The ability to accelerate product development is paramount for organisations that want to remain competitive. Rolling research has emerged as a powerful methodology to accelerate product development, enhance market responsiveness, and keep pace with ever-evolving user needs. This case study explores how PeepalDesign, a leading UX research agency, successfully implemented rolling research to achieve remarkable results.
Accelerate Product Development: Introduction to Rolling Research
Rolling research involves regular, iterative user research sessions throughout product development. This approach enables teams to gather continuous user feedback and insights, allowing them to make informed decisions and course corrections early on. In agile product development, where flexibility and adaptability are crucial, rolling research provides an invaluable tool for staying aligned with user expectations and market trends.
Key Components of Rolling Research
- Continuous Data Collection: Data is collected regularly, ensuring that insights are always up-to-date.
- Iterative Analysis: Analysis is not a one-time event but occurs continually as new data is gathered.
- Actionable Insights: The primary focus is generating insights that can be immediately applied to improve the user experience.
- Cross-functional Collaboration: Rolling research involves collaboration across teams, including designers, developers, and product managers, to ensure that insights are effectively implemented.
Benefits of Rolling Research
Immediate User Feedback
Rolling research enables teams to continuously gather user feedback. This immediacy ensures that any issues or pain points are identified and addressed promptly, improving user satisfaction and retention.
Agile and Flexible Approach
One of the core advantages of rolling research is its adaptability. As new data arrives, teams can pivot their strategies and adjust the product. This flexibility is precious in fast-moving industries where user expectations and market conditions can change rapidly.
Reduced Risk of Major Failures
Rolling research reduces the likelihood of major product failures by continuously testing and iterating. Small, incremental changes are made based on real user data, minimising the risk of significant setbacks that could occur if issues are only identified late in the development process.
Enhanced User-Centric Design
Rolling research fosters a deep understanding of users, allowing teams to create more user-centric designs. By staying in tune with user needs and behaviours, you can tailor products to deliver exceptional user experiences.
Challenges and Considerations
Managing Continuous Workflows
One of the challenges of rolling research is managing the continuous workflow. Without careful planning and resource allocation, the ongoing nature of rolling research can lead to burnout or resource constraints.
Balancing Depth and Breadth of Research
While rolling research provides continuous insights, it is important to balance the depth and breadth of research. There is a risk of focusing too much on immediate issues and overlooking broader, long-term trends. Teams should ensure that they are not only addressing short-term needs but also considering the overall strategic direction of the product.
Ensuring Data Quality
Continuous data collection can sometimes lead to issues with data quality. Implementing rigorous data validation and analysis processes is essential to ensure that the insights generated are accurate and reliable.
PeepalDesign’s Challenge and Solution
Like many design and research agencies, PeepalDesign faced challenges with lengthy project turnaround times and difficulties swiftly gathering and implementing user feedback. The agency recognised the need for a more efficient and responsive approach to user research.
To address these challenges, PeepalDesign embraced the concept of rolling research. They established a system of regularly scheduled research sessions, ensuring a continuous stream of user insights. This approach allowed them to iterate on designs and make data-driven decisions at a much faster pace.
Accelerate Product Development with Rolling Research: Impressive Results
The implementation of rolling research yielded significant benefits for PeepalDesign. They reduced project turnaround times to as little as 10 days, a remarkable improvement compared to the industry average of six weeks. Moreover, their capacity for handling projects increased dramatically, from 3 projects per month to 15 projects per month, spanning multiple countries.
An internal survey further validated the success of rolling research, with the design team reporting a satisfaction score of 4.7 out of 5. This high level of satisfaction reflects the positive impact of rolling research on both team productivity and client relationships.
Accelerate Product Development: Key Benefits of Rolling Research
- Accelerate Product Development: Rolling research streamlines the user research process, enabling faster project turnaround times and increased productivity.
- Continuous User Engagement: By gathering regular feedback throughout the product development cycle, teams can ensure that their solutions align with user needs and expectations.
- Scalability: Companies across different industries and markets can adapt rolling research to accommodate projects of varying sizes and complexities.
Conclusion
The case study of PeepalDesign highlights the transformative potential of rolling research in accelerating product development. By embracing this approach, companies can enhance their market responsiveness, improve user satisfaction, and achieve a competitive advantage in today’s dynamic business landscape.
Looking for an opportunity to accelerate product development and foster a culture of user-centric innovation? We encourage you to explore the possibilities of rolling research! Download our latest ebook, “How To Transform Your Organisation With Good Design”, to learn more about how you can leverage design thinking and research methodologies to accelerate product development and drive product success.