Manchester · Greater Manchester · UK-wide delivery
User Research in Manchester
We help Manchester and Greater Manchester organisations understand their users through usability testing, UX research, PPIE, and in-depth interviews. Based in West Yorkshire, we travel into Manchester for in-person work and deliver remote research across the UK, with the same rigour and transparent pricing either way.
Manchester research, delivered from West Yorkshire
Participation Studio is based in Huddersfield and Leeds, around an hour from Manchester by road or rail. That means in-person research, whether usability sessions, focus groups, or stakeholder workshops, is genuinely practical, not a logistical stretch.
Most projects combine both approaches: remote sessions for speed and reach, and in-person sessions where being there matters, such as testing physical environments, working with digitally excluded participants, or facilitating group workshops. We agree the right mix at the scoping stage and quote travel and venue costs separately, so there are no surprises.
Looking to take part in research rather than commission it? The Collective is our paid participant community for people in Manchester and across the UK.
Research that fits what you actually need
From rapid usability studies to PPIE programmes, here's how Manchester and Greater Manchester organisations work with us.
Usability Testing
Watch real users navigate your website, app, or product. Moderated sessions, run remotely or in person in Manchester, that show exactly where people get stuck, confused, or give up before they convert.
Usability testing →UX Research for Digital Products
Discovery and evaluation research for product teams. Interviews, contextual enquiry, and behavioural research that explain why users do what they do, not just what they click.
UX research →PPIE & Patient and Public Involvement
Credible patient and public involvement for Manchester's NHS trusts, integrated care system, healthtech companies, and life sciences organisations, for grant applications, governance, and service redesign.
PPIE & PPI services →In-Depth User Research
One-to-one conversations that go beyond surface feedback. Particularly useful for complex journeys, sensitive topics, or hard-to-reach groups, including patients, carers, and people with lived experience across Greater Manchester.
In-depth research →Focus Groups & Workshops
Group discussion, co-design, and stakeholder workshops, facilitated in Manchester or remotely, for service design, community consultation, and concept development.
Focus groups & workshops →Design Validation
Test prototypes, wireframes, and concepts with real users before development starts. It is cheaper to fix a Figma file than a shipped product.
Design validation →Where we work in Manchester
Greater Manchester combines a fast-growing digital and tech sector with one of the largest NHS footprints in the country. We work across both, plus the public sector, education, and third sector organisations in between.
Digital products & technology
Manchester's digital and tech sector, from MediaCityUK to the city's growing SaaS and software scene. Usability testing and UX research that plugs straight into product roadmaps.
NHS & healthcare
Greater Manchester's NHS trusts and integrated care system. PPIE, patient research, and service design research that meets governance and ethics requirements.
PPIE for NHS trusts →Higher education & research
Manchester's universities and research institutes. PPIE for grant applications, ongoing involvement panels, and student experience research.
PPIE for university research →Public sector & combined authority
Research and engagement for Greater Manchester Combined Authority, local councils, and public bodies, including statutory consultation and co-production with residents.
Research for councils →Charity & third sector
Community research and co-design for Manchester's charities and voluntary organisations, reaching the people services are designed for.
Financial & professional services
B2B platforms, fintech products, and professional services tools. We test dashboards, onboarding, and workflows with users who match your real client base.
Who we work with in Manchester
Digital product teams, NHS organisations, universities, public bodies, and charities across Greater Manchester, alongside national clients who need a UK-wide research partner.
Common questions about user research in Manchester
Do you travel to Manchester for in-person research?
Yes. We are based in West Yorkshire, around an hour from Manchester, so in-person sessions, workshops, and fieldwork across Greater Manchester are straightforward to arrange. We quote travel and venue costs separately and transparently, so you know exactly what an in-person day adds to a project.
Can the whole project be run remotely?
Yes. Most usability testing, UX research, and many PPIE projects work well as fully remote programmes, with moderated sessions over video call and participants recruited from Manchester, Greater Manchester, or further afield. Remote delivery often means faster turnaround and a wider pool of participants to recruit from.
How do you recruit participants in Manchester and Greater Manchester?
We recruit through community networks, participant panels, and professional recruitment, screening against whatever criteria matter for your project, including sector, role, health condition, or demographic background. For Greater Manchester projects we can recruit specifically from the city or boroughs such as Salford, Trafford, Stockport, or Bolton.
What sectors do you work with in Manchester?
Greater Manchester has a strong digital, tech, and healthtech sector, alongside a large NHS footprint across its hospital trusts and integrated care system. We work with digital product teams, healthtech and medtech companies, NHS organisations, universities, and public sector bodies, as well as charities and third sector organisations across the region.
How is this different from using a Manchester-based research agency?
Our team is based in West Yorkshire and works across the UK, including Manchester and Greater Manchester. You get the same quality of moderated research, recruitment, and reporting as a local agency, with transparent travel costs only when in-person work is genuinely needed, and full remote delivery when it is not.
Do you work with Greater Manchester Combined Authority or devolved organisations?
Yes. Research for combined authorities, devolved health and care partnerships, and other public bodies often involves statutory consultation, co-production with residents, or PPIE for health programmes. We design research that meets those governance expectations, whether that means reaching residents who do not normally respond or building an evidence base for a board or scrutiny committee.
How much does user research in Manchester cost?
A focused study with five to eight participants starts from £5,500. A fuller programme runs from £9,500, and multi-phase or regulated work from £16,000. Recruitment, participant payments, moderation, analysis and a findings report are all included. In-person sessions in Manchester add roughly £1,600 a day for facilitation, travel and venue, and we tell you before you commit whether in person is worth it for your study. Build a rough estimate.
Other UK locations
We work across the UK from our Yorkshire base. Here's where else we have dedicated pages.
User Research in Leeds
Our home base in West Yorkshire: the full range of usability testing, UX research, and PPIE.
User research in LeedsUsability Testing in Sheffield
Usability testing for Sheffield and South Yorkshire organisations, remote or in person.
Usability testing in SheffieldUser Research in Birmingham
Usability testing, UX research, and PPIE for Birmingham and West Midlands organisations, with inclusive recruitment built in.
User research in BirminghamUser Research in London
Usability testing, UX research, and PPIE for London organisations, delivered remotely at Yorkshire-based pricing.
User research in LondonWe fully recognise the effort your team invested in recruitment, moderation, and analysis, and we genuinely appreciate the quality of the discussions and reporting.
- Usability problems in an insulin device surfaced before manufacturing locked anything in, with human factors evidence supporting the regulatory submission.
- An NHS patient portal team got a prioritised, evidenced list of adoption barriers, and the highest-leverage fix wasn't the one they expected.
- Patient involvement changed a trial's primary endpoint before the protocol was finalised, cited by the ethics committee as a model for evidencing PPIE.
Trusted PPI and PPIE delivery partner to the NIHR HealthTech Research Centre in Accelerated Surgical Care.
Need user research in Manchester?
Tell us what you're building and what decisions you need to make. We'll suggest the right mix of remote and in-person research, with transparent costs either way.
Start a conversationWe usually respond within one working day.
Prefer to talk it through first?
Book a free 20-minute call. No obligation, no sales pitch. We'll tell you honestly whether research is worth it for your decision, and what it would cost.