User research: Conducting interviews, surveys, usability testing, and other methods to understand user needs and behavior.

Competitive analysis: to identify opportunities to differentiate a product or service and to inform the design process by understanding what features and functionality users expect from similar products.

User personas: Creating representations of your ideal users based on research to better understand their needs, goals, and motivations.

Empathy map: To create products that meet the needs and expectations of the user.