Hotjar shows you exactly what users do on your site: where they click, how far they scroll, where they rage-click in frustration. Watch 10 session recordings and you'll learn more about UX issues in an hour than weeks of guessing. The free tier covers 35 daily sessions.

Create a prototype in Figma, upload it to Maze, and define tasks ('Sign up for an account,' 'Find the pricing page'). Share the link and Maze records how users complete tasks — success rates, time on task, and misclicks. No scheduling, no moderation, results in hours.

Show users your page for 5 seconds, then ask what they remember. This reveals whether your value proposition and visual hierarchy are clear. Use Lyssna (formerly UsabilityHub) — upload a screenshot, get responses from their panel or share your own link.

Schedule 30-minute calls with 5 users. Ask open-ended questions: 'Walk me through how you [task],' 'What's the hardest part about [problem]?' Record with Loom (with permission). Five interviews reveal patterns — you genuinely don't need 50.

Organize findings in a simple framework: Observations (what you saw), Insights (what it means), Recommendations (what to change). Use a Notion template or Miro board. Share with your team — research that stays in a deck nobody reads is wasted research.