Product Research Rules by C. Todd Lombardo -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Foreword Introduction

Excuses for Not Doing Research When Do You Do Product Research? Building on Different Research Disciplines

User Research

Generative user research Descriptive user research Evaluative user research

Market Research

Exploratory market research Descriptive market research Causal market research Predictive market research

Product Analytics

Descriptive analytics Diagnostic analytics Predictive analytics Prescriptive analytics

A Set of Rules for Product Research Acknowledgments

1. Prepare to Be Wrong

Ego Is the Enemy of Product Research Different Mindsets in Research

Transactional Mindset: “How Can I Sell This?” Confirmatory Mindset: “Am I Not Right?” Problem-Finding Mindset: “How Can I Improve This?” The Right Mindset, the Insight-Making Mindset: “I Want to Understand”

Steps for Good Insights Summing Up Rules in the Real World: Founders of Zeplin Were Very Wrong Key Takeaways

2. Everyone Is Biased, Including You

What Are Biases?

Types of Researcher Bias

Observer expectancy bias Confirmation bias Attribution errors Group attribution effect

Types of External Bias

Availability bias Biased participant: The know-it-all Biased participant: The existing customer

General Biases

Hawthorne effect (observer bias) Social desirability bias Recall biases

What Can You Do About These Biases?

Take a good look in the mirror Find an independent set of eyes Be on the lookout for bias Watch your conversation style

Assumptions: What Do You Think You Know? Rules in the Real World: SME Interviews Key Takeaways

3. Good Insights Start with a Question

What’s an Insight? It’s Too Easy to Start Research Without a Question

The Vagueness Trap: “Let’s Do a General Check!” The Output Trap: “We Need Personas” The Method Trap: “Should We Do a Survey?”

Going from Hunch to Research Question

From Hunch to Problem From Problem to Research Question

The Usage Perspective

Event Tracking Segments and Cohorts User Voices

The Business Perspective

Your Business Model The Market Operations

The Expertise Perspective

Heuristic Analysis Existing Research

Existing internal research Existing external research

Formulating the Question: Using the QFT Try It Out: Are These Good Research Questions? Rules in the Real World: How One Product Manager Deployed Data Science in Product Research Key Takeaways

4. Plans Make Research Work

Picking a Research Method

Required Skills Versus Available Skills Cost of the Method Cost of Recruitment Try It Out: Pick a Method

Finding Participants

The Easy-to-Reach Audience Trap Considerate Selection: The Screening Process Keeping Track of Participants Finding an Emotional Incentive Going Where Your Users Are Seeking Different Perspectives

Current users Potential users Extreme users

The Dynamic Duo: Researcher and Notetaker Preparing Guides for Your Sessions

Example Field Guide Drafting Your Field Guide

Write down your research question. Brainstorm interview questions. Add notes. Group your questions in themes.

Try It Out: Fixing a Field Guide

Mobile Loan Study Answers

Creating a Communication Plan What If You Can’t Stick to Your Plan? Rules in the Real World: How Can You Tell If People Feel Connected in a Video Call? Key Takeaways

5. Interviews Are a Foundational Skill

Conversation Styles

Four Styles to Avoid, One to Foster

Style 1: Leisurely conversations Style 2: Theatrical conversations Style 3: Interrogative conversations Style 4: Persuasive conversations Style 5: Empathetic conversations

Patterns of Successful Interviews

What Is Interviewing? The Day Of: Preparing for an Interview During the Interview Conducting Interviews Remotely

Tips for Video Interviews Tips for Phone Interviews

Recording Conversations

Structured Note-Taking

Templates Shorthand

Digital Tools

After Each Interview

Debriefing Starting Analysis

Key Takeaways

6. Sometimes a Conversation Is Not Enough

Going Beyond Conversation

Collecting Material Draw It for Me Buy-a-Feature

Card Sorting Field Immersion Diary Studies Usability Studies: This Is Not a Test Rules in the Real World: Rocking the World by Going Beyond Interviews Key Takeaways

7. The Team That Analyzes Together Thrives Together

Analyzing Data in Product Research

Analyze by Playing

Tagging (coding) Affinity diagramming Laddering Reframing matrix

Analyze by Making

Personas Empathy maps Experience mapping Sketches, storyboards, and prototypes

Analyze by Counting

Funnel analysis Cohort analysis Retention analysis Win-loss analysis The value of human interpretation

Rules in the Real World: Doing Collaborative Analysis, Even When You Have an External Agency Key Takeaways

8. Insights Are Best Shared

Presentations: Forget the Long Report, Get Buy-In Narrative Prototypes: Show and Tell

Navigation Personalization Distribution

Managing Feedback

Expressive Feedback Directive Feedback Inquisitive Feedback

Distributing Your Findings More Widely Storing and Archiving Your Research Results Driving Your Audience to Action Key Takeaways

9. Good Research Habits Make Great Products

Build a Habit Cycle Around Research Share Findings Liberally Enable Others to Conduct Product Research Research in Agile Software Development Developing Research Muscles Teams That Made Research a Habit

How a Centralized Team Can Take Responsibility for User Research How Centralized Market Research, User Research, and Multivariate Teams Can Work Together How Researchers Can Make Research a Habit How to Make It Easy to Create Research Questions Across the Organization How to Make an Impact as a Research Team of One

What’s Next?

Index

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