! You can use Calendly for free and eliminate the hassle of back-and-forth emails to plan a call. You can embed a Calendly link onto your website, or have a handy link to share with potential interviewees. The tool syncs with your calendar to show only available slots, preventing double-bookings during busy research sprints.
This convenient scheduling tool has a great UI and is particularly helpful across time zones. You can have it work with your existing tools like Google Calendar, Microsoft Teams, and even build custom integrations via Zapier. Doodle's polling feature is especially useful when coordinating focus groups with multiple participants who need to find a common time.
Tools for Conducting Surveys
Survey tools can be the easiest way to get some feelers out about your mobile app. But since people don't love filling them up, it helps to have some amazing, interactive survey tools to make it more enticing.
Plus, you'll be able to share the link on social media, embed your survey onto a site so users can fill them out on a web page, or email the survey link. All of these make it easy to conduct user research and share it with potential respondents. Additionally, they all have templates that you can use to make survey creation easier.
You can use Typeform to create beautiful survey tools—and what's great is that there's a free version of it too! It allows up to ten responses, but if you're not looking for too much detail, that can be all you need. The conversational format keeps respondents engaged longer than traditional form layouts.
Google Forms gives users an easy way to create a survey that contains as many questions as they need to ask, in a variety of styles. Like TypeForm, it's also free, and it has fewer restrictions on the number of responses. Responses automatically populate a Google Sheet, making analysis straightforward for teams already in the Google ecosystem.
This is a helpful tool to conduct both market research and user research. There are multiple plan options that you can choose from based on how many people you'll be interviewing and the features you need. SurveyMonkey provides customizable surveys, as well as paid top-up programs like data analysis, sample selection, bias elimination, and data representation tools.
If you're looking for a free version, you can check out Wufoo by SurveyMonkey. It has a free plan that lets you create easy questionnaires and forms.
Tools for Gathering Feedback
If you're looking at a larger sample size, there are some great tools that let you gather automated feedback. They would usually be used by product managers conducting more comprehensive research.
Some of these tools will help you with advanced analytics, user segmentations, and product roadmapping, so they're a bit more advanced than you may need, but it helps to be prepared!
Maze helps you test, refine, and improve your product on-the-go. It's got everything you need, from surveys to usability tests. It can also auto-generate reports based on the findings. Overall it's a great tool to validate ideas and concepts and gather user feedback.
It also lets you test UX copy to see what performs best with different personas—critical for understanding how your messaging resonates with different user segments.
The best way to find out what users think about your app is, well, simply by asking them! UserReport lets you do just that. You can install a simple survey widget onto your app and collect real-time feedback.
According to their website, "UserReport is a set of flexible tools that tell you who your users are, and what they want to achieve." It helps you learn who your users are, what they are looking for—and how they think you can improve the experience. Based on these ideas, you can build a brand or product that users will love.
Pendo is a product-analytics app built to help businesses develop products that address their customers' needs. According to their website, Pendo helps app makers "drive product adoption, customer loyalty, and team innovation." The product-analytics feature allows product teams to record, monitor, and analyze how users interact with your product.
You can use UserPilot to understand how different segments of users engage with your app across the user journey. While it's mainly larger product businesses that would use an advanced tool like this, it does allow you to get sophisticated and actionable product analytics and insights. The segmentation capabilities are particularly valuable for understanding how different user types interact with specific features.
Tools for Transcriptions
When conducting UX research, it's likely that you may have a lot of audio and video content that will need to be transcribed and categorized or organized somewhere. Here are some handy transcription tools to make it quick and easy.
Rev is super quick and easy. You just upload files from your computer or paste a URL from the web, and your transcripts are delivered as an editable document. You can view and edit with their tools too. They charge by the minute, and have a really fast turnaround time. A 20-minute video will cost about $25 and will be complete in no more than 4 hours!
This is an all-in-one note-taking, transcription, organizing tool that makes sorting through lots of research content a breeze. You can record conversations using Otter on your phone or web browser, or import or sync recordings from other services. It integrates with Zoom and Google Meet to make things easier! You can keep everyone on the same page with smart notes too. The AI-powered summaries help identify key themes across multiple interviews.
