01
User research
Interviews, diary studies and behavioural analysis that describe what people do, which is regularly not what they say they do.
Research & development
Evidence before
the expensive part.
Research, prototypes and tests that answer the question you are about to spend a budget on, while the answer still costs weeks rather than quarters.
What it covers
The work,
itemised.
Our R&D practice investigates emerging technology and market behaviour, then translates the strongest opportunities into testable ideas.
02
Market & competitor research
Where the demand actually is, who is already serving it, and the gap that is defensible rather than merely empty.
03
Concept prototyping
Working prototypes built in days, real enough to test a proposition on without committing to a build.
04
Usability testing
Structured sessions on prototypes or live products, reported as a ranked list of problems with the evidence attached.
05
Emerging technology assessment
An honest read on whether a new capability solves your problem or is a solution looking for one.
How we work
Four steps, and
you see all of them.
01
Frame the question
One decision, stated plainly, that the work exists to inform.
02
Gather
The lightest method that answers it credibly — desk research, interviews, a prototype, or all three.
03
Test
Put it in front of the people whose behaviour matters and record what happens.
04
Decide
A written recommendation with the evidence and the confidence level, including when the answer is 'do not build this'.
Selected work
Proof, not promises.
Projects where this discipline did the heavy lifting.
Questions we get asked
The things you’d ask
on the first call.
How is this different from the research inside a design project?
Scale and timing. Design research informs screens that are already going to be built. This runs before that commitment, when the outcome can still be a decision not to build.
How many people do you need to test with?
Five to eight per user group finds most usability problems. Questions about market size or preference need larger samples, and we will say which kind of question you are asking before quoting.
What do we actually receive?
A findings report with the evidence, a ranked list of recommendations, the raw session material, and any prototypes built along the way.
Will you tell us if the idea does not work?
Yes, and that is frequently the most valuable outcome of the engagement. Research that only ever confirms the plan was not research.
Works well with
These lines are rarely bought alone, and they are never run by separate teams here.
This line leads the work inHealthcare
Research & development — let's talk
Bring us the work that has to land.
Tell us what you're building, changing, or trying to solve. We'll bring a clear next step.