# Week 3 Action Plan - Design & User Experience Phase

## This Week's Focus: User Research & Competitive Analysis
**Date Range:** October 19-25, 2025  
**Phase:** 2 - Design & User Experience  
**Week Status:** 🔄 Active

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## 🎯 Weekly Objectives

### Primary Goals
1. **Complete Competitive Analysis** - Analyze 8-10 Malaysian guide/tutorial websites
2. **Begin User Research** - Conduct 5+ user interviews across target segments  
3. **Launch User Survey** - Deploy comprehensive survey targeting 100+ responses
4. **Start Card Sorting** - Initialize information architecture validation
5. **Validate Assumptions** - Test our proposed navigation and content structure

### Success Metrics
- **Interviews:** 5+ completed with transcripts and insights
- **Survey:** 50+ responses by week end
- **Competitive Analysis:** Complete analysis of 8 competitor sites
- **Card Sorting:** 20+ participants engaged
- **Documentation:** Research insights documented and shared

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## 📋 Daily Action Items

### Monday, October 19
**Focus:** Competitive Analysis & Research Setup

#### Morning (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
- [ ] **9:00-10:30:** Complete competitive analysis framework setup
- [ ] **10:30-12:00:** Analyze Tourism Malaysia website and 2 competitors

#### Afternoon (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM)  
- [ ] **1:00-2:30:** Analyze expat forum sites (Malaysia Expat, InterNations)
- [ ] **2:30-4:00:** Review travel guide sites (Lonely Planet Malaysia, Culture Trip)
- [ ] **4:00-5:00:** Document findings and identify opportunities

#### Evening Tasks
- [ ] **Set up user interview scheduling system**
- [ ] **Finalize interview question guide**
- [ ] **Prepare participant recruitment materials**

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### Tuesday, October 20  
**Focus:** User Interview Preparation & Survey Launch

#### Morning (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
- [ ] **9:00-10:00:** Complete remaining competitive analysis (2-3 sites)
- [ ] **10:00-11:30:** Launch user survey on social media and forums
- [ ] **11:30-12:00:** Test interview recording setup and consent process

#### Afternoon (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM)
- [ ] **1:00-2:00:** Conduct first user interview (Tourist segment)
- [ ] **2:30-3:30:** Conduct second user interview (Expat segment) 
- [ ] **4:00-5:00:** Document interview insights and patterns

#### Evening Tasks
- [ ] **Schedule 3 more interviews for Wednesday-Thursday**
- [ ] **Monitor survey responses and adjust distribution**
- [ ] **Prepare card sorting content and setup OptimalSort**

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### Wednesday, October 21
**Focus:** User Interviews & Card Sorting Launch

#### Morning (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
- [ ] **9:00-10:00:** Conduct third user interview (Local Malaysian)
- [ ] **10:30-11:30:** Conduct fourth user interview (Business traveler)
- [ ] **11:30-12:00:** Launch card sorting exercise

#### Afternoon (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM)
- [ ] **1:00-2:00:** Analyze first batch of survey responses
- [ ] **2:30-3:30:** Conduct fifth user interview (International student)
- [ ] **4:00-5:00:** Document interview insights and preliminary patterns

#### Evening Tasks
- [ ] **Recruit card sorting participants via social media**
- [ ] **Monitor survey distribution and response rates**
- [ ] **Prepare for stakeholder check-in meeting**

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### Thursday, October 22
**Focus:** Data Analysis & Insight Synthesis

#### Morning (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
- [ ] **9:00-10:30:** Transcribe and analyze completed interviews
- [ ] **10:30-12:00:** Identify key themes and user pain points

#### Afternoon (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM)
- [ ] **1:00-2:30:** Create preliminary user persona drafts
- [ ] **2:30-4:00:** Analyze survey data (aim for 30+ responses by now)
- [ ] **4:00-5:00:** Team check-in: Share research insights

#### Evening Tasks
- [ ] **Continue card sorting participant recruitment**
- [ ] **Prepare mid-week status report**
- [ ] **Schedule additional interviews if needed**

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### Friday, October 23
**Focus:** Week Synthesis & Next Week Planning  

#### Morning (9:00 AM - 12:00 PM)
- [ ] **9:00-10:30:** Complete competitive analysis documentation
- [ ] **10:30-12:00:** Synthesize all user research findings

#### Afternoon (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM)
- [ ] **1:00-2:30:** Create preliminary information architecture recommendations
- [ ] **2:30-4:00:** Document research insights and key findings
- [ ] **4:00-5:00:** Week review and next week planning

