Conducting Primary Generative Research
Primary generative research involves conducting original research activities to deeply understand user needs, behaviours, and motivations. This type of research is exploratory in nature trying to uncover new insights rather than validate existing ones.
Purpose
The purpose is to understand deeply the needs, behaviours, motivations, and challenges of users to identify opportunities for innovation and improvement in product development.
- Informed Product Strategy: Guides the strategic direction with user-centered insights.
- Enhanced User Experience: Identifies unmet needs leading to improved user satisfaction.
- Reduced Risk of Failure: Lowers the risk of developing features that do not resonate with users.
Context
Industry Context
Often generative research is skipped because of the belief that we know our customers and their needs. However, it is impossible to know for certain whether customers want what we are building before they have it in their hands. New features require customers to change their behaviour, and behaviour is very hard to predict. This is why 90% of features fail to deliver the expected value.
ZeroBlockers Context
In ZeroBlockers, Stream Teams own the end-to-end development of their products. Since they are accountable for outcomes they need to ensure that the features they build are wanted by customers. This means that they need to do the upfront discovery to understand their customers' needs and behaviours.
ZeroBlockers Practices
| Practice | Description | Benefits | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interviewing Users | Gain deep insights through one-on-one conversations with users or stakeholders. | Provides detailed feedback and understanding of user needs. | Minimum weekly |
Rationale
There are many ways of collecting data about users and their needs but the most effective way to understand users is to talk to them. You can dig into their motivations, behaviours, and pain points to truly understand the problems they face and why they behave in the ways they do. It also helps to build empathy in the team and to understand the context in which the users are using the product.
Ethnographic field studies arguably provide better insights than interviews since people don't really understand their motivations very well however they are harder to organise and conduct. Since we want Stream Teams to be conducting continuous discovery we have chosen to list interviews as the primary practice.
Having said that it is always advisable to complement interviews with some of the other practices listed below. These are all incredibly valuable research methods that together can provide a comprehensive understanding of user needs and behaviours.
Other ZeroBlockers Practices
| Practice | Description | Benefits | Considerations | Best Suited For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performing Ethnographic Field Studies | Observing users in their natural environment to understand their daily activities, challenges, and contexts. | Provides deep contextual insights; uncovers implicit needs. | Time-consuming; requires skilled researchers. | When in-depth understanding of user context is critical. |
| Running Surveys | Collect quantitative and qualitative data from a large audience quickly. | Can reach a wide audience at low cost; easy to analyse. | May not provide deep insights; response bias can affect results. | Gathering broad feedback on user satisfaction, product features, or market needs. |
| Organising Diary Studies | Participants record their activities, thoughts, and feelings over a period of time. | Captures real-time user experiences and behaviours. | Relies on participant commitment; potential for self-reporting bias. | Longitudinal studies where understanding changes over time is important. |
| Card Sorting Sessions | Understand how users categorise information to improve navigation and information architecture. | Reveals user mental models, efficient and quick, qualitative data. | Limited to specific information architecture challenges, small sample size. |
|
| Reviewing Usage Patterns | Analysing heat maps, user recordings and other usage data to understand user behaviour and interactions. | Provides visual insights into user behaviour and interactions. | Requires specialised tools and skills. | Understanding how users interact with the product. |
| Reviewing Analytics Data | Analysing user interactions with the product to understand user behaviour and identify areas for improvement. | Provides qualitative data for user behaviour and interactions. | Requires specialised tools and skills. | Understanding how users interact with the product. |
Anti-patterns
- Assuming Instead of Asking: Making decisions based on assumptions rather than research.
- Overlooking Negative Feedback: Ignoring criticism that could lead to crucial improvements.
- Confirmation Bias: Seeking out information that confirms pre-existing beliefs or hypotheses.
- Research Paralysis: Spending too much time on research and delaying action.
Case Studies
Enhancing Product Development with Field Trips
How Kitch improved their product development process by incorporating field trips to gain deeper user insights and foster team alignment.
Kitch
Mitigating Bias in User Interviews for Objective Research
How ASCAP mitigated hidden biases in user interviews to conduct objective research, leading to more accurate insights and improved product development.
ASCAP
Adapting Primary Research Methods During COVID-19
How Grab adapted its primary research methods to continue gathering valuable user insights during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Grab
Continuous Research: The Qualitative Approach of Preply
How Preply implemented continuous research to maintain a deep understanding of user needs, enabling iterative improvements and fostering innovation.
Preply
Blitz Research: More Insights in Less Time
How Pie Insurance leveraged blitz research techniques to gain valuable user insights quickly and efficiently, enhancing their product development process.
Pie Insurance
Leveraging Mixed Methodologies for Enhanced UX Research
How Allegro improved user experience research and product development through the adoption of mixed research methodologies.
Allegro
