Researching the Marketer, Not Just the Metric

When I research for analytics products, the trap is assuming the user wants data. They don't. Marketers and campaign managers want to know whether the campaign is working and what to do next. That distinction shapes everything I learn in discovery. For PMs, this is where research earns its keep, because it reframes the roadmap away from "more charts" toward "faster decisions." In my interviews I watch how people actually open a dashboard on a Monday morning, what question is in their head, and how many tabs they have to cross-reference before they trust a number. The pattern I keep finding is that raw figures arrive before meaning, so people spend their energy interpreting instead of acting. That insight is what justifies an Insights-Before-Numbers structure, where the analyzed takeaway leads and the supporting figures sit underneath. Research also surfaces how different roles diverge on shared data: an analyst validating, a manager deciding, which protects the PM from building one bloated view for everyone. I deliver findings as decisions the team can prioritize, not a slide of quotes. Good research narrows scope; it tells you what not to build.