01
Research Foundation + Alignment
Align on the business question and get stakeholders on the same page before any research begins.
Strategic Discovery
- Identify key business objectives and metrics through stakeholder interviews
- Analyze competitive landscape for opportunities and benchmarks
Stakeholder Alignment
- Conduct workshops to establish shared understanding of research goals
- Document agreed-upon scope and approach in a research brief
02
Methodology + Research Design
Choose and combine the right methods, then define exactly who needs to take part.
Method Selection
- Balance qualitative and quantitative approaches based on research objectives
- Apply Jobs-to-be-Done frameworks for deeper understanding of user motivations
Participant Strategy
- Define clear participant profiles based on user personas and segments
- Leverage multiple recruitment channels appropriate to effort and demographics
03
Research Execution + Data Collection
Run the sessions, building trust fast enough to get honest, unfiltered feedback.
Preparation + Testing
- Create research protocols and discussion guides with stakeholder input
- Conduct pilot sessions to refine prompts and timing
Moderation Approach
- Build rapport quickly to create psychological safety for honest feedback
- Document behavioral observations alongside verbal feedback
04
Analysis + Synthesis
Turn raw data into a small set of insights the business can actually act on.
Data Processing
- Organize qualitative data using thematic coding frameworks
- Apply appropriate statistical analyses to quantitative data
Insight Development
- Transform patterns into actionable insights through collaborative analysis
- Prioritize findings based on impact to user experience and business metrics
05
Communication + Activation
Tell the story in a way that drives decisions, not a report that sits in a drive.
Storytelling
- Craft compelling narratives that center the user experience
- Use direct quotes to build empathy alongside the data
Recommendation Development
- Develop research playbooks that standardize approaches across projects
- Contribute to research operations improvements based on project learnings
06
Impact Measurement + Knowledge Management
Track whether the fix worked, and bank what was learned for the next study.
Outcomes Tracking
- Establish measurement frameworks for tracking implementation impact
- Conduct follow-up research to validate improvement effectiveness
Research Repository
- Maintain a centralized, reusable research repository (personas, journey maps, frameworks)
- Build institutional knowledge that informs future product decisions