The Power of Signals in Product Development

Last week, we talked about how we need to stop selling the value of research; we’ve tried it for decades and it is not working. Instead, we need to make research fit into the current ways of working. And that means making research quick and cheap!

Really high-quality, statistically-significant research takes time. But, luckily, that is not what we are after in software development. We are after signals. When you have very little information, every new piece of information carries a lot of value; a signal pointing us in the right direction. But as you continue each new piece of data delivers less value. This is the Pareto principle in action once again.

The other key point about up-front research is that it helps us to reduce risk, but not to eliminate it. We only know what customers really want when they have the actual product in their hands. This means we need to optimise for getting software in people’s hands as quickly as possible. As Paul Adams at Intercom says: “Fast gets good faster than good gets fast.”

So to embed research into product teams we need to make it quick and easy by doing high quality, but minimal research, focused on gaining those high value initial insights. Over the next few weeks we’re going to dive into how to achieve that.

This Week’s Updates

Enabling the Team

4 Traps To Avoid As You Transition Into A Leadership Role by David Lancefield
Avoid four common leadership traps—over-focusing on personal wins, neglecting team growth, missing relationship-building, and dodging tough calls—to succeed in new roles.

Invisible Leadership: Dissolve To Evolve by Himanshu Bharadwaj
Himanshu discusses how authentic leadership involves letting go of control, enabling teams to evolve and innovate independently.

Product Direction

Case Study: The Hidden Limits Of Optimization by Jim Morris
Jim Morris shares an e-commerce case study where optimization led to gains but hit limits, underscoring the importance of blending data with customer insights.

Beware Of The Team Doughnut by Steve Garrett
Exploring the 'Team Doughnut' phenomenon, where a lack of core team members leads to inefficiencies, and emphasizes the importance of a dedicated core team for effective delivery.

Continuous Research

Making Research Easy: Getting Teams To Adopt Continuous Research by Rory Madden
Instead of focusing on convincing teams of the value of research, we should make research easier to adopt by aligning it with current business priorities.

Research Plans: Organize, Document, Inform by Maria Rosala
Maria outlines the importance of clear research plans, covering purpose, goals, participant criteria, and methodologies to improve stakeholder alignment.

Continuous Design

Why Anticipatory Design Isn’t Working For Businesses by Joana Cerejo
This article examines the hurdles businesses face with anticipatory design, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability to build user trust.

Choice Is Not The Enemy by Ivan Sipilov
While reducing choices can simplify decisions, it may also hinder user autonomy and satisfaction, suggesting a balanced approach to design.

Continuous Delivery

Why I’m Skeptical Of Rewriting Javascript Tools In “Faster” Languages by Nolan Lawson
Rewriting JavaScript tools in faster languages might not deliver the expected performance gains and can introduce unnecessary complexity, making the trade-offs worth reconsidering.

How To Successfully Adopt Serverless In Large Organizations by Edouard Ma Poon
Adopting serverless can boost scalability and reduce overhead. Key strategies include securing executive support and fostering a culture of experimentation.

Speaker Announcement EMEA 2025
Szymon Kikla
Head of Product: Platform Engineering, Deliveroo

Szymon Kikla, Group Product Manager for Platform Engineering at Deliveroo, will lead a session on "Transforming Internal Platform Management for Product Team Success."
With a strong background in product-led transformation, Szymon is at the forefront of reshaping internal platform teams at Deliveroo. He previously led an integration team focused on onboarding enterprise partners to Deliveroo's API suites, and has extensive experience from his time as Director of Professional Services at Comcast Europe. Szymon holds a Master’s in Technology Management from UCL, London.

Don’t miss this chance to hear from an industry leader in platform engineering and product management!

FREE COMMUNITY EVENTS 

Check out more upcoming community events 

Video of the Week
Designing for Hardware Accessibility at Comcast

This week, we spotlight Grayson Byrd's session at UXDX USA 2024 on “Designing for Hardware Accessibility at Comcast.” Grayson, shares how his team is building accessibility into hardware design from the ground up. Discover the strategies Comcast uses to address the unique needs of users with disabilities, along with the practical challenges and solutions involved in making technology inclusive. A must-watch for anyone passionate about accessibility in product design! Watch the full session here👇

The Results of Last Week’s Poll

The question: What's your biggest challenge when advocating for UX/research work?

When it comes to advocating for UX/research work, the top challenge identified was limited time and resources; with 21.8% of respondents highlighting this as their biggest hurdle. This reflects the pressure many teams face in balancing ongoing projects with the need for research and design work.

Close behind, 19% cited budget constraints as a significant challenge, further emphasising the tight budgets many teams work within. Since time equals money for many organisations, we probably could have grouped the top two items together which would have accounted for 40% of the respondents.

17.6% of respondents pointed to lack of stakeholder buy-in, which often complicates efforts to get buy-in for research initiatives. Organisational resistance followed with 13.4% of the vote and Proving ROI rounded it out.

Hopefully the content over the coming weeks as we dive into continuous research will help people overcome these challenges.