Summary
Magic Lab does not believe that insight is owned solely by the insight team. We would like to share a case study of how we brought together four different functions to undertake a customer journey mapping and needs prioritization exercise. This work leveraged hybrid market research and user research methods, as well as the expertise of our community and behavioral analytics teams. For good measure it also gained understanding from democratizing the research process. We’d love to share what we learned about how to (and how not to!) bring teams together and empower non researchers to be involved.
Key Insights
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Convergent insight fuses market research, user research, data analytics, and passive feedback to create a holistic insight function.
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Traditional research silos are breaking down as strategic questions require cross-disciplinary answers.
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Market research is adopting leaner, faster methodologies akin to user research due to pressure from data velocity.
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Collaborative journey mapping can generate rich primary insights quickly even with limited existing research.
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Homework assignments using behavioral science techniques significantly enhance participants' memory recall for research.
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Creative focus groups that empower participants and use timed exercises can tap into less rational, more vivid recollections.
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Direct user involvement in journey mapping generates more authentic and empathetic insights than classic stakeholder-led mapping.
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This convergent approach reduces research cost and duration—from weeks to days—while maintaining insight quality.
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Collaborative journey mapping works best for emotionally charged experiences where memory is more vivid.
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Remote facilitation of collaborative journey mapping is challenging due to body language cues but can be partially addressed with thoughtful setup and roles.
Notable Quotes
"Insight practices are just getting more established, we have a seat at the table asking higher strategic questions."
"We’re starting to enter a very different research world where there’s a fusion between all insight disciplines."
"Conversion insight is holistic by design, methodologically mean, and inherently customer-centric."
"I was marginally terrified because collaborative journey mapping felt like it went against everything I knew about user research."
"Homework was pivotal to make participants vividly relive their journey before group sessions."
"We used behavioral science and therapeutic techniques to make memory recall as accurate and vivid as possible."
"In the creative groups, we deliberately used power dynamics and timed tasks to unlock different parts of the brain."
"Clients and stakeholders needed to co-create to build empathy that would be lost if we removed their direct involvement."
"We delivered a robust customer journey map in just two weeks with little existing research and on a budget of hundreds."
"This method is not a replacement for everything but great for journeys with a high emotional footprint like online dating."
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