The Learners Podcast Sneak Peeks for Research Week 🪄 Chatting Growth UXR with Gus Griffin
May 14, 2025
Gus Griffin, Senior Strategic Growth Researcher at Figma, discusses long-term growth strategies in research. He emphasizes stepping outside products to reveal market needs and highlights the importance of asking simple questions to inform decisions. The conversation touches on distinguishing between feature chasing and understanding user motivations. Gus also explores the evolving role of researchers as strategic business partners and the risks of ignoring long-horizon research. His actionable tip? Dive into the market and become an expert on external trends to drive impactful strategies.
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In-Person Messiness Reveals Context
- Gus misses in-person research where you see a participant's environment and messiness.
- He leaves 10 minutes in Zoom sessions to build rapport and surface context.
Scout Outside-In For New Product Opportunities
- Do research outside your product to scout emerging markets and unmet needs.
- Bring those external insights back to inform strategic product bets and opportunities.
Research Underpins Founding Narratives
- Research is the rigorous practice behind many founding pitch narratives.
- Systematic customer understanding can and should drive company-level strategic decisions.