Designers, how do you kick off your UX research?

I skip surveys and interviews at the start. Instead, I go straight to Reddit, X, app reviews, YouTube comments, and Facebook groups for competitors.

If I'm designing a car rental app, I'm reading Turo and Hertz complaints before I open Figma. The complaints become pain points. The praise becomes table stakes. The language becomes copy direction.

What's your first move? Interviews? Competitor audits? Analytics? Something weird? Drop it below.

Designers, how do you kick off your UX research?

I skip surveys and interviews at the start. Instead, I go straight to Reddit, X, app reviews, YouTube comments, and Facebook groups for competitors.

If I'm designing a car rental app, I'm reading Turo and Hertz complaints before I open Figma. The complaints become pain points. The praise becomes table stakes. The language becomes copy direction.

What's your first move? Interviews? Competitor audits? Analytics? Something weird? Drop it below.