Questions vs hypotheses
Stop asking questions when you have hypotheses! Why? Because misalignment in our research methods can slow us down, erode trust, and, frankly, lead us astray.
Why the uproar, you ask?
It boils down to a fundamental misunderstanding in our research approach, a mix-up that’s all too easy to fall into. We’re often left juggling tools and methods, blurring the lines between the goals of our research.
Research goals are clear cut, such as:
- Generative: “What could it be?”
- Evaluative: “Is it working?”
- Explanatory: “Why is this happening?”
- Descriptive: “Who are they?”
- Predictive: “What will happen next?”
- Critical: “Who or what is missing?”
- Action: “How can we improve?”
These aren’t just academic distinctions. They’re the linchpins of effective research, guiding us through the fog with purpose and precision.
This confusion of using research questions or hypotheses isn’t just a minor hiccup; it’s a symptom of a deeper ailment. One the entire team need to understand and overcome.
Research stages
Before we look at the actual stages of research, it’s important to have a clear understanding of the different landscapes of research.
- Market research: You conduct market research to analyse industry trends and competitor strategies to identify opportunities and guide business decisions, helping organisations stay competitive and meet market demands.
- Customer research: You conduct customer research to understand the behaviours, preferences, and satisfaction of an organisation’s current customers, aiming to enhance loyalty and tailor products or services to their needs.
- User research: You conduct user research to uncover how users interact with products or services, identifying usability issues and opportunities for improvement, thereby enhancing user experience and product design.
Three core focus areas of researchAs you see above, you can break research into three landscapes. Bringing it into practical application means addressing the core focus areas large organisations tend to research.
- Propositions: Research sharpens propositions, turning abstract “What ifs?” into actionable “What’s next?” by aligning ideas with real market needs.
- Products/Services: Research moulds products/services into experiences that resonate, ensuring they meet user needs and exceed expectations.
- Experiments: Through targeted experiments informed by research, we validate assumptions and uncover opportunities, propelling forward with informed iterations.
Finally, the stages
Now we can clearly understand the landscapes of research, and how they can be applied to core focus areas, we can define two simple, yet, robust stages of any kind of research.
- Understand: This happens at the beginning of any research activity. This is when you want to ask questions so you can uncover and learn.
- Generative (“What could it be?”): Explores new ideas and uncovers user needs, behaviours, and motivations.
- Descriptive (“Who are they?”): Profiles and segments the market, customers, or users.
- Explanatory (“Why is this happening?”): Seeks reasons behind market trends, customer behaviours, or user interactions.
- Predictive (“What will happen next?”): Forecasts future market movements, customer behaviours, or user needs.
- Critical (“Who or what is missing?”): Identifies gaps or overlooked segments in research to ensure inclusivity.
- Validate: This happens once you have a solution and you need assurance it’s correct. This is when you’ll have hypotheses that you need to prove.
- Evaluative (“Is it working?”): Tests the effectiveness of a product, service, or feature against user expectations or needs.
- Critical (“Who or what is missing?”): Identifies gaps or overlooked segments in research to ensure inclusivity.
- Action (“How can we improve?”): Applies insights from research to make concrete improvements or decisions in product design or service delivery.
By demarcating the research process into distinct stages and aligning our tools accordingly, we sidestep the pitfalls of misalignment and slow, arduous learnings.Understanding when to utilise questions and hypotheses is more than a methodological choice—it’s a strategic decision that influences the trajectory of our projects. With clear distinctions, teams can deliver research a helluva lot quicker, with purpose, direction, and, ultimately, impact.
