Jenny Westby THUMB

Jenny Westby

Insights & Strategy

Design Insights

We are big proponents of product research because of how it adds value to any business function, from product development, to marketing, to operations.
We've all heard the quote commonly attributed to Abraham Lincoln that goes, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” Research, as we have written before, is like <a href="https://www.delve.com/insights/the-roi-of-research-and-strategy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">sharpening the axe</a>.

Delve's experts in insights, strategy, design, and engineering can guide you through an end-to-end innovation process that delivers results.

Our Services Page: Product Design and Development (text only)

Product research adds business value three ways: 
<ul><li>It provides clarity into the unknown.</li></ul>
<ul><li>It articulates a 360-degree view of the realities on the ground.</li></ul>
<ul><li>It dispels or confirms existing beliefs and “inherited wisdom.”</li></ul>
But not all product research is the same.
Our clients, particularly those new to the business world, sometimes confuse the concepts of market research and user research. The truth is, these are two distinct types of research. Both involve gathering information to make informed decisions, but they have different scopes and objectives.
Both are essential to the success of your business.<h2>User Research Is Not the Same as Market Research. Why Your Business Needs Both.</h2>
To understand the difference between market research and user research, and the value that each brings to your business, see the chart below.

2024 02 06 Milk Mate User Research INLINE1

In a nutshell, market research deals with the broader market landscape and industry trends, while user research focuses on understanding the specific needs and behaviors of target users or customers.
Ideally, every business should use both market research and user research to inform their business strategy comprehensively. Market research will help your business make informed business decisions, but user research will ensure that you design user-centric products or services that will resonate with your target customer.

Combining quantitative and qualitative research helps to better identify opportunities for innovation and address unmet user needs with creative solutions.

Don't Miss: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Research to Drive Product Innovation

<h2>Communicating the Problem through Qualitative User Research</h2>
In addition to ensuring you build a product that meets user needs, user research can also be tremendously valuable to businesses in winning investor and stakeholder support, and in the marketing efforts leading up to and after launch. 
Numbers don’t lie, but on their own, they don’t always tell the story as effectively and as powerfully as we might want. User research provides evidence of user demand and satisfaction and communicates it more powerfully than numbers alone can do. 
In the user research we conduct for our clients at Delve, we often use qualitative methods to map out a process, tell a story, and identify pain points from the current situation or environment.
<h2>Our Approach to User Research, as told through MilkMate</h2>
To understand the critical importance of user research for businesses, <a href="https://www.delve.com/insights/the-roi-of-research-and-strategy-part-2" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">it’s helpful to look at real-world examples</a>. Our work with MilkMate is a great example of the value of user research in product development and marketing.
<h3>Introducing MilkMate </h3>
One of the best things about working at a product innovation company like Delve is getting to work with clients who are trying to fix real problems, make lives easier for their customers, and generally build a better world.
A few years ago,&nbsp;we had the opportunity to conduct user research with <a href="https://milkmate.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MilkMate</a>, a business&nbsp;that is trying to do just that—by enabling a seamless transition back to work for new mothers who are committed to breast pumping to feed their babies.

