77% of people who do research are a part of product or design teams.
That’s right—according to the 2024 State of User Research report, product managers, designers, and marketers now conduct the majority of user research, either solo or in collaboration with researchers.
FYI - non-UXRs (non-user experience researchers) are designers, PMs, marketing folks, and anyone who is conducting research outside of the traditional UX researcher title. In fact, the ratio of non-UXRs to dedicated researchers has reached 5:1 in 2024. And in companies with Research Ops, a single ReOps specialist supports 10-25 people. This means non-UXRs are increasingly carrying significant research responsibilities, often on top of their core job duties.
Heidi Toussaint experienced this when she joined Google’s Communications team in 2014! She actively managed a wide range of tactical and formative research needs while balancing competing priorities. If you’re nodding along, feeling that pressure—don’t sweat it. The best product teams don’t just ship features—they iterate, adapt, and stay relentlessly user-centric. With the right strategy and this playbook, you can too.
I started out on a product without a dedicated researcher. I wondered how I might split my time, juggling multiple needs and priorities at once.
Heidi Toussaint UXR Lead & Manager @ Google
We’ll cover how to:
Shift from research as a “one-off” task to an ongoing, standardized practice.
Build your modern research tech stack with the right tools.
Collaborate with your team to turn insights into actionable, product-shaping decisions.
Before we dive in
Heads up on the many terms of UXR: You’ll notice terms like "continuous," "discovery," and "ongoing" throughout this playbook. Depending on the context, these terms could refer to either a method, process or framework.
So you're a UX designer or product manager without formal research training?
You’re not expected to become a full-time researcher, but many companies still expect non-UXRs to handle lightweight research that provides actionable insights. While you might feel comfortable with behavioral analytics and quick surveys, qualitative research is essential for bringing empathy and depth to your data.
Here’s a quick guide to qualitative research methods that non-researchers can use to make informed product decisions:
Generative Research – Understand user problems and behaviors through user interviews, field studies, and diary studies.
Evaluative Research – Test solutions before launch with usability testing, A/B testing, and surveys.
Continuous Research – Keep a pulse on user needs with in-app surveys, session recordings, and ongoing user interviews.
To manage this alongside sprint deadlines, product launches, and cross-functional demands, a robust research democratization program with clear guidelines and oversight would be invaluable.I’m always surprised by the ever-expanding role of product managers
Adrienne GuilloryPresident of Usability Sciences
But is there always a structure in place to support non -researchers? Maybe. Maybe not.
These are common challenges non-researchers face:
Maintaining engagement throughout studies
Enthusiasm is high during customers interviews, but when it comes to transcribing, organizing, and synthesizing data, motivation can fade quickly. Without a democratized process and clear guidelines, this lack of structure can lead to disengagement and, ultimately, research burnout, where findings don’t effectively tie back to product decisions.
Streamlining research workflows and centralizing processes
Organizational processes often feel slow and cumbersome, making it difficult for PMs to engage in continuous research. Without a streamlined approach, research can become inefficient or redundant, leading to wasted effort.
Building consistent research habits into the workflow
With so many competing priorities, PMs and designers often struggle to allocate enough time for research. Without dedicated resources or time, research becomes a “one-off” activity rather than an ongoing part of the workflow, and gets pushed aside in favor of immediate product deadlines.
Fostering ongoing engagement in research practices
Without a clear structure to maintain consistency, PMs may lose momentum with research activities between sprints. This results in fragmented insights that don’t inform product decisions.
Standardizing research practices to maximize impact
Many non-researchers lack the tools or training to apply best practices in research. Without standardization, translating customer feedback into actionable product directions becomes difficult, leading to missed opportunities or misalignment with customer needs.
Unifying insights for product development
Sporadic participation in research leads to disconnected insights, making it difficult to unify these findings and turn them into cohesive, actionable product insights. When research isn’t continuous or standardized, it’s easy for decisions to be based on inconsistent or skewed data.
How can you build an ongoing research practice that’s sustainable?
The goal is to build a culture of ongoing discovery, where research is integrated into every phase of product development.Here’s how to break it down into actionable steps:
It's a set of habits that you need to integrate as a part of your weekly workflow for it to be truly valuable.
Anders MikkelsenProduct Manager @ Abtion
Step 1: Adopt a “Discovery Mindset”
Research is an ongoing feedback loop. When teams view research as a continuous journey, not just a one-off validation exercise, insights stay relevant and drive real product decisions.
2. Build Research Into Your Workflow
🚀 Create Consistent Touchpoints: Weekly user interviews, pulse surveys, or usability tests ensure user feedback informs product decisions—without last-minute scrambles.
📅 Make Research Routine: Block time in sprints for research check-ins to maintain a steady flow of insights.
3. Follow These Key Steps to Keep Research Manageable
Even with tight sprint deadlines, constant launches, and cross-functional demands, research doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. Remember to:
Define Clear Research Goals
Choose Your Methods: Match the research method to the goal. Interviews → Deeper insights. Surveys → Validation. Usability tests → Measurable data
Recruit the Right Participants
Analyze and Synthesize
Step 4: Solve Common Research Challenges With Scalable Processes
🔹 Keeping Teams Engaged → Define clear research goals upfront so insights lead to action, not just documentation. A Discovery Mindset helps maintain focus beyond just “checking a box.”
🔹 Streamlining Research Workflows → Reduce inefficiencies by using Ethnio for participant recruitment and collaboration platforms for centralized research tracking. Choose methods that align with specific study goals.
🔹 Building Research Habits → Remove barriers to regular research by using pre-built panels or automated recruitment tools like Ethnio, ensuring participant sourcing never slows you down.
🔹 Maintaining Research Engagement → Implement structured research programs with clear guidelines, ensuring non-researchers can confidently execute studies without starting from scratch every time.
🔹 Standardizing Research Practices → Keep insights actionable by using consistent documentation formats and tools like User Interviews to make findings accessible across teams.
🔹 Unifying Insights for Decision-Making → Research silos kill impact. Regularly synthesize insights across studies to identify patterns and ensure user needs drive product direction.
Can Ethnio help?
Built for curious, customer-centric teams, our user research crm and panel management software make it ridiculously easy for anyone—from dedicated researchers to non-researchers juggling research alongside other priorities—to conduct qual or quant research. In fact, non-researchers who have access to Research Ops resources report 2X higher satisfaction with research support than those without.
Having the right tools in place changes the game at every stage of research:
🔎 Find the right participants, fast
Intercept real users via web or app (iOS & Android)
Share screener links via email, Slack, or social media
💰 Automate incentives & scheduling
Pay participants in any currency, anywhere in the world
Automate scheduling for 1:1 interviews or group sessions
📜 Streamline compliance & participant management
Centralize consent with an optional DocuSign integration
Build & manage your own research panel (Enterprise-only)
Sync with CRMs like Salesforce via API & Webhooks
What’s next for non-researchers?
The more you integrate continuous research into your workflow, the easier it becomes to stay ahead of user needs—without slowing down development.
Here are our golden nuggets to keep you on track:
🚀 Start Small – Don’t wait for a perfect system. Start with one small habit, like a weekly customer interview, and build from there.
💡 Empower Your Team – Give them the right tools, templates, and structure to make research accessible and efficient.
❤️ Make Feedback Easy for Customers – Personalize outreach, offer incentives, and respect their time to keep users engaged and invested.
The best products evolve with their users. By making research a habit, every decision moves your product in the right direction—toward the people who actually use it.