#### Week Wrap-up
- [ ] **Complete week 3 deliverables documentation**
- [ ] **Plan week 4 activities and resource needs**
- [ ] **Share progress with stakeholders**

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## 🎯 Key Deliverables by Week End

### Research Documentation
- [ ] **Competitive Analysis Report** - Complete analysis of 8-10 sites with opportunities identified
- [ ] **User Interview Insights** - 5+ interviews transcribed with key themes documented
- [ ] **Survey Initial Results** - Analysis of 50+ survey responses
- [ ] **Card Sorting Setup** - Exercise launched with 20+ participants engaged

### Strategic Outputs  
- [ ] **Preliminary User Personas** - Draft personas based on research findings
- [ ] **IA Recommendations** - Initial navigation structure recommendations
- [ ] **Research Repository** - Organized research data for team access
- [ ] **Week 4 Action Plan** - Detailed plan for continued research and analysis

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## 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Team Coordination

### Daily Standups (9:00 AM)
- **Monday:** Week kickoff and goal alignment
- **Tuesday:** Progress check and issue identification  
- **Wednesday:** Mid-week assessment and adjustments
- **Thursday:** Data analysis coordination
- **Friday:** Week wrap-up and next week planning

### Team Responsibilities

#### UI/UX Researcher (Lead)
- **Primary responsibility:** Conduct all user interviews
- **Secondary:** Analyze competitive landscape
- **Support:** Card sorting setup and management

#### Project Manager
- **Primary responsibility:** Coordinate activities and stakeholder communication
- **Secondary:** Survey distribution and response monitoring
- **Support:** Documentation and quality assurance

#### Content Strategist (Part-time)
- **Primary responsibility:** Content gap analysis from research
- **Secondary:** Survey question refinement
- **Support:** Interview question development

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## 🚨 Risk Management

### Identified Risks This Week
| Risk | Impact | Probability | Mitigation Plan |
|------|---------|-------------|-----------------|
| Low interview response rate | High | Medium | Expand recruitment channels, offer incentives |
| Survey sample bias | Medium | Medium | Diversify distribution channels, target specific groups |
| Card sorting participation | Medium | High | Simplify process, provide clear instructions |
| Research schedule delays | High | Low | Buffer time built in, parallel activities |

### Contingency Plans
- **If interviews fall short:** Extend recruitment to week 4, leverage partner networks
- **If survey responses low:** Paid social media promotion, community partnerships
- **If card sorting fails:** Alternative tree testing approach, simplified structure validation

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## 📊 Success Tracking

### Daily Metrics
- **Interviews completed:** Target 1 per day
- **Survey responses:** Target 10+ per day  
- **Card sorting participants:** Target 3-5 per day
- **Competitive sites analyzed:** Target 2 per day

### Weekly KPIs
- **Research completion:** 80% of planned activities
- **Quality score:** 4.5/5 average interview rating
- **Participation rate:** 70% response rate on outreach
- **Insight generation:** 10+ actionable insights documented

### Quality Gates
- [ ] All interviews recorded and transcribed
- [ ] Competitive analysis uses consistent framework
- [ ] Survey data cleaned and validated
- [ ] Card sorting results statistically significant
- [ ] Team review and approval of all outputs

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## 💰 Week 3 Budget

### Planned Expenses
| Item | Cost | Status |
|------|------|--------|
| OptimalSort subscription | $199 | ✅ Approved |
| Interview participant incentives | $300 | ✅ Approved |
| Survey tool (Typeform Pro) | $35 | ✅ Approved |
| UX Researcher (40 hours @ $65) | $2,600 | ✅ Budgeted |
| Project Manager (15 hours @ $75) | $1,125 | ✅ Budgeted |
| **Total Week 3** | **$4,259** | ✅ Within budget |

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## 📞 Communication Plan

### Internal Updates
- **Daily:** Slack updates on progress and blockers
- **Wednesday:** Mid-week stakeholder email update  
- **Friday:** Comprehensive week summary with next week preview

### External Communication
- **Participant outreach:** Social media, forums, professional networks
- **Survey promotion:** Facebook groups, LinkedIn, expat communities
- **Stakeholder updates:** Weekly email summary with key insights

### Documentation Standards
- **Real-time:** Shared Google Drive with live updates
- **End of day:** Daily summary in project management tool
- **End of week:** Comprehensive report with recommendations

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**Week Lead:** [UX Researcher Name]  
**Week Budget:** $4,259  
**Success Criteria:** 5+ interviews, 50+ surveys, competitive analysis complete  
**Next Week Preview:** Data synthesis and persona development