2024 02 06 Milk Mate User Research INLINE2

<h3>The Problem MilkMate Is Aiming to Solve, and Why It Matters </h3>
Over half of new mothers (<a href="https://palife.co.uk/news/51-of-mothers-worry-about-going-back-to-work/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">51%</a>) worry about going back to work after giving birth. One of the top worries for <a href="https://swnsdigital.com/us/2019/07/this-percentage-of-moms-say-pressure-at-work-is-the-reason-they-stopped-breastfeeding/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">28%</a> of working mothers is the lack of proper facilities for pumping breast milk in the workplace, and with good reason: only <a href="https://swnsdigital.com/us/2019/07/this-percentage-of-moms-say-pressure-at-work-is-the-reason-they-stopped-breastfeeding/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">34%</a> find a breastfeeding room available upon their return to work. Additionally, <a href="https://swnsdigital.com/us/2019/07/this-percentage-of-moms-say-pressure-at-work-is-the-reason-they-stopped-breastfeeding/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">19%</a> of mothers feel pressured by their workplace to stop breastfeeding, despite <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ninety-percent-of-breastfeeding-moms-returning-to-work-are-pumping-300958567.html" target="_blank">90%</a> of new mothers planning to continue after returning to work. The financial burden of formula feeding, with an average monthly cost ranging from <a href="https://smartasset.com/financial-advisor/the-cost-of-baby-formula" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">$411 to $874</a>, adds to the difficulties faced by new mothers. In 2022, <a href="https://swnsdigital.com/us/2019/07/this-percentage-of-moms-say-pressure-at-work-is-the-reason-they-stopped-breastfeeding/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">43%</a> of highly skilled women reportedly left the workforce after becoming mothers, a substantial loss of talent, with significant ripple effects on employers. Replacing an employee can cost <a href="https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/talent-acquisition/real-costs-recruitment" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">three to four times their salary.</a> The replacement employee may then take <a href="https://recruitshop.com.au/blog/2017/05/01/long-take-employee-fully-productive/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">one to two years to become fully productive in their role,</a> exacerbating the financial and operational impact on businesses.
In light of these challenges, finding practical solutions to support new mothers in their transition back to work, particularly regarding pumping, is essential. MilkMate has made it their mission to address the issue. 
<h3>MilkMate Used User Research to Validate Its Prototype </h3>
Company founder and CEO Patrice Meagher had first-hand knowledge of the problem MilkMate was trying to solve—the inspiration for MilkMate was Patrice's own experience juggling working and being a new mom.
MilkMate had also done an extensive amount of market and landscape research that clearly confirmed there was a problem to be solved. Next, MilkMate approached Delve to conduct user research on their behalf, because they wanted to validate their prototype solution. 
Specifically, MilkMate wanted to understand:
<ul><li>Whether HR managers would see the value in the MilkMate solution and be willing to integrate it into their companies.</li></ul>
<ul><li>Whether pumping working moms liked their working pump, whether these users felt anything needed to be added or changed in the prototype, and whether this product was something they would want in the workplace.</li></ul>
As we mentioned previously, market research and user research are complementary types of research. And as you can see in the case of MilkMate, both were essential. MilkMate’s market research had given them confidence that strong demand existed for a solution to the problem they had identified. But they also needed to conduct research directly with users to test their actual product concepts and assumptions. Otherwise, they risked building and launching a product that didn’t meet user needs. 
<h3>Setting Up User Research for MilkMate </h3>
MilkMate’s extensive market research had led to the prototype design that we tested in our user research. The highlight of the high-fidelity prototype pumping room was a multi-user pump with individual parts in pump kits that could be recycled after a single use.
The idea was that if an organization had this product, a working mother could come to the workplace without having to carry any extra pumping equipment. All she would need to do was remember to collect her milk from the fridge at the end of the day.

For nursing mothers, an assigned space in the workplace for pumping is only part of the answer. MilkMate developed a comprehensive lactation room solution.

Case Study: MilkMate

Milk Mate high fidelity prototype revised

For our qualitative research, we conducted in-depth, in-person interviews. In our first week of research, we spoke with 11 working mothers who were dedicated to continuing to pump as they returned to work. This first visit with each mother was 90 minutes long and included a 30-minute pumping session, during which we allowed the mothers to experience the multi-user pump prototype in the MilkMate branded and dedicated lactation room.
After the 30-minute session, we proceeded with our interview to ask the mom about their experience. The total interview touched on a variety of topics related to their pumping experience:
<ul><li>The current breast pumping experience</li></ul>
<ul><li>First impressions of the MilkMate lactation room</li></ul>
<ul><li>30-minute pumping session</li></ul>
<ul><li>Discussion on individual components of the lactation room and experience</li></ul>
<ul><li>Thoughts on their current company’s investment and current wellness benefits offered</li></ul>
The following week, we brought in eight HR Managers for a 60-minute interview with each. Our goal was to understand their thoughts, feelings, and challenges around promoting a comfortable and efficient working environment for pumping mothers.
We conducted these interviews in the MilkMate branded lactation room to get their full impression of it after first learning about their current lactation room environment in a separate office.
Our discussion with HR managers focused on:
<ul><li>Understanding their current company’s offerings for working mothers</li></ul>
<ul><li>First impression of the MilkMate lactation room</li></ul>
<ul><li>Discussing individual components of the lactation room</li></ul>
<ul><li>Thoughts around cost and investment</li></ul>
Later, we brought in the working mothers for a second chance to use the multi-user pump and a follow-up interview session to allow them to provide any other feedback after reflecting for a week on the concept.

