Building research systems for speed
Turning rapid research into a repeatable system for bringing user evidence into fast-moving product decisions.
Product teams were moving fasterthan traditional research could support.
Across Google Maps and Google Ads, teams were making rapid product and experiment decisions, while research could take weeks to recruit, execute, and synthesize.
The challenge wasn’t simply to conduct studies faster: how could we make research more responsive without compromising the quality of the evidence?
From doing research quickly to designing for speed
I helped establish repeatable rapid-research approaches that matched the depth of research to the decision at hand.
The model streamlined scoping, recruitment, execution, and synthesis—making it possible to complete focused studies in 2–3 weeks while keeping research connected to real product decisions.
Can research keep up? → Where can research change the decision?
The goal wasn’t speed for its own sake. It was getting the right level of evidence into the conversation at the moment teams needed it.
Impact
- 20+ studiesDelivered rapid research across Google Maps and Google Ads, supporting fast-moving product decisions across consumer and advertiser experiences.
- 2–3 weeksEstablished a repeatable model for moving focused research from question to decision within weeks.
- Changed decisionsResearch influenced design and experimentation across multiple projects—including evidence that led the team to cancel a planned launch and redirect resources.
The goal wasn’t to make research faster.It was to build a system where research could keep pace with the business—and still change the decision.