From Assumptions to Insights: Driving a Research-First and Data-Driven Team Culture
From Assumptions to Insights: Driving a Research-First and Data-Driven Team Culture
Problem
Workforce.com’s product strategy relied on unvalidated assumptions with no unified process for leveraging customer insights and data, causing stalled decisions, shifting priorities, and misalignment with business goals.
my role
Product Designer, Lead Researcher — led initiatives to embed research and data into product strategy.
timeline
August 2022 – November 2024
project goals
Establish a research- and data-driven product strategy. Align teams and leadership on customer-informed decision-making.
constraints
Company culture initially resistant to questioning assumptions. Limited existing processes for collecting and analyzing customer data. Time-sensitive product strategy shift to a new product focus.
primary outcome
Shifted the company from an assumption-based strategy to a customer- and data-informed approach, embedding research into product and business decisions.
Problem
Workforce.com’s product strategy relied on unvalidated assumptions with no unified process for leveraging customer insights and data, causing stalled decisions, shifting priorities, and misalignment with business goals.
my role
Product Designer, Lead Researcher — led initiatives to embed research and data into product strategy.
timeline
August 2022 – November 2024
project goals
Establish a research- and data-driven product strategy. Align teams and leadership on customer-informed decision-making.
constraints
Company culture initially resistant to questioning assumptions. Limited existing processes for collecting and analyzing customer data. Time-sensitive product strategy shift to a new product focus.
primary outcome
Shifted the company from an assumption-based strategy to a customer- and data-informed approach, embedding research into product and business decisions.
How I Approached This
Key Efforts & Initiatives
How I Approached This
Key Efforts & Initiatives
01
Launch Weekly Book Club
Launched a weekly book club to explore product design, strategy, and research frameworks. Selected books guided conversations about product-market fit and data-driven thinking, creating a culture of curiosity.
lens used
Cultural change and user-centered strategy.
intent
Encourage team-wide adoption of research and challenge assumption-based decisions.
KEY QUESTION
How can we shift company culture to value research and data?
outcome
Team began actively questioning assumptions, gaining shared vocabulary and frameworks for customer-driven decision-making.
01
Launch Weekly Book Club
Launched a weekly book club to explore product design, strategy, and research frameworks. Selected books guided conversations about product-market fit and data-driven thinking, creating a culture of curiosity.
lens used
Cultural change and user-centered strategy.
intent
Encourage team-wide adoption of research and challenge assumption-based decisions.
KEY QUESTION
How can we shift company culture to value research and data?
outcome
Team began actively questioning assumptions, gaining shared vocabulary and frameworks for customer-driven decision-making.
02
Establish Monthly Metrics Meetings
Applied frameworks from book club to track product performance and inform leadership.
02
Establish Monthly Metrics Meetings
Applied frameworks from book club to track product performance and inform leadership.
03
Lead User & Market Research Initiatives
Gathered insights to answer critical questions about customers and market.
03
Lead User & Market Research Initiatives
Gathered insights to answer critical questions about customers and market.
Key Decisions
Successful Decisions & Reasoning
Key Decisions
Successful Decisions & Reasoning
decision made
Implement structured learning to challenge assumptions
decision made
Ship a Standardized Payroll Summary Report
decision made
Tie metrics to leadership discussions
decision made
Ship a Standardized Payroll Summary Report
decision made
Integrate research insights into strategy
decision made
Ship a Standardized Payroll Summary Report
My Results
Outcomes & Impacts
My Results
Outcomes & Impacts
Data-driven decision-making
Process adoption
Decisions across product and leadership are now guided by research and metrics.
Data-driven decision-making
Process adoption
Decisions across product and leadership are now guided by research and metrics.
Consistent performance tracking
Monthly Review
Product and business trends are monitored regularly, enabling proactive adjustments.
Consistent performance tracking
Monthly Review
Product and business trends are monitored regularly, enabling proactive adjustments.
Sustained Support & Culture Shift
Growth in 2+ Years
Overall interest and support to become more informed and data-driven grew team involvement in research, monthly reviews, and strategic conversations.
Sustained Support & Culture Shift
Growth in 2+ Years
Overall interest and support to become more informed and data-driven grew team involvement in research, monthly reviews, and strategic conversations.
Stronger cross-team alignment
3+ Team Collabs
Teams coordinate around shared knowledge, reducing misalignment and duplicated work.
Stronger cross-team alignment
3+ Team Collabs
Teams coordinate around shared knowledge, reducing misalignment and duplicated work.
Product decisions empowered by insights
4 Projects Launched
Multiple product features launched fully backed and informed by research and data-driven insights.
Product decisions empowered by insights
4 Projects Launched
Multiple product features launched fully backed and informed by research and data-driven insights.
UX Researcher & Designer
2026 Designed by Emma Blackwell. All rights reserved.
2026 Designed by Emma Blackwell. All rights reserved.