Learn hub

Why Your Best Insights Never Make It Into Products

‍

Does this sound familiar? Your research teams spend weeks uncovering user insights. Your Product teams spend months building features users don't want. Between these two realities lies one of the most expensive problems in product development. 

‍

According to a 2024 Forrester study, 73% of product decisions are made without any customer insight, despite 89% of companies investing in user research. This is not because of a lack of research, but instead because of a broken translation process between discovery and delivery.

‍

This gap isn't just about communication, it's structural. Researchers speak in themes, patterns, and user needs. Product managers speak in features, priorities, and business outcomes. Designers speak in experiences and interfaces. Each discipline has its own language, timelines, and success metrics.

‍

The biggest challenge isn't conducting research, it's making sure that research actually influences what gets built. 

‍

Why Good Research Dies in Translation: 

‍

• Research operates in 2-4 week cycles. Product decisions happen in real-time. By the time findings are synthesized and presented, the moment for influence has passed.
  ‍
• A 40-slide research report is nobody's idea of actionable. According to Nielsen Norman Group research, product managers spend an average of 12 minutes reviewing research findings, yet the average research report takes 2 hours to fully digest.
  ‍
• Individual insights lack context. Was this problem mentioned by 1 user or 20? Is it a dealbreaker or a minor annoyance? Without this context, teams can't prioritize effectively.

‍

The most successful product teams don't just conduct research, they create processes and systems that bridge the gap between research and product including doing more continuous discovery and connecting research insights into actual product updates.

‍

• Teams doing continuous discovery make 3x more research-informed decisions than those doing quarterly research sprints. This becomes more achievable when the entire product trio (PM, designer, researcher) is involved in ongoing discovery.
  ‍
• Product and research teams need to work together to connect research insights directly to potential features. Mapping each insight to product opportunities, which map to experiments, which feed directly into the roadmap.
  ‍

‍

Recent research from Stanford's Human-Centered AI Institute revealed that AI-driven interfaces created 2.6 times more usability issues for older adults and 3.2 times more issues for users with disabilities compared to general populations, a gap that often goes undetected without specific testing for these groups.

‍

‍

The Optimal Approach: Design with Evidence, Not Assumptions

‍

The future of product development isn't just about doing more continuous research, it's about making research integral to how decisions happen:

‍

• Start with Questions, Not Studies. Before launching research, collaborate with product teams to identify specific decisions that need informing. What will change based on what you learn?
  ‍
• Embed Researchers in Roadmap Planning. Research findings should be part of sprint planning, roadmap reviews, and OKR setting.
  ‍
• Measure Research Impact.: Track not just what research you do, but what decisions it influences. Amplitude found that teams measuring "research-informed feature success rate" show 35% higher user satisfaction scores.

‍

The question you need to ask your organization isn't whether your research is good enough. It's whether your research to product collaboration process is strong enough to ensure those insights actually shape what gets built.

At Optimal, we know the reality of user research: you've just wrapped up a fantastic interview session, your head is buzzing with insights, and then... you're staring at hours of video footage that somehow needs to become actionable recommendations for your team.

‍
User interviews and usability sessions are treasure troves of insight, but the reality is reviewing hours of raw footage can be time-consuming, tedious, and easy to overlook important details. Too often, valuable user stories never make it past the recording stage.

‍
That's why we’re excited to announce the launch of early access for Interviews, a brand-new tool that saves you time with AI and automation, turns real user moments into actionable recommendations, and provides the evidence you need to shape decisions, bring stakeholders on board, and inspire action.

‍

Interviews, Reimagined

‍

What once took hours of video review now takes minutes. With Interviews, you get:
‍

• Instant clarity: Upload your interviews and let AI automatically surface key themes, pain points, opportunities, and other key insights.
  
• Deeper exploration: Ask follow-up questions and anything with AI chat. Every insight comes with supporting video evidence, so you can back up recommendations with real user feedback.
  
• Automatic highlight reels: Generate clips and compilations that spotlight the takeaways that matter.
  
• Real user voices: Turn insight into impact with user feedback clips and videos. Share insights and download clips to drive product and stakeholder decisions.
  ‍

‍

Groundbreaking AI at Your Service

‍

This tool is powered by AI designed for researchers, product owners, and designers. This isn’t just transcription or summarization, it’s intelligence tailored to surface the insights that matter most. It’s like having a personal AI research assistant, accelerating analysis and automating your workflow without compromising quality. No more endless footage scrolling.

‍
The AI used for Interviews as well as all other AI with Optimal is backed by AWS Amazon Bedrock, ensuring that your AI insights are supported with industry-leading protection and compliance.

‍

‍

What’s Next: The Future of Moderated Interviews in Optimal

‍

This new tool is just the beginning. Soon, you’ll be able to manage the entire moderated interview process inside Optimal, from recruitment to scheduling to analysis and sharing.

‍

Here’s what’s coming:

• Recruit users using Optimal’s managed recruitment services.
  
