Why investing in User Research is good for your business

User Research often ends up on the 'nice-to-have' list when teams chase quick wins and fast launches. But what’s the real price of skipping your customers’ insights? Think missed opportunities, wasted budgets, and products that make users go, 'meh.'

Ready to discover why User Research is the smartest investment your company can make? 

Let’s dive into how it boosts your User Research ROI, creates happier customers, and empowers smarter decisions across your entire business. User Research helps every team in your organization thrive — from marketing crafting sharper messages, to sales teams closing deals faster, and customer support proactively solving user frustrations.

The true cost of skipping User Research

Skipping User Research might seem tempting to save time or money upfront — but it always bites back.

Remember Quibi? The streaming app launched in 2020, assuming people would flock to premium short-form videos. Spoiler alert: They didn’t. Quibi shut down within six months because it never validated its idea with real users. Ouch.

Then there's Healthcare.gov’s infamous 2013 launch. Without proper UX Research, the site launched with major usability problems, costing millions to fix post-launch. Those millions could’ve stayed happily in their wallets if they’d invested in research early.

Ignoring product-market fit hurts, too. Building products your customers don’t actually want drains your budget and reputation. Maze reports that research-driven companies see 2.3x better business outcomes. The results speak for themselves — investing in User Research clearly pays.

Why User Research leads to smarter business decisions

User Research replaces hunches with validated user insights, guiding your team toward smarter decisions.

Take Airbnb — they regularly chat with hosts and guests to continuously refine their platform. Thanks to consistent UX Research, Airbnb made onboarding easier and enhanced their booking process, boosting customer satisfaction and growth.

Spotify does this brilliantly, too. Ever been hooked by your "Discover Weekly" playlist? Spotify analyzes listener habits closely through UX Research, creating personalized playlists that keep users coming back week after week.

But User Research isn’t just for big-name brands. One Rally customer shared: "Since adopting Rally, we've done more research in three months than in the previous 12, significantly informing our roadmap." When your decisions are guided by real user data, internal debates fade, and your team spends more energy building products customers genuinely adore.

The financial case for User Research: lower risk, higher ROI

Let’s talk money — because who doesn’t love an ROI win? User Research acts like early detection for your budget, catching issues when they're cheap and easy to fix, before they snowball into costly headaches.

But User Research delivers even bigger wins. Companies investing in UX Research typically see a 5x to 7x return on their investment. Plus, research-savvy teams experience higher retention, less churn, and improved conversion rates. With clear, customer-backed data, you can deliver exactly what users want — keeping them loyal for the long haul.

Still need convincing? Maze found that companies with mature research practices achieve 4.2x higher revenue and get their products to market 4.3x faster. Those are pretty compelling figures.

Bottom line: Investing in User Research multiplies your returns, delights your customers, and boosts your revenue.

Learn more about how to leverage customer relationships for User Research.

User Research as a competitive advantage

Ever wondered why brands like Netflix and Airbnb always seem ahead of the game? Simple — they’re obsessed with User Research. Netflix continually tests user preferences, making their recommendations almost magically accurate. The company also runs a research-based blog to share its findings and promote a culture of learning. Airbnb gathers constant feedback with its Net Promoter survey, refining experiences that keep guests and hosts loyal.

For stakeholders, User Research is your shortcut to staying ahead, innovating smarter, and making strategic moves your competitors can’t replicate. When your products hit exactly what customers crave, your brand shines brightest in the market.

UX expert Niki Anderson puts it perfectly: "Great research is about understanding users better than they understand themselves.' Users might not always have clear solutions, but their frustrations provide valuable, customer-backed insights. Smart research pinpoints these pain points, helping your team tackle genuine issues effectively."

Investing in User Research helps you build products your customers genuinely love. That’s how you stand out and win in today’s competitive market.

How to start investing in User Research (even on a budget!)

Getting started with User Research can be budget-friendly. Here’s your action plan to jump right in (without stressing your CFO):

Step 1: Dip your toes in (seriously, start small!)

No need to reinvent the wheel here. Kick things off with easy-to-run user interviews, quick surveys, or lightweight usability tests. Even if you're brand new to User Research, you can start collecting valuable insights today. All it takes is curiosity and a few thoughtful questions.

Step 2: Mine your existing gold

Chances are, you already have a pile of untapped customer insights waiting to be organized — think support chats, customer reviews, and survey comments. Pop these into a central repository or use a platform like Rally to tag, organize, and share these insights across your team. Everyone will thank you for saving them from reinventing the wheel (and repeating the same research).

Step 3: Democratize — spread the research love!

Great research isn't reserved for UX Researchers alone. Get marketers, product managers, designers, and even your sales reps involved. Give them clear guidelines, training, and simple templates so they can gather useful insights independently. Meanwhile, your UX Researchers can dive deeper into strategic, high-impact studies.

Step 4: Choose tools built for scale

You wouldn’t run a marathon barefoot, right? (Ouch!) Equip your teams with the right tools designed specifically for easy, scalable research. Rally’s study builder, built-in templates, intuitive workflows, and clear governance rules make it a breeze for anyone in your organization to run effective, consistent, and ethical User Research.

Step 5: Turn insights into cross-team magic

Insights should actively shape your business decisions across every department, rather than gathering digital dust in someone's inbox. Marketing can create sharper messaging, sales teams close deals quicker, and customer support proactively addresses user pain points. Regular cross-functional check-ins turn insights into real, measurable wins across your entire organization.

User Research is your growth engine — period.

User Research is a strategic move that drives sustained growth, happier customers, and a healthier bottom line. Successful brands build research right into their strategy because, quite simply, it works.

Investing in User Research isn’t intimidating or complicated. With the right approach and tools, it’s achievable, practical, and dare we say…fun.

Ready to put User Research to work for your business? Rally’s got your back. Let’s scale your research practice together — one insight at a time.