Sep 4, 2025
The best way to kill your product instincts is to outsource your customer research.
When you get answers neatly packaged in a fancy PDF with cool graphs and slick design, you feel good about it. It looks like the hardest part has been done, and you just need to look at the numbers and insights. On the surface.
As you go through the research prepared by someone else, you realise you only gain surface-level knowledge of the space.
Real research is about developing a good understanding of what your customers are experiencing - the small problems they face, along with all the nuances and frustrations.
You have to speak to them. No surveys or written responses will give you true insight into their challenges.
When you outsource research, someone else builds that understanding - not you.
Your product instincts start to fade over time.
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I'm a father of 3 from Sydney, a product and technology leader. I write about leadership, product management, technology and the messy reality of making work work.
I'm currently building and experimenting with a mildly alarming number of things. I also work as a fractional product leader, stepping in where the founder or CEO is still carrying product decisions on their own, and offer 1:1 product leadership coaching for senior PMs and emerging product leaders. I founded SoundingBoard, practical peer exchange for product people. Connect via LinkedIn, or follow me on X.
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