User research in the 0-1 space: researching for innovation.
Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
Peter Thiel introduced the concept of 0-1 in his 2014 book. It refers to the entrepreneurial practice of building something that does not exist yet - “a solution that changes the market”. It’s about having the courage to think beyond incremental advancements, to take a leap forward from what exists today. Thiel refers to this as the essence of true innovation.
Research led innovation
Generally speaking, user research is defined in two categories: generative and evaluative (more about these below). Both of these are important to the product development lifecycle and are leveraged at different stages, to inform solutions and reduce risk.
The third form of user research is exploratory research. In my experience, exploratory research gets less of a spotlight in the product development lifecycle, because teams are more focused on iterating on existing product offerings… Or, using Peter Thiel’s framework: 1-n. Whereas exploratory research is best suited to innovating in the 0-1 space.
Exploratory research: is useful to disambiguate a problem space, learn about the people within it and identify areas where innovation could flourish.
Generative research is conducted in the early stages of product development and is used to deepen the understanding of a user group or problem area and generate ideas for solutions. It facilitates strategic decision-making. ie Are we building the right things?
Evaluative research is used to test and validate potential solutions. By conducting evaluative research, companies gather feedback on ideas/concepts and identify areas for improvement before launching. It facilitates executional decision-making. ie Are we building things right?
Exploratory research
Exploratory research is particularly valuable for guiding innovation, as it identifies unique or unsolved problems. This type of research is geared toward creating knowledge. It provides a foundational understanding of people, their behaviors, beliefs, motivations, and the social, cultural, and environmental contexts they live within. Exploratory research is particularly powerful when combined with other forms of research. ie market, external factors, macro trends, and strategic foresight. Exploratory research helps us think outside the box and ensures we are solving real problems for real people.
Generative research
In the context of early-stage startups, generative research is particularly valuable. By conducting generative research, startups can better understand their prospects, and customers to identify opportunities related to their existing products/services. This ensures companies are developing experiences that are more likely to meet customer needs and differentiate in the market.
It’s important not to skip the exploratory and/or generative phases when the goal is innovation. By not spending enough time in these phases we miss the opportunity to gather a deep knowledge about the problem space and people. This might result in missed perspectives and opportunities.
Evaluative research
Evaluative research, on the other hand, is typically conducted later in the product development process and is focused on evaluating and refining specific product or service concepts or design execution. This type of research is used to test the proposed solution, by evaluating hypotheses, validating or invalidating assumptions, and identifying areas for improvement.
User researcher as an innovation partner
User researchers are perfectly positioned to be partners to entrepreneurs and early-stage startups defining unique product/service offerings. User researchers have a high tolerance for ambiguity and are uniquely skilled to navigate it. By involving a researcher in this process, you not only gain a partner to help you navigate the ambiguity that is inherent when innovating. They also help set you up for success and uncover unexpected outcomes by thinking about the implications of product innovation through various lenses: ie. social, cultural, and environmental.
User research may become that undesired radically honest friend. However, as much as it will help prove if hypotheses are wrong, it will also provide insights to get them right.
Informed innovation
All forms of user research are valuable tools for driving innovation in product or service development. To yield the best results in the 0-1 space, research should be conducted in the following sequence*:
Exploratory
Generative
Evaluative
*Note: There might be instances where it’s necessary to loop back to the prior step, however, it’s not advised to skip a step, when designing for innovation.
Depending on the level of ambiguity and risk, it is possible to consider combining 2 sequential steps in one study.
Trust the process of UX research. It may not always be clear where it will lead you, but it will always lead you to valuable outcomes. Stay curious.
