Discovery Research
Your most expensive decisions are built on assumptions.
Entering a new market without research is a gamble. I love to gamble as much as the next guy, but not with your money. Discovery Research gives you a clear, evidence-based foundation before you build.
Who it’s for
If you’re about to make a major decision and don’t fully understand your customers, start here.
Most teams have already looked at analytics, read through support tickets, maybe run a quick survey. That's useful, but it won't tell you why people behave the way they do. Discovery Research is for the space before a product or service exists, or before you’ve committed to a direction. If something you’ve already built isn’t performing, that’s Journey Mapping instead, a different engagement built for diagnosing an experience that already exists.
How it works
Research designed around the question, not a template.
01
Scope the question
Get clear on what your team needs to know and why it matters. This shapes everything that follows.
02
Design the approach
I select the methods that’ll get you the most useful answers: contextual inquiry, qualitative interviews, journey mapping of the problem space.
03
Conduct the research
I talk to your customers, prospective customers, and the people adjacent to them who shape the experience from the outside.
04
Synthesize & deliver
Key findings, customer archetypes, and prioritized recommendations tied directly to the decisions your team needs to make.
A real example
A national auto parts supplier had a messy problem: a three-sided ecosystem of motorists, repair shops, and parts stores, and no clear picture of where the friction was or who felt it most, before committing to a multi-year transformation plan.
Over nine months I ran three phases of research across all three groups. I rode along with delivery drivers, interviewed technicians on shop floors, and visited parts stores and distribution centers across three states. Each journey got mapped individually, then connected into one deliverable showing how the three sides affected each other.
That deliverable became the foundation of a multi-year digital transformation program. It didn’t just answer the original question. It gave the organization a shared understanding of the problem that hadn’t existed before.
See the full case study: Nine-Month Ecosystem Research →9 mos
three-phase research program
3 groups
motorists, repair shops, parts stores
FAQ
About the Discovery Research engagement
How long does a Discovery Research engagement take?
Most run four to eight weeks, depending on scope and how fast you need to move. You’ll get a clear timeline after our first conversation.
What methods do you use?
The method follows the question. Usually some mix of qualitative interviews, contextual inquiry, journey mapping, and concept testing, whatever gets you the clearest answer.
What do the deliverables look like?
A report with clear findings and prioritized recommendations. Key themes, customer archetypes, and a journey map if it’s called for, all tied to the decisions you actually need to make. Written to be read, not filed away.
How much does it cost?
Depends on the questions, the number of participants, and the timeline. Fastest way to a number is a short conversation. I’m based in Atlanta and work with teams nationwide.
How is this different from Journey Mapping?
Discovery Research answers “what should we build and for whom,” before anything exists. Journey Mapping answers “where is our existing experience breaking down and why.” Not sure which fits? That’s a good question to bring to a call.
Ready when you are
Ready to build on solid ground?
Most engagements start with a short conversation about what your team needs to know. From there I scope an approach that fits.
Atlanta-based, other places as needed