Dialing for Research: How to Reach the Unreachable

Key Insights

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  Razorpay’s design team integrates research ownership into designers and product managers to enable autonomy and faster decisions.

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  They hire design candidates based on first principles problem-solving abilities rather than classical design vocabulary or processes.

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  The Indian SME market often operates offline with limited digital readiness, making phone calls a more effective user research channel than Zoom or email.

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  Razorpay evolved from rigid, uniform research processes to flexible checklists and guidelines that prompt designers to consider risks and perspectives.

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  A core cultural value at Razorpay is user obsession enabled by empowering teams to directly speak to users and own insights.

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  Support or NPS feedback triggers prompt direct phone outreach to users, shifting from immediate problem-solving to broader research conversations.

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  The company encourages humility and self-awareness about unknowns to surface open-ended questions and holistic product understanding.

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  Research calls vary in length from a few minutes to over an hour depending on context and user availability.

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  While effective in smaller or early-stage products, direct calling methods face scalability challenges for larger product lines.

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  Embedding research philosophies into documentation and communication processes serves as constant reminders for designers to maintain rigor.

Notable Quotes