The Learners Podcast Big Research - Megan McLean - Rivers and Roads: Forging Insights for Impact at Spotify
Oct 3, 2024
Megan McLean, a user research manager at Spotify Advertising, shares her insights on navigating research challenges for vast user bases. She introduces the 'Rivers and Roads' metaphor, where rivers embody change and data flow, while roads represent structured planning. Megan emphasizes the importance of prioritizing high-risk, low-clarity research questions to maximize impact. Her three-part prioritization framework focuses on assessing uncertainty, measuring potential impact, and prioritizing decisions that are hard to reverse, ultimately linking insights to strategic product development.
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Prioritization Is The Central Challenge
- Large companies face unprecedented prioritization challenges as product portfolios and stakeholders explode.
- User research must focus on driving measurable impact to justify its work and resources.
Song Sparked The Metaphor
- Megan listened to Rivers and Roads and the song crystallized her thinking about research prioritization.
- That moment inspired the river/road metaphor she uses to structure her team's approach.
Insights Should Act Like Rivers
- Rivers symbolize change, momentum, and one-way decisions that cannot be revisited downstream.
- Insights resemble rivers: dynamic, time-sensitive, and able to reshape strategy if used well.