User research in WA

For years, designers have been trained to research “properly”: send polite emails. Ask for a 30-minute call. And then wait for replies that never come.

Because outside our bubble, no one treats email like we do.

People don’t want to schedule feedback. They want to give it in the moment. So we tried a different approach.

After cold email outreach we created a small WhatsApp group with those users who answered. And kept the group alive. Shared designs, small updates, even early ideas and ask for feedback.

That chat became our live research lab with instant reactions. Feedback in five minutes, not five days.

It’s not perfect, of course. You mostly get young, active users - not the whole audience.

But that’s usually enough to catch 80% of bad ideas before they ship.

Because if your WhatsApp group of young active users says your design makes no sense, it definitely won’t get better with older users.

If you want real feedback for your design, check your phone. And if there are zero users in your contacts - you’re probably designing in a vacuum :)