#128 - The Value of “Scrappy” Research with Varun Murugesan, Co-Founder of Apple and Banana

#128 - The Value of “Scrappy” Research with Varun Murugesan, Co-Founder of Apple and Banana

Author: User Interviews June 7, 2023 Duration: 40:28

What does good “scrappy” user research look like?

According to Varun Murugesan, Co-founder of Apple and Banana,

“You could throw anything at Jason Bourne and he would solve it... Would it be effective? [Yes—and] that's what I think about. I don't need all the fanciest tools or software.”


Being good at scrappy user research is like being the Jason Bourne of research: being effective with what you have, even if you’re shot down by a tight research budget or limited in bandwidth.

Varun joins Erin and JH to discuss his tips for doing scrappy research, advice for finding and utilizing creative techniques in research, and the potential positive and negative effects of the AI explosion.


Highlights: 

[00:01:38] The value of “scrappy” research in tough economic times

[00:05:50] Being “scrappy” is about speed

[00:08:51] Innovating with scarce resources during the pandemic

[00:17:33] Enhancing creativity through messiness

[00:21:40] Sources of inspo for creative research

[00:25:07] Re-evaluating your work and success

[00:31:03] Research during the AI explosion

[000:35:55] 7 years strong doing research, plus new opportunities for the future


Sources mentioned in the episode:

About Our Guest

Varun Murugesan is the Co-Founder of Apple and Banana, a UXR training and development company helping to build better products through fruitful research. He is also the author of Fruitful, an online UX research library and toolkit of resources for researchers and UX teams aimed at conducting user experience research that drives impact. He is also the Senior UK Researcher of SeatGeek, a mobile ticketing marketplace. Before these positions, Varun worked in UXR roles at Best Buy and Facebook. An entrepreneur, author, and researcher, Varun has spent his career immersed in psychology, technology, and design, and has been featured on a various media platforms sharing fruitful research and his personal UXR career journey.


A gift from Apple & Banana and Awkward Silences

Interested in trying Apple & Banana for your next research project? Use our code AWKWARD-FRUITS-35 to save 35% on Fruitful, an advanced UX research repository used by 100s of teams around the world.


Awkward Silences is a conversation about the human side of building things. Hosts Erin May and Carol Guest, both VPs at User Interviews, don't just talk about theory-they get into the messy, real-world practice of talking to users and making sense of what they say. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the craft of user research, featuring candid chats with the practitioners who do this work every day. You'll hear stories about navigating tricky interviews, the weight of interpreting qualitative data, and how genuine understanding directly shapes better products and smarter business decisions. This isn't a dry lecture; it's a geeky, relatable dive into the questions and quiet moments that define UX research. The Awkward Silences podcast lives in the intersection of technology and business, focusing on the people and processes that connect them. Listen for practical insights, empathetic strategies, and the occasional shared laugh about the inevitable fumbles that come with trying to understand anyone. It’s for anyone who believes that building effectively starts with listening well.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

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