For MilkMate, user research was an important way to help stakeholders build empathy for the user group. 
By pairing the data from our qualitative study with quantitative data, MilkMate was better able to paint a powerful picture of a day in the life of a pumping mother who has returned to work.
<h3>A Day in the Life of a Pumping Mother Who Has Returned to Work </h3>
Tap the arrows below to experience Emily's workday as a pumping mother.

2024 02 06 Milk Mate User Research INLINE4 a_FINAL

2024 02 06 Milk Mate User Research INLINE4 b_FINAL

2024 02 06 Milk Mate User Research INLINE4 c_FINAL

2024 02 06 Milk Mate User Research INLINE4 d_FINAL

2024 02 06 Milk Mate User Research INLINE4 e_FINAL

Did reading about Emily's day stress you out?
This was the story we heard repeatedly from the pumping mothers we talked to during our research for MilkMate.
Many of the mothers we spoke with were lucky. They had a hybrid schedule and only had to plan for this about three days a week. But we also heard from many mothers who had planned to pump for longer than six months and who struggled to sustain their milk supply simply due to stress and the inability to adhere to a regular pumping schedule.
After hearing many stories like Emily’s, we could almost feel her exhaustion and frustration from doing everything she could to maintain high work productivity and be a superstar mother. Our qualitative study gave MilkMate the specificity and color they needed to communicate the problem that needed to be solved. It helped demonstrate that easing the transition back to work for new mothers would be a worthwhile and important endeavor, but also a complex and challenging one. 
<h3>User Research Proved Our Hypothesis</h3>
Often, with research, you set out to either prove or disprove a hypothesis.
Leading up to our research for MilkMate, we hypothesized that the MilkMate product would help to alleviate some of the new mothers’ pain points. We predicted our mothers would love the MilkMate concept—and we were right!
According to our study, the top benefit of the MilkMate product is giving working mothers “one less thing to worry about.” We learned that for the working mothers, the MilkMate product:
<ul><li>Literally lightens the load for a mother’s daily commute (takes ~20lbs off their back of pumping equipment)</li></ul>
<ul><li>Saves time in the workplace&nbsp;for cleaning the parts of the pumping solution</li></ul>
<ul><li>Gives pumping mothers a room dedicated to pumping</li></ul>
<ul><li>Is a way for the company to show commitment to female workers and families.</li></ul>
The working mothers also shared great feedback regarding minor improvements and a vision for longer-term improvements to make the MilkMate concept even more appealing.&nbsp;
Among the concerns and questions the working mothers raised: 
<ul><li>They wanted more transparency around how pump parts are recycled.</li></ul>
<ul><li>They were unsure if their company would invest due to space limitations in many&nbsp;workplaces.</li></ul>
<ul><li>They would like more ways to ensure sterilization in the lactation room.</li></ul>
<ul><li>They were curious about future areas of innovation MilkMate could pursue.</li></ul>
We hypothesized that HR Managers might be a bit more skeptical about the concept and implementation in the workplace but were pleasantly surprised by their excitement and very positive feedback on the offering.
Among the helpful feedback we received from HR managers: 
<ul><li>The top benefit they anticipated from having a product like MilkMate was improving retention and recruiting efforts at their company.</li></ul>
<ul><li>They shared ideas for creating a tiered packaging or subscription-based service.</li></ul>
<ul><li>They suggested providing additional services such as installment.</li></ul>
<ul><li>They expressed a desire to start with a testing phase or trial period before fully committing to the product.</li></ul>

