Below are a few resources that I have found (and used) from across the web that I have genuinely found useful when running user research workshops.

Empathy Maps and User Journeys

This is a fantastic post on running empathy mapping and user journey workshops. It also includes some downloadable resources such as the poster below.

There are some nice examples of user journeys that can be used as inspiration. I really like this example of the student journey from Lancaster University. The tube map metaphor works really well here.

Personas

Based on user research, the persona is a critical part of understanding your users goals, needs and interests.

The DIY Toolkit has some fantastic persona templates that can be downloaded and used. The site also has great information on why you should use personas and their benefits (as well as a video!).

Another useful resource is from the UX Lady. The Introduction to Personas again includes some great introductory information and some useful templates/information on what to include in your persona.

Finally, if you’re interested in other useful resources then check out this post on useful resources for creatives, designers and developers.