Segmentation

Segmentation splits your user base into groups that are meaningfully different from each other. The goal is not just description—it is identifying groups that require different product decisions, research approaches, or communication strategies.

Types of Segmentation

• Demographic: Age, gender, location, income. Easy to implement but often weakly predictive of actual behavior
• Behavioral: What users do—feature usage, purchase patterns, engagement frequency. Usually the most actionable for product teams
• Needs-based: What users are trying to accomplish. The hardest to identify but the most powerful for product strategy
• Attitudinal: How users think and feel—risk tolerance, price sensitivity, brand loyalty. Important for positioning and messaging

Segmentation in Research

Segmentation directly affects your research design:

• Sample composition: You need enough participants from each relevant segment to detect differences between them
• Screening criteria: Your segments define who you recruit
• Analysis: Reporting averages across all users hides meaningful differences between segments. Always break results down by segment

The Segmentation Trap

Bad segmentation creates groups that are statistically distinct but practically identical in behavior. If your "power users" and "casual users" want the same things from your product, the distinction is not useful.

Good segmentation produces groups where knowing which segment a user belongs to changes what you would build or recommend for them.