The Good

If you have a pressing business question, identifying the right research method to answering it could be your missing piece.

The right research approach depends on your specific situation, but here’s how to begin:

1. Start with the business question, not the research method. What decision are you trying to make?
2. Consider what you already know. Sometimes existing analytics or customer feedback can narrow your focus before conducting new research.
3. Think about timeline vs. risk. Higher-stakes decisions justify longer research timelines.
4. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Rapid testing that gives you 80% confidence in 3 days is better than comprehensive research that misses your decision deadline.
5. Plan to iterate. Research often reveals new questions. That’s expected and valuable.

Need help determining the right approach for your specific challenge?

Guide to Choosing The Right Research Method Our team of experts answers the most common UX research questions.

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.