Ranking Continuous Research Methodologies

Not all research methods are equally suited for continuous research, where the focus is on trying to get high-quality signals as quickly and cheaply as possible.

To compare different methods though, we need to be able to qualify what we mean by quality. To do this we can separate quality into three categories: qualitative strength, quantitative strength and flexibility (ability to dig deeper on areas of interest).

These categories don't go far enough though, because how are we to compare the qualitative or quantitative performance of different methods? This is where we need the ladder of evidence. The concept is that not everything we learn through research is as reliable as others. The ladder has four levels, from least reliable to most reliable.

1. Opinions & Predictions

2. Self-Reported Behaviours

3. Contextual Research

4. Direct Observation

In my article below I dive deeper into these categories and rank some common research methods.

This Week’s Updates

Enabling the Team

Voys Steps Into Steward-Ownership: A Bold Move for Equality and Purpose by Joost Minnaar
Voys has restructured into a steward-owned company, separating economic rights from legal ownership to align with self-management principles and prioritize purpose over profit.

3 Ways to Make Sure High Performers Feel Valued by Zach Mercurio
Go through three strategies to ensure high performers feel valued: providing meaningful recognition, offering growth opportunities, and fostering a supportive work environment.

Product Direction

How To Set Effective Quarterly Goals And OKRs For Platform Engineering Teams by Dilesh
Set effective quarterly goals and OKRs in four steps: problem generation, grouping problems, drafting OKRs, and reviewing with the team and stakeholders. This approach ensures that engineering initiatives are aligned with strategic business goals.

You're Not Just Solving User Problems by Itamar Gilad
Itamar argues that focusing solely on user problems can limit innovation. He advocates for balancing user needs with business goals to create products that deliver value to both customers and the company.

Continuous Research

Ranking Continuous Research Methologies by Rory Madden
Helping teams remove the blockers that hurt the effectiveness and efficiency of software development.

UX Research; Why it Matters, and Key Methods by Maze
This guide explains the fundamentals of UX research, outlining methods and best practices that help inform product development and ensure the UX aligns with business goals. [Sponsored Content]

Continuous Design

Deceptive UX As An Accelerant For Transformation by Michael F. Buckley
How manipulative design can drive digital platforms toward collapse and reinvention.

The Psychology Behind McDonald’s $2 Billion Self-Serve Kiosks by Growth Design Team
Case study on how McDonald's self-serve kiosks, have increased global revenues by 15%, highlighting the impact of design on consumer behavior.

Continuous Delivery

Ending Microservices Chaos by Alvin Lee
Strategies to streamline microservices implementations, focusing on standardization, automation, and effective communication to reduce complexity and enhance system reliability.

Exiting The Matrix — Build Products 10x Faster by Ravi Mehta
Two effective methods to enhance horizontal scaling: the Competing Consumer Pattern, which parallelizes work to boost throughput, and Read Load Replicas, which distribute read operations across multiple database replicas to alleviate pressure on the primary database.

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Video of the Week
The UX of Automated Processes

AJ King, formerly a Senior UX Researcher at Ocado, dives into the fascinating world of automated processes and their impact on user experience. In this session, AJ explores the critical role of UX research in designing intuitive, user-friendly automation systems that streamline tasks without compromising user satisfaction. He shares insights from Ocado’s journey of integrating automated processes into their platform, ensuring that every interaction feels seamless and efficient for users. Discover how to balance automation with personalization, and learn key strategies for designing systems that support both users and business goals. Watch the full session here👇

The Results of Last Week’s Poll

The question: How is research structured in your organisation?

When it comes to how research is structured in organizations, 48% of respondents said their research is fully decentralised, indicating a trend towards empowering teams to conduct their own research. Meanwhile, 40% reported a fully centralised research structure, highlighting the ongoing preference for central teams to manage research across the organisation.

A small portion of respondents, 6%, work within a hybrid model, while another 6% indicated that their organisation doesn't have a formal research structure in place at all.

As we discussed in last week’s newsletter, I believe the hybrid approach delivers the best value for both the teams and the organisation as a whole. But the important thing is that you do some research instead of just shooting blindly. Good luck out there!