{"id":110459,"date":"2025-04-09T09:19:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T16:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thegood.com\/?post_type=insights&p=110459"},"modified":"2025-05-21T09:03:08","modified_gmt":"2025-05-21T16:03:08","slug":"research-vendor","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/thegood.com\/insights\/research-vendor\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Green Flags to Look For in a Research Vendor"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It seems like everyone is talking about the flattening of the talent stack these days. Tech leads are doubling as product managers<\/a>, product managers are playing designer<\/a>, and researchers are lending their talents to the insights team. Anyone with a laptop is doing more with less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps no corner of the product industry is witnessing democratization<\/a> more than UX research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite \u201cresearch\u201d working its way into the job descriptions of more and more disciplines, experienced, high-caliber researchers will always have their place in industry. Whether it\u2019s to supplement your team\u2019s capacity, tap into deep expertise, or get an objective outside perspective, research vendors are valuable for a host of reasons. But between traditional agencies and the recent increases of independent<\/a> and fractional<\/a> labor, how do you know you\u2019re talking to someone with the chops to execute at a high level?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We asked product research experts Hannah Shamji and Jon MacDonald how to spot a great research vendor. Read on to hear their perspective on what \u201cgreen flags\u201d to look for when vetting your next research partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They Ask a Healthy Number of Questions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most experienced researchers have chosen the wrong method at least once in their careers. And the outcome is always disappointing. \u201cPicking the wrong research method leaves you with results you effectively can\u2019t use, and is a huge waste of resources,\u201d says Jon MacDonald, Founder and CEO at The Good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, that painful lesson has its upside in learning value. Careful to avoid diving headfirst into a low-utility approach, experienced researchers ask plenty of questions before jumping into execution. This assures they understand both the problem space and how the research will be actioned on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If they are asking questions, it tells you they want to understand the business context,” says Hannah Shamji, former psychotherapist turned customer researcher. \u201cIf they\u2019re just jumping in and not really scoping things out, it\u2019s probably a sign they\u2019re not the right fit.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That heavy lifting up front helps shape a clear scope, but the conversation is more than just a learning exercise. A strong vendor will then massage the methodology to fit the business challenge. \u201cI think it\u2019s important to not lead with a method unless you have a very clear diagnosis,\u201d says Hannah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n