5 Ways to Do Strategic Research


5 Ways to Do Strategic Research

by Jeff Humble


Dear Reader,

You may have done some user research and thought, what does the next level of research project look like?

Well, strategy research is a good example.

It can help you see how advanced research can look for any project, not just strategy.

Here are five activities of strategy research to give you an idea of how you can go beyond user research:

1.) Understanding Market Dynamics

Are you fighting the next wave or riding it? Markets constantly evolve, and you’ll need continuous research to get ahead of the curve. Luckily, there are already lots of sources for market insights that are ready to be discovered.

Sources of market insights:

  • Third-party research firms like Forrester or Gartner
  • Industry reports from places like IBISWorld or Statista
  • Whitepapers from thought leaders
  • Research papers in economics, strategy, and consumer trends
  • Financial documents for industry leaders
  • Digital analytics aggregators like Google Trends
  • User research insights
  • Stock market data
  • Management consulting firms like McKinsey

2.) Uncovering Customer Needs & Pain Points

Customers are fickle, and you’ll need to form a deep understanding to predict their behavior. If you're a designer, you should already be good at this one, so I'll skip it for now.

3.) Analyzing the Competition

Strategy is about finding a niche in the market, so you must understand how you fit in with the competition. Keeping up with all the new features and offerings is a full-time job, so make time weekly for this type of research.

Sources of competitive insights:

  • Websites & product pages
  • Press releases
  • Social media posts
  • Employee blogs & interviews
  • Review sites like Yelp
  • Advertising campaigns
  • Email newsletters
  • Patent filings
  • SEO tools
  • Financial statements

4.) Leveraging Internal Strength

Strategy isn’t only about external research but also internal research. Strategies should capitalize on the unique things that only your company can do. So, you will want to know all about the secret capabilities and other sources of power at your company.

Sources for internal insights:

  • Resource audits
  • Capabilities assessments
  • Human resources audits
  • Financial performance
  • Operational data
  • Digital analytics

5.) Spotting Trends

Trendspotting combines user and market research, but it deserves its own category because it’s crucial to a strategy that anticipates future behavior. Spotting trends is specifically focused on consumer trends and technological advances. Good trend research can be your secret weapon to uncover the next big thing before your competitors.

Sources for trend information:

  • Industry publications and reports
  • Trade shows and conferences
  • Consumer behavior analytics
  • Social media platforms (e.g., Twitter, Instagram, TikTok)
  • Technology blogs and innovation journals
  • Government reports and regulatory updates

...For more details, check out the full article on my blog.

If you scanned this list and thought, "I wish I had a project where I could try some of this strategic research stuff, " check out my UX strategy course.

With hands-on workshops and a class of UX experts, you will learn how to conduct strategic research for a UX strategy.

It's the fastest path to becoming a UX strategist.

Registration for the November cohort opens soon!

Click here to be notified:

Ouch...but it's true, I be nudging all day. Source


COURSE: Defining UX Strategy
Next course: April 7-May 19, 2025
Learn to design a winning strategy that aligns design with business
Buy a seat ...Early Bird Sale is on until March 21st!


Have a demure September, y'all!

Jeff Humble
Designer & Co-Founder
The Fountain Institute

The Fountain Institute

The Fountain Institute is an independent online school that teaches advanced UX & product skills.

Read more from The Fountain Institute
designing in reactive mode

Are you stuck in reactive mode? by Jeff Humble Dear Reader, Some designers spend their whole careers reacting to other people's moves. As a design manager, I remember being in this position. I had to brace myself every Monday morning for some radical change in company direction. We never knew what the new agenda would be, but we knew that it would throw our work into chaos. Sometimes, all it took was for the founder to read a single article to change the company agenda. When a competitor...

Why Your Portfolio Isn’t Working (and How to Fix It) By Hannah Baker Dear Reader, Let’s talk about a harsh truth: Your UX portfolio might be the least important thing in your job search. Yep, I said it. You spent hours making sure it showcases your best work. You structured your case studies just right. You ensured your problem statements, research insights, and solutions flowed together. And yet… hiring managers are ghosting you like a bad Hinge date. Well, the problem isn’t your...

slack growth graph dau paid users

Chasing Competitors Instead of User Needs by Jeff Humble Dear Reader, Have you ever had a CEO who was overly obsessed with beating the competition? I know I have. You may not have realized exactly how this can be toxic. So, I'd like to help you out with two case studies. Here is a tale of two companies and how they handled the competition. The first took a company-first approach while the second took a user-first approach. It goes like this... Company-First: The Rise & Fall of Google+ Google+...