A structured approach to user research that makes insights reusable, searchable and traceable over time.
Atomic Research is a framework for organizing user research into small, reusable units - like atoms in chemistry. The concept was developed by Tomer Sharon and Daniel Pidcock as a response to a common problem: valuable insights from user research get lost in long reports and documents that no one reads.
Instead of writing comprehensive reports, Atomic Research breaks down findings to their smallest components - facts - which can then be combined and reused across projects and time.
Core principle: Break down insights into their smallest, independent parts so they can be reused, connected and build knowledge over time.
Atomic Research organizes insights into hierarchical layers that build on each other, from raw data to strategic recommendations.
Experiments are the research activities that generate facts: user tests, interviews, surveys, A/B tests and observations. They provide context for your findings.
Facts are the smallest, indivisible units of research - quotes, observations and raw data. They are objective and make no assumptions. In Atomic Research, these are often called "nuggets" or "atomic nuggets".
"Jeg finner ikke søkeknappen på mobil. Den er jo helt gjemt bort!"
"Søkefunksjonen er veldig vanskelig å finne på telefonen"
Hypotheses are interpretations of facts - patterns and connections you see across multiple observations. They represent your understanding of what users experience and why.
Brukere sliter med å finne søk-funksjonen når de bruker mobil-versjonen av produktet, noe som fører til frustrasjon og oppgavesvikt.
Conclusions are strategic recommendations based on multiple hypotheses. They represent actionable decisions that can be taken to the product team or management.
Søkeknappen bør være synlig i header på alle mobilsider, ikke gjemt i hamburgermenyen.
With Atomic Research, you can always show where a recommendation comes from - right down to the original quote from the user.
When you structure research atomically, your knowledge becomes more valuable over time.
Facts with tags make it easy to find relevant insights in seconds. No more digging through old reports.
One fact can support multiple hypotheses. End duplicate work where the same problem is "discovered" again and again.
The whole team can contribute and use insights. Knowledge doesn't get siloed with individuals.
See how hypotheses are strengthened or weakened as new facts are added. Your research becomes more valuable over time.
Instead of writing long reports, you register facts as you go. Reports can be generated automatically.
When everyone can see the connection from decision to user data, it becomes easier to push through good ideas.
We've built a tool that makes it easy to follow Atomic Research principles, with AI assistance that reduces manual work.
Register quotes and observations from user tests, interviews and surveys. Tag them for easy searchability.
Create hypotheses and connect them to relevant facts. AI helps you find connections automatically.
Summarize hypotheses into actionable recommendations with prioritization tools.
Organize research activities and see which facts come from which study.
Insight Hub makes it easy to get started with structured user research. AI helps with categorization so you can focus on analysis.