The fastest way to convince a skeptical stakeholder of research's value is to have them watch a usability test on a critical conversion funnel. Seeing a real user struggle to find the "buy" button creates an immediate, visceral understanding that no summary report can ever match.
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A generic button like "Submit" is a wasted opportunity. The call-to-action is your last chance to persuade the user. Treat its copy as a critical sales variable and A/B test compelling, action-oriented phrases like "Yes, I'm in" to maximize conversions.
To get unbiased user feedback, avoid asking leading questions like "What are your main problems?" Instead, prompt users to walk you through their typical workflow. In describing their process, they will naturally reveal the genuine friction points and hacks they use, providing much richer insight than direct questioning.
Many marketers equate CRO with just A/B testing. However, a successful program is built on two pillars: research (gathering quantitative and qualitative data) and testing (experimentation). Overlooking the research phase leads to uninformed tests and poor results, as it provides the necessary insights for what to test.
Before implementing a chatbot or complex tech to drive user action, first analyze the user flow. A simple change, like reordering a dashboard to present a single, clear next step instead of five options, can dramatically increase conversion with minimal engineering effort.
Product teams often use placeholder text and duplicate UI components, but users don't provide good feedback on unrealistic designs. A prototype with authentic, varied content—even if the UI is simpler—will elicit far more valuable user feedback because it feels real.
To truly understand customers, go to their natural environment—their home or shop. Observing their context reveals far more than sterile office interviews. This practice, internally branded "Listen or Die," ensures the entire team stays connected to the user's reality.
When leaders use arguments like the "faster horses" quote, it's rarely about a genuine belief that research is valueless. Instead, it often signals fear—of being out of touch, of ceding the vision, or of challenging the status quo. The best response is empathy, not a factual takedown.
When product marketers create a video walkthrough of the complete customer journey for a campaign—from social post to in-product upgrade—they are forced to test every step. This acts as a forcing function for quality assurance, allowing the team to identify friction points or broken links before launch.
Instead of only testing minor changes on a finished product, like button color, use A/B testing early in the development process. This allows you to validate broad behavioral science principles, such as social proof, for your specific challenge before committing to a full build.
To overcome leadership resistance to an internal tool, Walmart's PM built prototypes populated with actual production data. This tangible "what if" scenario demonstrated exactly what executives would see and the value they would get, proving far more effective than standard mockups for securing buy-in.
