EP 156 - Stop Wasting Research with Jake Burghardt

This time we’re diving into a problem almost every product team has felt but rarely names: all the customer research you’ve already done… and then quietly forgotten. In this episode, Jacob Burghardt joins Matt and Moshe to talk about his new book Stop Wasting Research: Maximize the Product Impact of Your Organization's Customer Insights and how to turn research from a one‑off activity into a real product asset.Drawing on his path from early dot‑com research and UX work through consulting and a principal PM role at Amazon, Jacob shares why teams keep re‑running the same studies, ignoring past insights, and treating “research” as a meeting on the calendar instead of an input into every major decision. His book offers a big‑tent definition of research, which includes UX, market, data science, CS insights, and more, and a practical playbook for making all of it usable, visible, and integrated into product work.Join Matt and Moshe as they explore with Jacob:How he moved from hands‑on research and design into product management, and why he stayed obsessed with the problem spaceWhat “research” really includes today (far beyond user interviews or dashboards)Why so much research gets wasted and the three root causes behind it:Research isn’t prepared for future useStakeholders aren’t motivated to careInsights aren’t integrated into planning, processes, or leadership ritualsA step‑by‑step structure from the book:Taking inventory of the research you already haveDiagnosing root causes in your orgChoosing from a “menu” of tactics that fit your contextWhat good looks like: strong operating models, clear places for research to plug in, and researchers treated as builders of internal productsHow smaller orgs without Product Ops can get started: simple visibility, mapping who’s doing what research, and basic communication channelsThe link between org mindset (feature factory vs. empowered teams) and how seriously research is usedPractical ideas for connecting research to go‑to‑market, pricing, packaging, CS, and sales enablementHow AI is changing the research landscape, where it helps and where human judgment is still essentialAnd much more!Want to learn more or get the book?Book: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/stop-wasting-researchIntegrated Research: https://www.integratingresearch.com Medium: https://medium.com/@jakeburghardt LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakeburghardt You can also connect with us and find more episodes:Product for Product Podcast: http://linkedin.com/company/product-for-product-podcastMatt Green: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattgreenproductMoshe Mikanovsky: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikanovskyNote: Any views mentioned in the podcast are the sole views of our hosts and guests, and do not represent the products mentioned in any way.Please leave us a review and feedback ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️