Getting started

Who this is for

You just signed up, or you are about to. You want to know what to click, what a credit buys, and why the product keeps simulated results away from real ones. This is the product path, not a UX textbook. Method depth stays light. Chapter 10 points you at what to run next once you have your feet.

What you will do in about 30 minutes

1. See how Brief, Study, panels, Pulse, and Findings connect.
2. Find your way around the workspace.
3. Build a small study (Survey or 5‑Second Test).
4. Run an AI Panel of simulated people and read Pulse as a hypothesis.
5. Know how to confirm the hypothesis with Your Panel or GenPop. Real people are the evidence.
6. Optionally glance at live sessions, sharing, and MCP.

You do not need to finish every chapter on day one. Chapters 1 through 6 are the core loop. Live sessions, sharing polish, and MCP can wait until week one if you prefer.

The idea in one line

AI gives you the hypothesis, and findings take real people. That is genchi genbutsu: go and see for yourself.

Simulated people (the Sage Engine, via AI Panel) give you a hypothesis. Your Panel and GenPop are evidence. Pulse and Findings keep those sources labeled and separate so you never ship on a blended number.

Pricing, briefly

Free covers the day‑one loop in this guide. For credit ceilings, Pro, and current offers, see Pricing.

Chapters

1. Welcome to User Sage: what it is, your first half hour.
2. The lab at a glance: Brief → Study → panels → Pulse → Findings → optional live session.
3. Your workspace: Home, Projects, credits, Settings.
4. Your first study: Survey or 5‑Second, one clear task, preview, launch.
5. Simulated people first: Sage Engine, AI Panel, Pulse as hypothesis.
6. Then go and see: Your Panel vs GenPop, same study, separate columns.
7. Live sessions: booking link, Observation Lounge, recording (optional week one).
8. Findings and sharing: columns, takeaways, share link / viewer invite.
9. Use it from your AI tool: MCP overview and connector guides (optional).
10. What to run next: a small method chooser without the textbook.

Already comfortable with connectors?

The Guides index holds the Muse, Cursor, Claude, VS Code, and Grok Bot setup pages under Connectors. Chapter 9 points you there when you are ready. This guide fills the product gap those pages never covered.

Start when you are ready

Start free or open the lab and watch a Checkout redesign run end to end before you build your own. Questions: FAQ or hello@usersage.com.