‍Discovery: pretty much summed up in the name.

When it comes to understanding users, discovery is more than just research—it’s about uncovering opportunities, recognising gaps, and shaping experiences that resonate with people. This means actually talking to real people and finding out what makes them tick

But how do we do it effectively?

A smarter approach to discovery

At InsightDash, we focus on creating reusable studies that provide continuous value throughout the product life cycle. This means we don’t just look at a single moment in time—we track over short-term and teach you how to do it over the long-term.

By layering information, our approach is deeply rooted in classic UX research frameworks, and at the core of our toolkit are three foundational methods:

1. Interviews: Context is Queen

Yes, interviews. Even if Gillian left that hideous feedback, we embrace it. Why? Because interviews allow us to capture key moments in a user's experience, revealing pain points, expectations, and opportunities for innovation.

- Gather deep insights into problem areas.
- Let users express their thoughts naturally.
- Understand the “why” behind their behaviors.

Most importantly, interviews provide context for users to share, explore, and reflect—often revealing game-changing insights.

2. Experience mapping: Find the highs and low

Once we identify the patterns in peoples actions, we map them out to understand the full user journey.

- Break down steps users take to complete tasks.
- Explore pain points and moments of friction.
- Examine how technology  influence their journey.
- Document emotions and build empathy with users.

By visualising the user’s journey, we uncover patterns that prioritise solutions that make the biggest impact.

3. Decision mapping: Understanding ow users think

Every product experience involves decision-making. Whether it’s signing up for a service, navigating a feature, or making a purchase, users go through a thought process that influences their actions.

- Identify key decision points along the journey.
- Create a single source of truth—a living, breathing document of user research.
- Prioritize future improvements based on real user behavior.
- See the relationships between people, technology, and services.

Understanding why and how users make decisions allows us to create smarter, more intuitive experiences.

Applying discovery methods for UX research

The beauty of these research methods is their versatility. They’re not just for early-stage discovery. They can be used at any phase of a product’s life cycle.

✔ Discovery Phase → Use interviews and experience mapping to learn about users and their workflows.
✔ Evaluation Phase → Use decision mapping to test how users interact with solutions and where they face friction.

The method remains broadly the same, but the insights are applied differently—helping teams make informed, user-centered decisions every step of the way.

Discovery isn’t just about researching users—it’s about deeply understanding them. By using interviews, experience mapping, and decision mapping, we can unlock valuable insights that drive better product decisions.

Want to create products that truly serve your users? Start with discovery.