A Fast, Scalable Approach to Customer Insights That Avoids Common Pitfalls of Surveys
SAN DIEGO, California – (October 30, 2024): In an age of rapid innovation, Product Rebels introduces the idea of “scrappy research,” a practical, hands-on approach that product management teams can use to stay closely aligned with customer needs and reduce costly rework. Unlike traditional surveys, which are often broad, hard to interpret, and prone to bias, scrappy research is a streamlined process allowing product teams to generate meaningful insights in as little as five days. By conducting small, structured customer interactions regularly, companies can ensure ongoing learning and swift, high-confidence decision-making.
“Surveys can be misleading and vague, especially when they include too many questions or try to cover too broad a range,” explains Product Rebels co-founder Vidya Dinamani. “Scrappy research flips this approach by encouraging targeted, consistent customer sessions that yield specific, actionable insights, reducing the guesswork and keeping teams closely attuned to what really matters for customers.”
Here are some reasons why surveys fall short in product development… surveys, though common, often present several challenges, such as:
- Ambiguity: Questions in surveys can be interpreted in multiple ways, leading to varying conclusions.
- Overwhelming Detail: Broad or lengthy surveys can lead to an overload of information, making it hard to find specific insights.
- Response Bias: Respondents may answer based on what they think the company wants to hear, rather than offering genuine feedback.
- Broad Scope, Shallow Insight: Surveys often capture high-level information but miss the depth needed to make confident product decisions.
By contrast, Product Rebels recommends using surveys primarily to assess and validate market size, rather than for uncovering core customer problems. Activating scrappy research with a small, focused group of even 5-7 people enables product management teams to adopt a scalable, insight-driven approach. This method yields higher-quality research and fosters better decision-making…ultimately leading to stronger, more effective leadership.
Scrappy research is an adaptable approach that saves time and costs by structuring customer interviews with 5-7 participants per session. Designed to test hypotheses on a weekly basis, this method enables companies to gather deep insights continuously – potentially allowing for 52 weeks of valuable customer learning each year. The structured approach keeps discussions focused with a set script, enabling teams to dig deeper with open-ended questions that reveal underlying needs and motivations.
This consistent cadence of customer learning allows product teams to avoid reliance on opinion-based decision-making, which often leads to rework. Instead, scrappy research provides leaders with immediate insights that can inform and guide high-impact decisions, bringing customer voices directly into the development process.
To learn more about a strong customer-driven approach to building products, Product Rebels invites you to join their upcoming webinar, Taking on Agile: Navigating the Trenches of Product-IT Collaboration, on Wednesday, Nov 6, 2024, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM PST, Register here to attend and gain actionable insights. To book a free discovery call with Product Rebels and to learn how they have helped Fortune 500 companies grow, visit the site at: https://productrebels.com/.
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About Product Rebels
Product Rebels, founded by Vidya Dinamani and Heather Samarin, has over two decades of experience helping more than 200 companies worldwide. They offer results-driven elite performance coaching programs, including their signature Groundwork Method™, designed to transform product managers into customer advocates. By aligning teams with real customer needs, Product Rebels drives innovation, accountability, and business success. Their elite performance coaching programs support C-suite executives (CEOs, CTOs, CPOs) by building high-performing customer-centric teams that deliver impactful outcomes. Dinamani and Samarin are also the co-authors of the book Groundwork.
