Summary

Lucy Collins speaks with Hannah Knowles about using a weekly research sprint to turn complex product challenges into focused, actionable insights. Hannah explains how her research sprint approach is inspired by design sprints, but adapted specifically for research questions. By breaking large, vague problems into smaller questions, teams can reach useful conclusions in five days without undermining the robustness of the research. The conversation covers the importance of setting clear assumptions, working closely with product teams and clients, and using a Lean UX Canvas to create a strong foundation for the research process.

Takeaways

• A weekly research sprint can help teams generate useful insights in just five days.
• Large research problems are easier to manage when they are divided into smaller, focused questions.
• Shorter research cycles help teams maintain momentum and avoid losing interest.
• Research findings can become less valuable when projects take so long that the product or problem changes.
• The Monday setup session creates alignment between the researcher, product team, or client.
• A Lean UX Canvas can help define the research goal, user problem, and key assumptions in around 60 to 90 minutes.

Sound Bites

• “Why can’t I just break that big problem down into little sets of questions?”
• “Each week deliver something to them.”
• “It wants to take a big thing, make it into cute little chunks that I can deal with.”
• “Coming with a question at the start and delivering something in eight weeks’ time just isn’t feasible.”
• “The insights at the other end become a bit devalued.”
• “I’m a massive lover of a Lean UX Canvas.”