Run and synthesize three user interviews.
What it really is
On the surface, Doing user research can look like a single technique you either know or you don't. The real skill underneath is starting from the user's real problem and turning it into something worth building — and that's the part that actually transfers from one situation to the next. Here it shows up as a concrete, repeatable habit: run and synthesize three user interviews.
Why it matters
Building the right thing beats building the thing right. A Delta finds the problem worth solving before writing the code.
What good looks like
- You separate the literal request from the underlying job.
- You can name who the user is and what they're really trying to do.
- You prioritize by impact, not by what's easy.
Where it overlaps
This is a cross-cutting skill: it also draws on Customer Relationships. The points you earn here count toward Doing user research's global total and toward its primary capability, Product Design.
Common trap
Taking the feature request at face value and skipping the "why."
How to practice
The rep: Run and synthesize three user interviews.
Do it on a real problem, not a hypothetical — under the kind of pressure where it's tempting to skip. Land it and you earn the User Researcher badge. Repeat it until it stops feeling like a technique and starts feeling like instinct.