How do you research complex products and services?

1 Define the scope and goals

Before you dive into the research, you need to define the scope and goals of your product or service. What is the problem you are trying to solve? Who are your target customers and users? What are their needs, pain points, and expectations? What are the key features and benefits of your solution? How will you measure success and impact? These questions will help you set the boundaries and direction of your research, and align your team and stakeholders on the vision and value proposition.

2 Choose the right methods

When researching complex products and services, there is no single methodology that works for everyone. You need to select the methods that are suitable for your context, objectives, and resources. Generally, it involves secondary research to gain an overview of the problem, market, and users; primary research to collect new data and insights from direct interactions with customers; and synthesis and analysis to organize, interpret, and communicate the data. Secondary research can help you identify gaps and opportunities; primary research can help you validate assumptions and understand user behaviors; synthesis and analysis can help you uncover user needs, generate insights, and prioritize features.

3 Involve the right people

Researching complex products and services is not a solo activity; it requires the involvement of the right people. Your team should be involved in planning, conducting, and analyzing the research, as well as sharing and applying the findings to ensure everyone is on the same page. Your stakeholders, such as executives, managers, sponsors, partners, and experts should be involved in defining the goals and scope of the research, providing feedback and input, and supporting the implementation and adoption of the solution. Additionally, your customers and users should be included in providing data and insights, co-creating and co-designing the solution, and evaluating and validating the outcome. Involving all these people throughout the process is essential for successful research.

4 Iterate and learn

Researching complex products and services is not a one-time process, and requires iteration and learning from research, product development, and delivery. You should plan by defining research questions, objectives, methods, and timeline that align with the product strategy and roadmap. Then you should execute the plan by collecting and analyzing data and insights, as well as generating and prioritizing ideas and solutions. Check your results by evaluating the research outcomes, testing assumptions and hypotheses, and measuring impact. Act on your findings by communicating insights and recommendations, implementing an action plan, and adjusting the product strategy and roadmap accordingly. Finally, repeat the process by monitoring product performance and feedback, identifying new problems and opportunities, and conducting new research cycles as needed. Following these best practices can help create products that solve real problems, delight customers and users, while delivering value for your organization.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?