Building the Research Infrastructure

Why Research Infrastructure Matters

Sustainable journey management requires research infrastructure—not one-off studies, but systematic capability for ongoing insight generation. This chapter guides building the foundation for continuous, multi-method research supporting journey understanding.

Establishing Research Cadence

Move from ad-hoc research to predictable, ongoing cycles.

Research Types and Frequency

Continuous Research (Ongoing): Low to Medium reliability

You can start with these evidences but there are not sufficient to understand the full problem space

1. Journey metric monitoring and analysis

2. Support ticket and feedback review

3. Competitive landscape tracking

4. Key ongoing surveys tracking and data analysis

Quarterly Deep Dives (Per planning cycle): High reliability

When deep dive into the current journey discovery, you can conduct classical user research to unpack the insights

1. Comprehensive journey research for 2-4 selected journeys

2. Multi-method studies combining quantitative and qualitative

3. Stakeholder workshops and co-design sessions

Annual Studies (Strategic): Very High Reliability

These insights will give you the company strategic direction to follow and which journey prioritize for the years and which ones you need to create from 0 (Innovation journeys)

1. Large-scale user surveys across journey portfolio

2. Segmentation and persona refinement

3. Market and industry trend analysis

4. Job to be done maps and evaluations

5. Optimization VS Innovation journey capacity

Building Research Capacity

Internal Capabilities:

Develop in-house skills:

1. Train service designers in journey research methods

2. Build analytics team capability in journey measurement

3. Upskill product teams in user research fundamentals

External Partnerships:

Know when to leverage specialists:

1. Large-scale quantitative studies

2. Specialized methodologies (ethnography, advanced analytics)

3. Capacity augmentation during peak periods

Multi-Method Research Approach

Comprehensive journey understanding requires combining multiple research methods.

Method Selection Framework

Choose methods based on research questions:

Key Research Methods for Journeys Management

User Interviews

1. Purpose: Deep understanding of user needs, mental models, and experiences

2. When: Early journey exploration, validating pain points, testing concepts

3. Participants: 8-12 users per journey representing key segments

4. Format: 45-60 minute semi-structured interviews

Journey Analytics

1. Purpose: Quantify behavior, identify patterns, measure performance

2. When: Continuously for metrics, deep analysis for prioritized journeys

3. Data: Behavioral logs, event tracking, funnel analysis

4. Output: Quantified pain points, drop-off rates, usage patterns

Stakeholder Workshops

1. Purpose: Capture operational knowledge, identify constraints, co-design solutions

2. When: Service blueprint creation, opportunity refinement, solution design

3. Participants: 8-15 cross-functional stakeholders with journey involvement

4. Format: Facilitated 2-3 hour working sessions

Competitive Analysis

1. Purpose: Understand market standards, identify gaps, inform direction

2. When: Early journey exploration, benchmarking current state

3. Scope: 3-5 direct competitors plus adjacent industries

4. Focus: How competitors handle similar user goals and journeys

Surveys

1. Purpose: Quantify satisfaction, validate findings at scale, track trends

2. When: Baseline measurement, post-launch impact assessment

3. Sample: Statistical significance for journey user population

4. Design: Short (5-10 questions), focused on specific journey

Usability Testing

1. Purpose: Identify friction in current or proposed experiences

2. When: Evaluating current state, testing prototypes

3. Participants: 5-8 users per test round

4. Format: Task-based observation with think-aloud protocol

Research Planning & Execution

Structure research for efficiency and rigor.

Research Brief Template

For each research initiative, document:

1. Research Objectives

1. What decisions will this research inform?

2. What questions must be answered?

2. Scope

1. Which journey(s) and steps?

2. Which user segments?

3. What's explicitly out of scope?

3. Methods

1. Selected research methods with rationale

2. Sample sizes and recruitment criteria

3. Timeline and milestones

4. Resources

1. Team members and roles

2. Budget requirements

3. Tools and platforms needed

5. Outputs

1. Deliverables and formats

2. Stakeholders and sharing plan

3. Integration with journey ecosystem

Participant Recruitment

Build sustainable recruitment practices:

Recruitment Sources:

1. Existing user base (with appropriate permissions)

2. Recruitment platforms (UserTesting, Respondent, etc.)

3. Social media and community outreach

4. Partner organizations

Screening:

1. Develop screener surveys ensuring relevant participants

2. Screen for journey experience, not just demographics

3. Over-recruit to account for no-shows

Incentives:

1. Provide appropriate compensation respecting participants' time

2. Consider non-monetary incentives (service benefits, early access)

Research Synthesis

Transform raw findings into actionable insights.

Synthesis Process:

1. Organize: Compile notes, recordings, data from all research activities

2. Identify Patterns: Look for recurring themes, pain points, needs across participants

3. Connect to Journeys: Map insights to specific journey steps and phases

4. Prioritize: Distinguish critical insights from interesting but less impactful findings

5. Visualize: Create artifacts (mental models, blueprints) that communicate insights

6. Document: Add research to library with clear summary and implications

Collaborative Synthesis:

Involve cross-functional stakeholders:

1. Share-out sessions presenting raw findings

2. Collaborative sense-making workshops

3. Review and refinement of synthesized insights

This builds shared understanding and increases insight adoption.

Ethical Research Practices

Maintain high ethical standards in all research.

Privacy & Consent

1. Obtain informed consent for all research participation

2. Clearly explain how data will be used and protected

3. Provide option to withdraw consent at any time

4. Anonymize data in documentation and sharing

Inclusive Recruitment

1. Recruit diverse participants representing full user population

2. Remove barriers to participation (scheduling, accessibility, language)

3. Compensate fairly for time and contribution

4. Avoid over-burdening specific user groups

Data Protection

1. Secure storage of research data with appropriate access controls

2. Retention policies aligned with privacy regulations

3. Compliance with GDPR, HIPAA, or other relevant frameworks

Success Criteria for This Chapter

After building research infrastructure, you should have:

• Established research cadence aligned with quarterly planning cycles

• Internal research capabilities with clear roles and skills

• Multi-method research approach defined for journey exploration

• Research planning templates and processes

• Participant recruitment system and practices

• Synthesis processes for turning findings into insights

• Ethical guidelines and compliance framework

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Method obsession: Focus on answering questions, not perfectly executing methods

Sample size anxiety: Qualitative research doesn't require statistical significance—8-12 interviews reveal major themes

Passive documentation: Research sitting in reports no one reads has no impact—active synthesis and sharing are critical

Researcher bottleneck: Build research capability across teams rather than depending on specialized function alone

Ignoring constraints: Research must acknowledge operational, technical, and regulatory realities to be actionable