The value of research is reducing risk

When I started working in digital design (when it was still called web design) people would come to me for my knowledge and experience in the field. Back then no one ever considered research to be necessary because, after all, that's why the clients had chosen an expert. The thing is, for some companies, things haven't changed that much

Imagine a doctor that only diagnoses and prescribes treatments based on what he/she learned and experienced, without running any tests at all. Would you take the diagnostic with confidence? I know I wouldn't. And while this is an extreme case, it strikes me as a good metaphor because even the doctor needs to be sure of what needs treatment. Sure there are common colds the same way as there are easy-to-design landing pages but when it comes to Product Design things are quite unique.

The value of research is reducing risk.

It's validating whether people need/understand/like product features.

It's anticipating large problems before spending money and hundreds of hours in development.

It's finding out exactly which "virus" is affecting your product, so you can heal the right "symptoms".

The alternative is trial-and-error or blind hope in your ability to guess your user's opinions on what you're (trying to) sell them. And while User Research might sound complex and expensive, it's actually much more expensive to attempt to build and scale a product without basic data about your users.

Of course, not all companies can afford a seasoned Senior Researcher, but that's where someone like a junior designer can come in, especially if they have some experience in conducting research with real clients already. I know a couple of super empathetic junior designers/researchers with a great focus on user needs and research who are looking for a job. They have cool case studies to prove their worth. 💪 Do let me know in case you're interested 😊

Thanks for reading. Please comment if you disagree. Would love to chat.