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In our previous article about collaborative user research, we explored how collaborative research can break down silos in the product team. We argued that each functional group in the product team (product management, user research, designers, developers) act in their separate silos driven by misaligned incentives. Non-research team members ask questions to researchers on a need-to-know basis, and research finds out the information for them. The interaction becomes a black box Q&A.
This way research is done in discrete sprints, always organized around the questions of other product team members. The result? 58% of companies only conduct research on a quarterly or less frequent basis. On the other side of this equation is product management, delivering features and updates continuously.
“In the world of continuous delivery, you deliver trash continuously without research.” — say our friends at the Fountain Institute, an up-and-coming design school, in one of their course webinars.
In our article, we concluded that the solution to silos in the product team is a collaborative research practice: exposing all product team members to face time with customers regularly. In this article, we’ll be focusing on the words “practice” and “regularly.”
Continuous research is the practice of having regular touchpoints with customers by the team building the product, where they conduct small research activities in pursuit of the desired product outcome. These activities can have many forms ranging from weekly interview appointments through recurring customer satisfaction surveys to automated touchpoints triggered by a cancellation.
It is a research process that’s accessible and understandable to everyone on the product team and generates insights in fast loops, as they are needed to answer research questions. With continuous research, research is in sync with product sprints and doesn’t slow down delivery. A major concern with doing research is slower delivery and faced with this choice, people choose timely delivery at the expense of research. Continuous research transforms continuous delivery of trash to continuous delivery of value.
In its article “The Business Value of Design,” McKinsey provides proof that continuous research delivers. The practice is listed as one of the four key factors in the McKinsey Design Index (MDI), an indicator developed by tracking the design practices of 300 companies over a five-year period. According to McKinsey, companies with top quartile MDA scores outperformed industry benchmark growth by as much as two to one.
There is good reason why a continuous research practice is a must-have for successful customer orientation. Benefits abound.
As research practices change, we see more and more success stories from early adopter organizations, like the ones below.
Inspired by the article of Mr. Sharon, the design team at Medium implemented a continuous research practice in 2020. Results appeared the next year with reduced recruiting timelines and a better understanding of their audience.
Nordea, the largest bank in Finland, shifted from irregular need-based testing to a continuous, in-house test setup for its digital banking platform. “The investments made in early-stage testing have very tangibly translated into better design and improved user satisfaction,” said Panu Kanervo, Creative Director of Service and Strategic Design at the bank.
Ableton, one of the most customer-focused organizations we had the chance to talk with, has an ongoing call for users in order to continuously build and maintain their user panel. Their continuous recruitment seems to be working well. “Please bear in mind that the number of test users is limited and we cannot guarantee your participation,” says their website.
There is no silver bullet here but there are a few best practices you can follow. Our team at Airtime created a Collaborative UX Research Playbook that also talks about some practical steps to build a continuous research practice like planning, appointment scheduling, automating consent, and recruitment pipeline. Feel free to give it a read!
Generally, you’ll want to translate four key factors into clear actions for your continuous research practice to succeed. Here are the four key areas with a few practical tips.
Automate as much as possible
Make it lightweight. This is the whole point of continuous research. Make it so for customers as well as internal stakeholders.
Continuous research and collaborative research are two pillars that support each other. Involve all stakeholders in the product team.
Spread the word internally. Such a change in research practice requires getting used to, so prepare to convince your colleagues it’s worth it.
The benefits of maintaining a continuous research practice are proven. Implementing such a practice will require some mental adjustment from the broader product team though. This is why convincing every stakeholder through advocating benefits is an important task. Think about it this way. It’s a pain and hassle when you start going to the gym regularly at first, but after a week or two you are more energetic, feel healthier, and sleep better. It pays dividends in the long run.
Another huge benefit (that we intentionally downplayed in this article focusing on continuity) is the fact that continuous research and collaborative research go hand in hand. If you have regular touchpoints with clients and also involve internal stakeholders from the whole product team, you will be able to constantly align yourself with customers by quick iterations. This is the quickest way to achieve design thinking and de-risk your future product releases.
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