Why Researchers are Being Laid Off, & How Thinking Like a Detective Can Save Your Research Career w Ari Zelmanow, Head of Research at Twilio Ep 110

On #wayofproduct this week, Dr. Ari Zelmanow, the Sherlock Holmes of consumer market behavior, joins us to share his journey from police detective to Research Leader at Twilio and how his unique perspective transforms how businesses approach research and decision-making.Here's a sneak peek of our conversation:⭐ How agile methodologies in software development impacted the speed and approach of research.⭐ Ari's unique journey from law enforcement to leading research in major tech companies.⭐ The critical role of research in the business environment and how researchers can serve as strategic advisors.And there's a lot more insight into where that came from!Subscribe and listen to The Way of Product on...🎧 Apple Podcasts - https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pivot/id1442980948?mt=2&uo=4🎧 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/7dy9vYUPNj3dH9lKAVDheV🎧 Google Podcasts - https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy81ODQxMTc0L3BvZGNhc3QvcnNzWho is Ari Zelmanow?𝗔𝗿𝗶 𝗭𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼-𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿. 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗔𝗿𝗶 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵, 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀. Connect with Ari: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zelmanow/The Influential Researcher Newsletter: https://influentialresearcher.com/00:22 Ari Zelmanow's Journey from Police Detective to Market Detective01:31 The Importance of Research in Business02:34 The Sherlock Holmes Influence04:01 The Magic of Research and the Sherlock Holmes Persona05:37 The Role of Researchers in Business06:07 The Challenges of Democratizing Research07:08 The Value of Experienced Researchers08:17 The Problem with Research Templates08:31 The Difference Between a Discussion Guide and an Interview Template09:06 The Role of Research in Startups10:32 The Experience of Building a Research Function at Twitter16:14 The Future of Research16:27 Lessons from Police Detective Work Applied to Research18:56 The Importance of Abductive Reasoning in Research20:41 The Difference Between Deduction, Induction, and Abduction26:25 The Burden of Proof in Business27:48 Understanding Usability Testing and Decision-Making28:03 The Role of Certainty in Decision Making28:44 The Importance of Research in Decision Making29:20 The Impact of Research on Product Development29:38 The Research Process and Its Challenges30:02 The Role of a Researcher: Delivery Person vs Consultant31:07 The Shift from Traditional Research Reports31:33 The Power of Observations and Customer Insights33:50 The Concept of a Top Line Report34:03 The News Organization Model for Research34:17 The Role of Researchers in Interrogating Evidence35:57 The Importance of Ethical Reporting in Research37:37 The Challenges and Future of Participant Recruitment42:43 The Role of Researchers in Decision Making53:01 The Role of Researchers in Interpreting and Delivering Data53:47 The Importance of Storytelling in Research54:19 The Influential Researcher Course and Final Thoughts This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.wayofproduct.com