Research
In product discovery, research refers to activities conducted to understand customers and inform product decisions.
What are the two types of research in product discovery?
Product teams need both types of research to succeed:
Project Research (Longer-Horizon Research)
Project research tackles:
- Big, strategic questions
- External trends and market shifts
- Customer behavior over time
- Foundational understanding of customer segments
This research requires time, rigor, and dedicated focus. Product teams don't typically have bandwidth for this work while shipping value week over week, making centralized user research teams invaluable for filling these gaps.
Discovery Research (Fast, Daily Research)
Discovery research provides:
- Fast answers to daily questions
- Quick assumption testing (days, not weeks)
- Risk mitigation for immediate product decisions
- Just-enough insight to move forward confidently
Product teams work under the constraint that they need fast answers to keep shipping value. Discovery research prioritizes mitigating risk over seeking perfect truth—the goal is good enough research to make informed decisions, not academic-level rigor.
What activities are included in product discovery research?
Research in product discovery includes:
- Customer development interviews
- Hypothesis testing and A/B tests
- Usability studies
- Assumption tests
- Surveys
- Analyzing usage data and traffic patterns
Why is intellectual honesty important in research?
No matter how many tests you conduct or customers you interview, research only matters if it's conducted with intellectual honesty:
- Use good research methods
- Understand whether your data is reliable
- Don't leave out contradictory data
- Separate interpretation from raw data
- Get multiple perspectives
- Admit when you're wrong
Without intellectual honesty, even extensive research will lead to unreliable conclusions.
Learn more:
- Core Concept: The Role of User Research in a Continuous Discovery World
Related terms:
- Customer Interviewing
- Assumption Testing
- Usability
- Risky Assumption
Last Updated: October 25, 2025