The administrative burden of vendor setup has been a quiet fixture in the research industry for some time. For many large organizations, the process of onboarding a new partner is a multi-month marathon of legal reviews and financial hurdles. Historically, this friction acted as a defensive barrier; once an...
By Samir Sharma ~ with research contributions from Pulse Labs A few weeks ago, I was deep in a debugging session with an AI coding tool. Not a quick question. A real session. Iterative, stateful, building on itself. The kind where you are 30 to 45 minutes in, the model has...
Over the last few months, we’ve been speaking with leaders across the research landscape - from boutique strategy firms to internal research teams. While the specific project goals vary, the operational headaches are remarkably consistent. Invisible taxes have emerged, and are quietly stifling the ability of brands and agencies to...
In a fast-moving market, research tools are only one part of the equation. The core differentiator between a transaction and a transformative partnership is the depth of alignment and transparency established right from the start. When a collaboration truly clicks, it usually centers on these four areas: 1. Proficiency...
To turn deep insights into immediate action, organizations will first need to overcome the bottlenecks that can make research slow and rigid. At Pulse Labs, we’ve identified four specific challenges that we see as barriers for research teams.
Our series concludes by examining the “last mile” of research operations: turning aligned workflows and integrated data into real organizational action. Learn how an integration-first approach unlocks faster decisions, stronger governance, and insight at global scale.
Research teams often spend too much time moving data between platforms, risking errors and delays. Automated, two‑way integrations let insights flow securely and quickly. In article 5 of the Connected Research Ecosystem Series, we learn that alignment isn’t enough; integration makes data actionable.
In the fourth article of our Connected Research Ecosystem series, we explore alignment. After defining fragmentation, measuring its impact, and outlining a blueprint, we show how connecting tools, teams, and data points creates a unified picture for reliable research insights.
The third article in our Connected Research Ecosystem series shifts from redefining research ROI to an operational blueprint. We share four key principles teams can use to standardize workflows, cut internal friction, and speed decisions with unified, verifiable data.
The second article in our series on the Connected Research Ecosystem debunks the myths about Research Operations Value. It shifts the conversation from a focus on linear cost savings to the exponential ROI generated by faster project velocity and verifiable data integrity.
This is the first article in our new series on the connected research ecosystem. The future of research is not about adding another tool - it’s about building a better system.
A guide for UX teams and PMs to strategically combine research methods and modes across surfaces to generate actionable insights - without unnecessary overhead or resource overload. As Nielsen Norman Group emphasizes, integrating quantitative and qualitative research allows teams to uncover not only patterns in user behavior but also the motivations...
A practical playbook for UX teams (and PM’s doing it themselves) to run smarter user tests with less overhead. Why Testing Feels Hard in Enterprise (and How to Make it Easier) Small UX teams in enterprise companies often support multiple product managers, competing priorities, and limited bandwidth. The reality:...
The New Imperative-Time-to-Right & Trust UX research has long been centered around selecting the right methods to gather, synthesize, and share user insights. But with the accelerating integration of AI, the core focus has shifted. Success is no longer just about speed to market-it's...
A look at what keeps powerful findings from shaping product decisions There's no shortage of good research. There's just a shortage of good use of research. As a UX researcher, I’ve seen this happen over and over. We spend weeks on a study, pull together...
In Pulse IQ, one component of the research design that we call “self-directed” is to let users decide what they want to do on an assigned AI platform. While the topics and interests they chose vary, overall we see certain topics and use cases emerge as the most popular....
While AI in its current consumer form is relatively new, many people feel they have seen it already and in many places beyond the platforms offering LLM capabilities. * Many users (22%) state that their first interaction with AI was via assistants, smartphones, and apps that have been on the market...
Hallucinations - an industry term used to describe the situation where an AI platform generates responses that are inaccurate or don't make sense but are presented as factual - is an area where platforms and the public may not see the same thing. * Only 5% of user interactions rated are...
We gathered 4,200 responses from the four leading AI platforms and had 400+ users pick which ones they preferred. The emerging winner so far is GPT-4, but it’s a close race. GPT-4 leads the way, with responses preferred 55% of the time. That's a...
While GPT-4 does very well overall in the comparison rating, there was a consensus among those who DIDN'T prefer GPT-4 responses as to why: GPT-4 is not preferred when there is “TMI” or “too much information.” Implication Striking the balance of “just enough” information - but...
In blinded side-by-side testing, users select their preferred AI response to a series of queries and describe why. As a result, we see how the four platforms compare across hundreds of users and various question types. * Bard stood out for responses that were viewed as most complete, accurate,...
