The Good

Every week, a new AI research tool promises to change how teams understand their users. Faster insights. Cheaper than recruiting. Results in minutes instead of weeks.

The demo videos are compelling, and the pitch is always some version of the same thing: why spend time and money talking to real users when AI can simulate them for you?

We decided to find out if any of that holds up. Over the course of February and March, The Good’s team of UX researchers and strategists ran hands-on evaluations of six AI user research tools.

We tested them against real client projects, comparing outputs side-by-side with findings from our established methods, and sitting through demos with enough pointed questions to make the sales reps uncomfortable.

Our answer isn’t a simple thumbs up or thumbs down. Some of these tools are genuinely useful for the right team, in the right situation. Others are impressive on the surface, with not much underneath. And nearly all of them, once you get past the marketing language, will quietly acknowledge they can’t replace real user testing.

Here’s what we actually found.

We tested 6 AI research tools against real users. Here's what our team found after weeks of hands-on testing.

We are sharing our interpretation of the double diamond ux research framework for teams that need answers, not just data.

How to Use the Double Diamond UX Research Framework Learn how our interpretation helps teams find answers, not just data.

We’ve heard it many times before. “Can we A/B test pricing?”

It’s tempting. The allure of real-time, live data showing exactly which price point converts better feels like the holy grail of product optimization. Fire up your testing platform, split traffic between $29 and $39, and let the numbers tell you what to charge.

But price testing is an ethical and legal minefield that can damage customer trust and put your brand at risk.

After 16 years of optimizing digital experiences, we’ve seen this scenario play out dozens of times. A client comes to us excited about testing prices, we dig into what that actually entails, and we end up recommending something entirely different: pricing research.

The difference matters. A lot.

How to Test Your Pricing Strategy Without the Ethical Minefield How to test your pricing strategy without A/B testing to protect your brand while delivering the insights you need.