The Nuances of Continuous Discovery in User Research

Listen now on Apple, Spotify, and YouTube.

—

Prama has spent the last decade working across India, Germany, and the UK in various research roles, and I'm currently a Staff UX Researcher at HubSpot in London.

She loves tackling research challenges where traditional approaches need rethinking - whether that's bringing drivers' needs in India front and centre to Uber's product development, helping businesses scale on Zalando, or most recently, enabling small businesses to grow using the products offered by Meta and HubSpot.

She is passionate about developing research methods that balance speed with rigor in fast-moving product environments. She recently explored this in her article "Continuous Discovery Programs need an OS," and she’s now writing about designing and scaling rapid research practices for sales-driven companies.

In our conversation, we discuss:

* How continuous discovery acts as an operational framework rather than a new research methodology and why it’s essential for scaling research within product teams.

* The challenge of integrating deep research insights with the fast-moving pace of product growth.

* How triangulation and structured processes help increase confidence in findings while maintaining speed.

* Why continuous discovery is best suited for generative research and evergreen insights rather than tactical usability testing.

* The necessity of working with product, marketing, and sales teams to make continuous discovery impactful and sustainable.

Some takeaways:

* Continuous discovery is often misunderstood as just frequent user interviews. Instead, it’s a structured framework that allows research to scale alongside product development. It helps teams collect insights regularly, adapt questions over time, and ensure research is integrated into decision-making at the right moments. When executed well, it prevents research from becoming either too slow or too shallow.

* A major concern in user research is that fast-paced discovery leads to weak, unreliable insights. However, Prama explains that speed and quality can coexist if processes are thoughtfully designed. By structuring data collection, using qualitative surveys, and leveraging ongoing research efforts, teams can maintain high standards while keeping up with business needs.

* Not all research questions are suited for continuous discovery. Instead of focusing on highly specific, short-term problems, continuous discovery thrives when exploring broad, generative questions that evolve over time. Researchers should evaluate whether a question remains relevant across different segments and timeframes before including it in an ongoing discovery framework.

* For continuous discovery to be effective, it requires alignment with key stakeholders, including product managers, marketers, and customer support teams. Researchers should actively collaborate with these teams, leverage their existing data, and co-create research priorities. Transparency in findings also ensures that insights are actionable and widely adopted.

* Unlike traditional research projects with a clear start and end, continuous discovery evolves over time. Research questions refine, insights deepen, and methodologies adjust based on what has been learned. The key to success is setting up a system that allows for flexibility, ensures regular touchpoints, and keeps stakeholders engaged in the research process.

Where to find Prama:

* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/prama1007/

* Prama’s Medium: https://medium.com/@pramaneeraja_12112

Interested in sponsoring the podcast?

Interested in sponsoring or advertising on this podcast? I’m always looking to partner with brands and businesses that align with my audience. Reach out to me at nikki@userresearchacademy.com to learn more about sponsorship opportunities!

The views and opinions expressed by the guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views, positions, or policies of the host, the podcast, or any affiliated organizations or sponsors.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.userresearchstrategist.com/subscribe