Milkmate website photos2 resized

<h2>A Successful Product Launch</h2>
MilkMate has officially launched nationally&nbsp;and is already making a difference supporting working mothers and easing their transition back to the workplace.
For MilkMate, investing in user research early in the product development process not only provided a way to understand how well their product met a customer’s needs and desires, but also offered insights into how to improve the product and strategize for future growth, setting up the company for long-term success.
On a personal note, my Delve teammates and I have been following the MilkMate story closely, cheering them on as they continue to grow and expand.
A few months ago, we had the exciting opportunity to <a href="https://www.delve.com/news/delve-unveils-milkmate-lactation-room-to-support-nursing-mothers">bring MilkMate into Delve's own Philadelphia studio</a>. Our partnership with MilkMate came full circle, making this valuable resource part of our workplace to support Delve team members. Tap the left/right arrows below to see pics from MilkMate installation day in our Philly office.

Milk Mate Install Interior3

Milk Mate Install Pump Detail2

Milk Mate Install Setup2

Milk Mate Install Setup3

Milk Mate Install Group Alt

As the lead researcher on this project, it’s deeply rewarding to see the work Delve did with MilkMate come to life—making a meaningful difference for working moms, including my own friends and colleagues
When people ask me why I love my research career and working in the product innovation space, it’s because of projects like this—helping companies like MilkMate create life-changing solutions for their customers.

If you’re curious about MilkMate’s story, visit <a rel="noopener" target="_new" href="http://www.milkmate.com">www.milkmate.com</a> to learn more. And if you’re ready to take your user research to the next level, check out my follow-up article, <a href="https://www.delve.com/insights/7-qualitative-user-research-tips-and-tricks">7 Qualitative Research Tips and Tricks</a>, for practical advice on how to get it right.

Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://www.delve.com/services/strategy/design-insights" target="_blank">Delve Product Design Insights & Market Research Services</a>.

SEO Text: Design Insights

Every innovation challenge is different. At Delve, we use a client-specific mixture of research methods to build a solid foundation for design with an eye to the future.<a href="https://www.delve.com/services/strategy/design-insights" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> </a>

Services Page: Design Research (Different from traditional market research)

Newsletter Signup: Product Innovation (icon visual)

2024 02 06 Milk Mate User Research HERO revised

Our work with MilkMate illustrates the critical importance of user research for businesses.

Industrial / Commercial Products

Home

Insights

Using User Research to Validate Prototypes

Breadcrumbs

A full-service product design and strategic innovation consultancy.

Delve

Our work with MilkMate illustrates the critical importance of user research for businesses.

description

generator

kSwNn6qD4B-4HloWnWMUBWQNpBx2_mPi3nMqgsh6ato

google-site-verification

illustrates, critical, importance, user, milkmate, research, work, businesses

keywords

https://cms.delve.com/assets/images/_1200x630_crop_center-center_82_none/2024-02-06-MilkMate-User-Research_HERO_revised.jpg?mtime=1731688127

https://linkedin.com/company/delvedesign/

https://www.delve.com/insights/using-user-research-to-validate-prototypes

referrer

robots

twitter:card

twitter:creator

twitter:description

https://cms.delve.com/assets/images/_800x418_crop_center-center_82_none/2024-02-06-MilkMate-User-Research_HERO_revised.jpg?mtime=1731688127

twitter:image

twitter:image:alt

twitter:image:height

twitter:image:width

twitter:site

twitter:title

{"title":{"title":"Using User Research to Validate Prototypes | Delve"}}

Design an Experience

Privacy Policy

FCOI Policy

Services

Case Studies

Testimonials

What We Do

About Us

Our People

Join Our Team

Careers

Newsroom

Who We Are

Boston

Madison

Philadelphia

San Francisco

Our Studios

Partner with Delve

Contact Us

Contact

Vamsee Pamula, Founder &amp; President, Baebies

Read informative articles from Delve's team of experts. Discover innovative strategies and insights about product design, engineering, and development.

Delve Insights: Product Innovation & Development Blog

innovation, product, design, advice, development

https://cms.delve.com/assets/images/_1200x630_crop_center-center_82_none/Delve_titlecard.png?mtime=1654035558

https://cms.delve.com/assets/images/_800x418_crop_center-center_82_none/Delve_titlecard.png?mtime=1654035558

Using User Research to Validate Prototypes

Using User Research to Validate Prototypes

Related Insights