Additional Tools for UX Research
Collabito is an online focus group software. You can use their features like text-based live chats, discussion boards, blogs, and video focus groups to streamline the entire process. They call themselves a brainstorming tool, which is perfect for conducting user research. Collabito also has a free version so you can give it a shot before deciding to upgrade.
In our previous article, we talked about how creating user personas can help you think through your app solution, decide how to market it, and set yourself up for success. User personas may sound a bit far out and pointless if you haven't done user research before, but HubSpot's awesome tool makes it really easy! And once you've created a few personas, you'll realize how much easier it is to think from a user-first perspective.
The guided questionnaire walks you through demographics, goals, challenges, and preferred communication channels—all the details that inform better product decisions.
Turning Research Into Reality
We hope this list helps you conduct your user research more effectively. Making an app takes some effort, so don't be afraid to get into it!
Once you've gathered insights from your research, the next step is building something users actually want. Adalo is a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play. This AI-powered platform helps you move from research to working prototype quickly. Magic Start generates complete app foundations from a simple description—tell it you need a booking app based on your user research findings, and it creates your database structure, screens, and user flows automatically.
With over 3 million apps created on the platform, Adalo's visual builder has been described as "easy as PowerPoint." One build publishes to web, iOS App Store, and Android Play Store simultaneously. Whether you're a freelancer or a startup, you can build responsive apps, connect with clients, and validate your research findings with real users. Plus, with plenty of free online courses and resources available, you'll be up and running in no time.
The best user research leads to products people love—now you have the tools to gather those insights and the platform to act on them.
FAQ
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Why choose Adalo over other app building solutions? | Adalo is an AI-powered app builder that creates true native iOS and Android apps. Unlike web wrappers, it compiles to native code and publishes directly to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store from a single codebase—the hardest part of launching an app handled automatically. With unlimited database records on paid plans and no usage-based charges, you won't face surprise bills as your user base grows. |
| What's the fastest way to build and publish an app to the App Store? | Adalo's drag-and-drop interface combined with AI-assisted building makes it possible to go from idea to published app quickly. Magic Start generates complete app foundations from descriptions, and the platform handles the App Store submission process directly—no need to manage separate developer accounts or complex deployment pipelines. |
| Can I easily conduct user research and integrate feedback tools into my app? | Yes, with Adalo you can build apps that incorporate user feedback mechanisms and connect with research tools. You can create forms, surveys, and feedback widgets directly within your app, allowing you to gather valuable user insights without needing to code. The platform's flexibility lets you iterate quickly based on what you learn. |
| What tools can I use to schedule user research meetings? | Calendly and Doodle are excellent tools for scheduling research meetings. Calendly eliminates back-and-forth emails by letting you share a booking link, while Doodle is particularly helpful for coordinating across time zones and integrates with Google Calendar, Microsoft Teams, and Zapier. |
| Which survey tools are best for gathering user feedback? | TypeForm, Google Forms, and SurveyMonkey are popular options for conducting surveys. TypeForm offers beautiful, interactive surveys with a free version, Google Forms provides unlimited responses at no cost, and SurveyMonkey offers advanced features like data analysis and bias elimination for comprehensive research needs. |
| What tools help with transcribing user research interviews? | Rev and Otter.ai are top transcription tools for UX research. Rev offers fast turnaround with human-quality transcripts charged by the minute, while Otter.ai provides an all-in-one solution with recording, transcription, and note organization that integrates with Zoom and Google Meet. |
| How do I create user personas for my app? | HubSpot's MakeMyPersona tool makes creating user personas simple and accessible, even if you're new to user research. The guided questionnaire walks you through demographics, goals, and challenges. User personas help you think through your app solution, decide how to market it, and approach development from a user-first perspective. |
| How much does it cost to build an app with user research insights? | Adalo's paid plans start at $36/month with unlimited usage and no record caps on your database. This is significantly more affordable than alternatives like Bubble (starting at $59/month with usage-based charges) or FlutterFlow ($70/month per user, plus separate database costs). The predictable pricing lets you focus on building rather than monitoring usage. |
| Do I need coding experience to build an app from my research findings? | No coding experience is required with Adalo. The visual builder has been described as "easy as PowerPoint," and Magic Start can generate complete app foundations from simple descriptions of what you want to build. Over 3 million apps have been created on the platform by users of all technical backgrounds. |