• View your scheduled sessions directly within Optimal. Link up with your own calendar.
  
• Connect seamlessly with Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams.
  ‍

Imagine running your full end-to-end interview workflow, all in one platform. That’s where we’re heading, and Interviews is our first step.
‍

Ready to Explore?

Interviews is available now for our latest Optimal plans with study limits. Start transforming your footage into minutes of clarity and bring your users’ voices to the center of every decision. We can’t wait to see what you uncover.

👉 Register for Early Access
‍

Want to learn more and see it in action? Join us for our upcoming webinar on Oct 21st at 12 PM PST.

👉 Register for the Interviews Webinar

Last night, Optimal brought together an incredible community of product leaders and innovators for "The Automation Breakthrough: Workflows for the AI Era" at Q-Branch in Austin, Texas. This two-hour in-person event featured expert perspectives on how AI and automation are transforming the way we work, create, and lead.

‍

The event featured a lightning Talk on "Designing for Interfaces" featured Cindy Brummer, Founder of Standard Beagle Studio, followed by a dynamic panel discussion titled "The Automation Breakthrough" with industry leaders including Joe Meersman (Managing Partner, Gyroscope AI), Carmen Broomes (Head of UX, Handshake), Kasey Randall (Product Design Lead, Posh AI), and Prateek Khare (Head of Product, Amazon). We also had a fireside chat with our CEO, Alex Burke and Stu Smith, Head of Design at Atlassian. 

‍

Here are the key themes and insights that emerged from these conversations:

‍

Trust & Transparency: The Foundation of AI Adoption

‍

Cindy emphasized that trust and transparency aren't just nice-to-haves in the AI era, they're essential. As AI tools become more integrated into our workflows, building systems that users can understand and rely on becomes paramount. This theme set the tone for the entire event, reminding us that technological advancement must go hand-in-hand with ethical considerations.

‍

Automation Liberates Us from Grunt Work

‍

One of the most resonant themes was how AI fundamentally changes what we spend our time on. As Carmen noted, AI reduces the grunt work and tasks we don't want to do, freeing us to focus on what matters most. This isn't about replacing human workers, it's about eliminating the tedious, repetitive tasks that drain our energy and creativity.

‍

Enabling Creativity and Higher-Quality Decision-Making

‍

When automation handles the mundane, something remarkable happens: we gain space for deeper thinking and creativity. The panelists shared powerful examples of this transformation:

‍

Carmen described how AI and workflows help teams get to insights and execution on a much faster scale, rather than drowning in comments and documentation. Prateek encouraged the audience to use automation to get creative about their work, while Kasey shared how AI and automation have helped him develop different approaches to coaching, mentorship, and problem-solving, ultimately helping him grow as a leader.

‍

The decision-making benefits were particularly striking. Prateek explained how AI and automation have helped him be more thoughtful about decisions and make higher-quality choices, while Kasey echoed that these tools have helped him be more creative and deliberate in his approach.

‍

Democratizing Product Development

‍

Perhaps the most exciting shift discussed was how AI is leveling the playing field across organizations. Carmen emphasized the importance of anyone, regardless of their role, being able to get close to their customers. This democratization means that everyone can get involved in UX, think through user needs, and consider the best experience.

‍

The panel explored how roles are blurring in productive ways. Kasey noted that "we're all becoming product builders" and that product managers are becoming more central to conversations. Prateek predicted that teams are going to get smaller and achieve more with less as these tools become more accessible.

‍

Automation also plays a crucial role in iteration, helping teams incorporate customer feedback more effectively, according to Prateek.

‍

Practical Advice for Navigating the AI Era

‍

The panelists didn't just share lofty visions, they offered concrete guidance for professionals navigating this transformation:

‍

Stay perpetually curious. Prateek warned that no acquired knowledge will stay with you for long, so you need to be ready to learn anything at any time.

‍

Embrace experimentation. "Allow your process to misbehave," Prateek advised, encouraging attendees to break from rigid workflows and explore new approaches.

‍

Overcome fear. Carmen urged the audience not to be afraid of bringing in new tools or worrying that AI will take their jobs. The technology is here to augment, not replace.

‍

Just start. Kasey's advice was refreshingly simple: "Just start and do it again." Whether you're experimenting with AI tools or trying "vibe coding," the key is to begin and iterate.

‍

The energy in the room at Q-Branch reflected a community that's not just adapting to change but actively shaping it. The automation breakthrough isn't just about new tools, it's about reimagining how we work, who gets to participate in product development, and what becomes possible when we free ourselves from repetitive tasks.

‍

As we continue to navigate the AI era, events like this remind us that the most valuable insights come from bringing diverse perspectives together. The conversation doesn't end here, it's just beginning.

‍

Interested in joining future Optimal community events? Stay tuned for upcoming gatherings where we'll continue exploring the intersection of design, product, and emerging technologies.

‍