Is your user research expired?

When does user research output expire?

You've got personas gathering digital dust. User journeys from last quarter. That empathy map everyone loved six months ago.

But here's the uncomfortable truth: Your research might already be outdated.

Think about it, how much has changed since you conducted that last study? Your users' lives certainly haven't stayed the same.

Why research might expire faster than you think

Humans are complex.

Their behavior shifts constantly.

Layer on our ever-changing world - new tech, economic shifts, social movements - and you've got a perfect storm of variables that can invalidate yesterday's insights overnight.

Remember when the pandemic hit?

Airbnb's user research probably became irrelevant practically overnight. Suddenly, "travel for leisure" wasn't just a different priority, it was impossible.

The bottom line: Continuous discovery isn't a nice-to-have. It's essential for teams building products that actually matter to users.

3 questions to test if your research is still valid