Chasing Vague Insights? Here’s How This Leads to Expensive Product Failures - And How to Avoid It

Fuzzy research goals are quietly bleeding your company’s budget.

The key problem? Teams often are struggling to define clear objectives for their research. They dive into projects without a plan, ending up with vague goals that lead to confusion and wasted resources. Instead of moving forward, they get stuck in an endless cycle of gathering feedback without ever knowing what they’re actually trying to learn.

Most teams try to fix this by talking to even more customers, holding more debrief meetings, and taking more notes, hoping that something will magically point them in the right direction. They spend weeks, sometimes months, chasing insights without getting closer to a real solution. It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack without even knowing what the needle looks like.

But here’s the truth: leaving research objectives fuzzy is not the answer.

To avoid this trap, you need a clear, step-by-step process. This way, you have a focused approach to guide your product development, saving time, money, and resources.

Here are the 3 steps we’ll cover:

• Define the customer segment & one problem area: How picking a specific group and problem to focus on can help you avoid chasing vague customer insights.

• Prioritise the risks: Why identifying and validating the biggest risks first will save you from wasting time and money on the wrong solutions.

• Agree on 3 priorities before each interview: How setting clear research priorities before every conversation can keep your product development on track and prevent expensive redesigns and delays.

  
  

By the end, you’ll have a roadmap to sharpen your research goals and avoid the costly mistakes that come with ambiguity.

Let’s dive in!

Step 1: Define the customer segment & one problem area

Picture this: Your team is working hard, talking to customers, and writing down tons of notes. But after all that effort, you still don’t know where to go next.

This happens when you start a project without knowing exactly who you’re helping or what problem you’re solving. You’re chasing cool ideas instead of fixing a real issue. This is called the “fuzzy front end,” where ideas float around, but nothing gets done.

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” – Lewis Carroll

Meanwhile, your competitors are moving fast because they know what they’re aiming for. You’re stuck spinning your wheels, which can cost you millions.

To avoid this, pick one group of customers to focus on, and one problem. And don’t forget—set a deadline to analyse the data! If you don’t, you’re just going in circles.

Step 2: Prioritise the risks

Talking to customers is great, but if you’re not asking the right questions, you’ll end up spending money on the wrong things.

Here’s an example: A team I worked with spent a year and $500,000 building a product without asking, “Do our customers actually need this?” They were focused on whether the product worked, not whether it solved a problem. Guess what? The product flopped.

“Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” – Coco Chanel

The fix? Before you start building, make a list of assumptions. First, ask if customers even want the product. Only then should you figure out if it’s technically possible.

This saves you from wasting time and money on something no one will use.

Step 3: Agree on 3 priorities before each interview

Asking customers for feedback is important, but it’s a problem if you don’t know what you’re looking for.

Too many teams ask vague questions like, “What do you think?” and end up with a bunch of random ideas. This leads to endless redesigns, delays, and extra costs. Worse, your competitors are speeding ahead while you’re stuck making changes.

“If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.” – Zig Ziglar

I worked with a SaaS company that did this. They spent so much time fixing things based on random customer ideas that they fell behind. Competitors took advantage, and the company lost market share.

To avoid this, have a clear goal before every interview. Ask specific questions about what really matters to the customer’s business. This will keep your product development on track and prevent costly delays.

How to apply these lessons to your product development process

Here’s a quick plan to get started:

1. Define your customer segment: Focus on one specific group and stick with it.
   

2. Create a clear interview goal: Don’t just collect random ideas - validate specific problems/ needs.
   

3. Prioritise your risks: Does your product solve a real problem? Start there before anything else.
   

4. Ask targeted questions: Get clear on what matters before you talk to customers.
   

5. Set a deadline for analysis: Data is useless if it sits untouched. Analyse it quickly and move forward.
   

Fuzzy research goals might seem harmless, but they slow you down and lead to costly mistakes. The clearer your goals, the faster you’ll move, and the more money you’ll save.

Clarity is everything

At the end of the day, you need to make tough decisions in product development. It’s not about endless feedback or debriefs. It’s about knowing exactly what you want to achieve and pushing toward that.

Fuzzy research goals won’t just slow you down—they’ll cost you money, waste your team’s time, and let competitors steal your market.

So get specific, stay focused, and watch your product development thrive.

We run a 4-week Customer Insight Sprint to help B2B businesses find out exactly what their customers want—with clear commercial goals. If you’re tired of wasting time on vague research or just want to get laser-focused, we can help.

Got a question? Drop us a line or schedule a call. Let’s make sure your next product hits the mark.