Report: AI in Product Research in 2024
65.2% of surveyed product managers are already using AI for Product Research. AI isn't just knocking on the door - it's already there.
In this guest post, Karolina Brach, Product Marketing Manager at Survicate, shares insights from a comprehensive survey on AI usage in the product research process.
Conducted in partnership with Amplitude, this study provides valuable data on how AI is transforming the way companies approach product development and user insights.
TL;DR ✨
✅ Understanding user needs is a top priority for product professionals.
✅ Many of them are already using AI tools in product research,
✅ Analyzing user feedback is the most common use case of AI in product research.
✅ AI is expected to significantly speed up data analysis in the near future.
✅ The quality of AI-generated insights remains a concern for over a third of product professionals.
I'm excited to share the key findings from our latest report on AI's impact on product research. As someone deeply invested in understanding how technology shapes our industry, I've been fascinated by these results.
Let's dive into what we've discovered.
Understanding user needs tops the list of priorities for product professionals, with 39.8% of our respondents identifying it as their primary goal in product research.
This user-centric focus is encouraging - after all, isn't that what great products are all about?
However, product professionals face significant challenges.
Data analysis is considered incredibly time-consuming, with 26.6% citing this as their main hurdle. We have more data than ever, but making sense of it has become increasingly difficult.
Additionally, 27.3% struggle with data scattered across multiple sources.
Our 2024 report reveals that many product professionals have turned to AI to overcome these challenges.
An impressive 65.2% of our respondents have already used AI tools in their product research.
Clearly, AI isn't just knocking on the door of product research - it's already made itself at home in many teams.
👨💻 AI is already widely adopted in product research
The 65.2% adoption rate of AI tools in product research processes indicates that AI has become a practical reality in the field.
The most common application, cited by 54.6% of users, is analyzing user feedback - directly addressing the challenge of time-consuming data analysis.
Other popular uses include analyzing market trends (44.1%), product recommendations (40.6%), and predictive analysis (38.3%).
AI tools excel at summarizing data, providing aggregated and categorized information that makes it easier to navigate large amounts of user data.
"In surveys with thousands of responses, particularly if there are open-ended questions, summarizing frequent responses is a bit problematic. That's where AI can be really helpful."
Wiktor Sobolak, Senior Product Manager
AI also supports product teams by automating manual work such as writing scripts, devising questions for surveys or interviews, and segmenting data.
"AI takes a lot of busywork away and lets us focus on the most critical elements of product research. As an AI-forward company, we use models to automate most of the work that otherwise would have been done manually."
Piotr Cygan, Senior Product Manager at Tidio
🔮 Future perspectives of AI in Product Research
"In the next three years, AI will fundamentally transform product decision-making by acting as a research co-pilot, effectively becoming a trusted member of the product development team."
Brandon Khoo, Senior Product Manager at Amplitude
Looking ahead, it seems clear that AI will play an increasingly significant role in product research.
A staggering 83.8% of respondents believe AI will significantly speed up data analysis in the near future. ⚡
This expectation aligns with the current challenges faced by product researchers, particularly the time-consuming nature of data analysis.
Respondents identified several ways AI is expected to positively impact product research:
Faster Data Analysis: The vast majority expect AI to significantly accelerate the data analysis process
Enhanced User Understanding: AI tools are anticipated to provide deeper insights into user behavior and preferences.
Automated Reporting: Many expect AI to streamline the process of generating research reports.
Predictive Capabilities: AI is expected to improve its ability to predict future trends and user needs.
By accelerating product research, AI will help companies bring new features and products to market more quickly.
Despite the optimism, concerns about AI use in product research persist.
The quality of AI-generated insights is the top worry, cited by 39.7% of respondents.
There's also concern that widespread AI use might lead to more standardized ideas, making it harder for companies to stand out.
Interestingly, 21.4% of respondents say they have no concerns at all about AI.
While this optimism is encouraging, it suggests that a balanced approach to AI adoption is necessary.
These potential benefits align well with current challenges in product research, such as time-consuming data analysis and the need to better understand user needs.
Conclusion ✨
As we reflect on our report's findings, it's clear that AI is revolutionizing product research. The high adoption rate of AI tools (65.2%) indicates that this revolution is already underway.
AI is proving particularly valuable in analyzing user feedback, market trends, and making product recommendations. These applications directly address key challenges faced by product researchers, such as time-consuming data analysis and understanding user needs.
AI is not replacing product researchers - it's empowering them to work smarter, faster, and more effectively. As we move forward, it will be crucial to approach AI with both optimism and critical thinking, harnessing its power while being mindful of its limitations.
The future of product research looks exciting, with AI set to play a pivotal role in helping us better understand and serve our users. 🚀
Here are a few ways to quickly accelerate your product research process with AI:
Use AI as your brainstorming buddy to generate and validate product ideas
Create and format interview questions, and use AI to prepare summaries or reports
Aggregate and categorize feedback into relevant topics
The full report, available on our website, provides more detailed insights into these trends and their implications for the future of product research.
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