Why Companies Ignore User Research—and What It’s Costing Them

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I’ve worked in marketing, product marketing, and even dipped into product management. Across all these roles, one thing has always been true: every company claims to care about their customers, but many actively avoid talking to them.

I’ve seen this play out in different ways. Some teams rely too much on quantitive data, some think they already know the customer, some only talk to the wrong people, and others do research so poorly that it might as well not have happened. But, regardless of the excuse, ignoring user research always costs more in the long run.

Here are four of the biggest internal blockers I’ve come across and how to work around them.

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Obstacle #1: Over-Reliance on Quantitative Data

Most marketers and product teams are drowning in data. Website analytics, email metrics, social media insights, heatmaps, product telemetry—everything is measurable, trackable, and packaged up into a tidy dashboard.

So why would we talk to customers when we have all these numbers at our fingertips?

The problem is, quantitative data tells us what is happening, but not why. We can see where users drop off, which features they ignore, and which campaigns fall flat, but unless we ask real people what’s going on, we’re just guessing.

How to Fix It: Start Small, Keep It Simple

If your company is hesitant about qualitative research, start by positioning it as a quick, low-effort experiment.

• Five to eight customer interviews are all you need to develop sharper insights into your customers.
• Frame it as a way to sharpen messaging across all channels. Who doesn’t want to use the exact words customers use to describe their challenges in campaigns?
• Ask ‘why’ more often in data discussions. If leadership loves numbers, push them to consider the missing context: “We see a 60% drop-off here—why do we think that’s happening?” That simple question opens the door to qualitative research as the next logical step.

Obstacle #2: Leadership Assumes They Already Know the Customer

This one is especially common in founder-led companies. In the early days, the CEO probably did know the customer better than anyone. But markets change, customer needs evolve, and what worked in year one doesn’t always work in year five.

I’ve worked at companies where leadership dismissed research because they “already knew the customer.” In one case, I conducted interviews to validate a new feature idea, and every single customer told me they didn’t want or need it. Leadership ignored the findings, pushed ahead anyway, and the feature was a failure.

How to Fix It: Bring the Voice of the Customer to Leadership

Convincing a CEO they’re wrong is an uphill battle, but here are a few ways to shift the conversation:

• Use data against them. If a feature isn’t performing or marketing isn’t landing, frame research as a way to diagnose the problem: “We expected X, but the results show Y. Let’s dig into why.”
• Bake in small-scale research. Instead of formal research projects, try in-product surveys, feedback pop-ups, or structured sales team insights to develop a bank of customer insights.
• Let customers do the talking. Tools like Dovetail allow you to clip real customer quotes from interviews. Hearing a customer say, “This isn’t solving my problem,” in their own words is more powerful than any internal debate.

That said, some leaders simply won’t change. If research is fundamentally devalued, you may have to pick your battles—or decide if it’s worth staying.

Obstacle #3: Talking to the Wrong Customers

I’ve seen this happen a lot in enterprise companies and founder-led startups. Leadership thinks they’re doing research because they’re constantly talking to other execs and industry leaders. The problem? That’s not the same as talking to actual users.

I once worked at a company where senior leaders were constantly networking with other executives and gathering insights on industry trends. This gave them a great macro perspective. However, when we built features based on these conversations, they didn’t land because they weren’t addressing the daily pain points of actual users.

The good news? Leadership already values customer research. Now, it’s just about fine-tuning the approach.

How to Fix It: Diversify Feedback Sources

• Position end-user research as a way to support the strategic vision. Leadership wants growth, so frame research as a way to ensure adoption, engagement, and retention.
• Run small, lightweight end-user research alongside existing efforts. If leadership already values research at the exec level, suggest balancing it with a few user interviews.
• Combine leadership and end-user insights. Use executives’ industry vision alongside real user feedback to balance long-term strategy with immediate needs.

Obstacle #4: Research That Misses the Mark

Some companies invest heavily in research but miss key best practices, leading them down the wrong path. They gather insights, analyse data, and conduct interviews—yet when the product launches, it doesn’t land as expected.

I worked with a company that spent significant time developing a new product, backed by extensive external research. But when it launched, it struggled to achieve product-market fit.

After a while, I was asked to take a closer look. Through customer interviews and data analysis, it became clear that the issue wasn’t the product itself. It was misaligned positioning, messaging, and go-to-market strategy due to gaps in the original research.

How to Fix It: Follow Industry Practices

• Have a clear research plan. Before conducting any interviews or surveys, define what decisions the research will inform and how findings will be used.
• Use structured, unbiased methods. Read The Mom Test or Lean UX to learn how to ask better questions.
• Incorporate prototyping and user testing early. Even a small round of usability tests and experiments with landing page copy can surface deal-breaking issues before a full launch.

Wrapping up

I’ve seen companies waste months (or years) building the wrong things simply because they didn’t take a few hours to talk to customers. The good news? You don’t need a massive research budget to start learning.

• Five to eight interviews can deepen customer insights for every team.
• Mix quant and qual to get the full picture.
• If leadership resists, frame research as a quick, low-cost experiment.
• If all else fails, let customer voices speak for themselves.

If you’re in a company where research is undervalued, pick your battles, but don’t burn yourself out trying to fix everything. The best approach? Start small, keep it practical, and show results fast.

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