Tiny Research Wins

Did you ever think your research could expire? It can, and does. Research repositories make us think of our work like a library of facts that will live for all time. But many of the insights we produce depend on a specific context to remain true. Your industry changes. The world changes. In this episode, Constantine Papas, PhD, walks through a very easy habit that will prevent your stakeholders fr...

Warning: in the spirit of Socrates, this episode blows up conventional thinking on two points: (1) that the goal of research is to answer questions, and (2) that thinking takes place only in your head. It’s easy to think that the purpose of research is to answer questions. But when we plan our work just by acting on our stakeholders’ questions, we risk doing a mountain of unnecessary research that...

Some of the richest moments in an interview come not from sticking to the script, but from questions based on simple noticing: an off-hand remark, a casual detail in their environment. This episode shows you how to use tiny moments to unlock the data that leads to big insights. Amanda Gelb's research has helped Google, Lyft, and Asana build better products. She walks us through a case study of how...

There's a kind of research advantage that doesn't come from a better method. It comes from understanding the context before anyone makes a formal request. Mariya Vizireanu shares a simple recurring habit that builds exactly that: a specific way to prepare for a casual stakeholder catch-up so you walk into any study already weeks ahead. She breaks down what to bring, what to ask, why showing up wit...