Product and Research: From Frenemies to BFFs

In theory, product and research should be best friends. In practice… not so much. Too often, researchers feel dismissed and marginalized by product teams that seem more focused on hitting deadlines than on activating insights. Meanwhile, those product teams struggle to balance customer insights with executive demands, ultimately making compromises that leave nobody happy. This fun, fast-paced workshop will explain why one team’s game-changing insight is another team’s roadmap-obliterating threat—and what to do about it!

What you’ll learn

  • Why product and research teams often clash with each other, even when they ostensibly share goals and focus
  • How to navigate product roadmaps, and identify non-negotiable constraints upfront
  • How to involve product teams in hands-on research
  • Common challenges you will encounter along the way, and how to approach them

Who should attend

This workshop is for folks who believe that product teams can and should care deeply about customer insights, and want to improve the working relationship between product and research–from either side. This includes researchers, product managers, and anybody caught between the two!

Facilitator
Matt LeMay
Co-founder and Partner, Sudden Compass
Read Bio
Time Zone:
23 Feb 2021 Tuesday, February 23, 2021 | 7:30am - 8:00am PT

Coffee/Tech Troubleshooting (optional)

This is your opportunity to make sure you can access Zoom, Slack channels, and other remote tools you’ll need to participate in and enjoy your workshop at #AR2021. If you haven’t already, please join us on Slack (in #ar-general and the dedicated channel for your workshop). That’s where discussion will take place, and it’s the fastest way to get help (go to channel #ar-help). You can also make sure your connection is working properly. Our team will be on hand to offer you support. Optional but highly recommended!

This is your opportunity to say hello to the instructor and other learners before the workshop gets started, and make sure you can access Zoom, Slack channels, and other remote tools you’ll need to participate in and enjoy your workshop at #AR2021. Our team will be on hand to offer you support. Optional but highly recommended!

23 Feb 2021 Tuesday, February 23, 2021 | 8:00am - 11:30am PT

Product and Research: Day 1

  • 30 min: Intro and icebreaker
  • 60 min: Diagnosing common misalignments between product and research
  • 60 min: Group exercise: Seeing the same insight(s) from different angles
  • 30 min: Introducing and summarizing two complementary steps to better aligning product and research: Backing out from roadmaps and product plans, and getting product teams hands-on with customer research
  • 30 min: Wrap-up / Q&A
Matt LeMay
Co-founder and Partner, Sudden Compass
  • 30 min: Intro and icebreaker
  • 60 min: Diagnosing common misalignments between product and research
  • 60 min: Group exercise: Seeing the same insight(s) from different angles
  • 30 min: Introducing and summarizing two complementary steps to better aligning product and research: Backing out from roadmaps and product plans, and getting product teams hands-on with customer research
  • 30 min: Wrap-up / Q&A
24 Feb 2021 Wednesday, February 24, 2021 | 8:00am - 11:30am PT

Product and Research: Day 2

  • 15 min: Intro and recap
  • 90 min: The first step towards better aligning product and research: Backing out from roadmaps and product plans, Identifying and working within non-negotiable constraints, Working between optimization-level research and discovery-level research
  • Exercise: Understanding and navigating the roadmap
  • 90 min: The second step to better aligning product and research: Getting product teams hands-on with customer research. Making the case for hands-on research, Working with untrained researchers, Common challenges and solutions
  • Exercise: Creating a research guide for non-researchers

    • 15 min: Wrap-up / Q&A

Matt LeMay
Co-founder and Partner, Sudden Compass
  • 15 min: Intro and recap
  • 90 min: The first step towards better aligning product and research: Backing out from roadmaps and product plans, Identifying and working within non-negotiable constraints, Working between optimization-level research and discovery-level research
  • Exercise: Understanding and navigating the roadmap
  • 90 min: The second step to better aligning product and research: Getting product teams hands-on with customer research. Making the case for hands-on research, Working with untrained researchers, Common challenges and solutions
  • Exercise: Creating a research guide for non-researchers

    • 15 min: Wrap-up / Q&A

2 Mar 2021 Tuesday, March 2, 2021 | 8:00am - 11:00am PT

Product and Research: Day 3

  • 30 min: Intro and recap
  • 90 min: Bringing it all together–starting the conversation. Conversation starters to begin building better relationships between product and research, Common challenges you can anticipate and how to address them
  • 30 min: Action planning
  • 30 min: Wrap-up / Q&A
Matt LeMay
Co-founder and Partner, Sudden Compass
  • 30 min: Intro and recap
  • 90 min: Bringing it all together–starting the conversation. Conversation starters to begin building better relationships between product and research, Common challenges you can anticipate and how to address them
  • 30 min: Action planning
  • 30 min: Wrap-up / Q&A