Hero image

Influential Research: How to use evidence to influence product decisions

4.8

(49 ratings)

·

2 Days

·

Cohort-based Course

Learn to use insights to advocate for product growth—and become the strategist your business needs while building the career you want.

This course is popular

4 people enrolled last week.

Worked with teams at:

Twitter Dev
Panasonic USA
Indeed
Twilio
Aflac

Course overview

Become the product strategist your business needs—and build the career you want.

Detectives.


They don't just conduct investigations—their work drives outcomes. Their investigations put bad people behind bars. Researchers (and those conducting research) could learn much from them.


They don't just aggregate evidence—they use analytical thinking and logic to put the evidence together like a puzzle to build a case that leads to convictions in court.


They don't just deliver data—they are master storytellers who win the hearts and minds of judges and juries by capturing the voices and emotions of the victims and witnesses, ensuring their voices aren't lost in the process.


Detectives close cases.


And so should you.


This course will teach you detective-grade strategies and tactics—the kind I learned and used as a metro police detective—to build and close business cases that lead to product growth using customer insights, i.e., research projects that drive impact in "business speak."


These skills sharpen your competitive edge and enhance your ability to identify and seize new opportunities, manage risks more effectively, and drive sustainable growth and profitability for your business.


Research should be one of the most valuable functions in a business…


But it isn’t.


People who leverage research should be treated like senior consultants who help the business make more informed—and less risky—business decisions...


But they aren't.


We are going to change this.


The secret to becoming indispensable to your company is to generate better insights—faster—and then have business leaders use those insights to make better decisions.


It's that simple. And that hard.


In just two half-days, you will become a Growth Detective and develop three foundational skills that will elevate your career and transform you into an influential consultant:


1. You will learn how to Think Like a Detective™ to generate better insights. This will immediately differentiate you from those who use the outdated, antiquated, legacy models of data collection.


2. You will learn how to deliver consumer and market insights like headline news. You know, the kind that grabs your audience by the face and wins their hearts and minds.


3. You will learn to use strategic communication to influence business decisions. You will be seen as a consigliere (business consultant) rather than a service provider.


Businesses protect the things they value—and YOU will be no different.


Develop the confidence and skills to be seen as a trusted advisor to business leadership—and watch your impact and influence grow 🌱

Who is this course for?

01

You are a product manager who wants to build better products grounded in customer and user evidence.

02

You are a UX designer, UX researcher, or market researcher who wants to be seen as a peer rather than a service provider.

03

You are a marketer or product marketer who wants to use insights to create marketing campaigns that resonate with your customers and buyers.

What you will learn...

How to Think Like a Detective™ to generate better insights faster

A common complaint in business is that research "slows things down." I will show you how to be "high-speed, low-drag" so that you aren't seen as an anchor ⚓️, but as a rocket 🚀.

Don't just be a better storyteller—be a better storybuilder

The TRUE VALUE of research is in collecting evidence, connecting the dots, and catalyzing decisions that:


📚 Turn data into stories

📝 Stories into strategies

🚀 Strategies into outcomes


To tell better stories, you have to build better stories.


You will learn this.

Methods alone are bullshit 🐂💩

Expertise isn't developed from using a cookbook approach to research. You can't be a master chef by following a recipe. You must develop a deeper understanding. The same applies to research. I teach you the fundamentals of becoming an expert practitioner.

The power to influence business decisions

The job of research is to help business leaders make less risky business decisions.


I teach you how to communicate effectively using time-tested principles of persuasion.


You will leave with the confidence to deliver research that catalyzes decisions, i.e., has an impact.

The ability to connect insights to business strategy

Research has historically failed in The Last Mile of Research, i.e., explicitly connecting outcomes to the things businesses really care about.


Learn to speak the language of business and connect your work to business strategy—transforming you from technician to tactician.

This course includes

2 interactive live sessions

Lifetime access to course materials

1 in-depth lesson

Direct access to instructor

Projects to apply learnings

Guided feedback & reflection

Private community of peers

Course certificate upon completion

Maven Satisfaction Guarantee

This course is backed by Maven’s guarantee. You can receive a full refund within 14 days after the course ends, provided you meet the completion criteria in our refund policy.

Course syllabus

Expand all modules

  • Week 1

    Sep 19—Sep 20

    Events

    • Sep

      19

      Day One

      Thu, Sep 19, 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM UTC

    • Sep

      20

      Day Two

      Fri, Sep 20, 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM UTC

    Modules

    • Setting the Stage

    • The Hourglass Strategy

    • The Path to Influence

    • Consigliere 101

    • Detective 101

    • Moneyball Research

    • SIMPLE Investigation Technique

    • Building a Case

    • Crafting a Point of View

    • The Level of Certainty

  • Post-Course

    Modules

    • BONUS: The POSTER Framework

    • Crafting an Argument

    • Making Arguments Matter

    • The Topline Brief

    • Measuring with AIDA

    • The Topline Workflow

    • Strategic Communication

    • Presentations

    • Objections and Negotiation

4.8

(49 ratings)

What students are saying

More proof this is the course for you!

        This is the best research course I've taken this year. This is what has been missing from my research education, how to bridge the gap between business needs and research. 
Funmilayo Obasa

Funmilayo Obasa

        I'm a UX researcher team of one, on a new ux team my company created. This course came up just in time. Ari offered so many frameworks and priceless advice on how to see this problem. I started using the POSTER framework to share insights and I noticed teammates started to think and talk about UX research differently.
Lissa Aguilar

Lissa Aguilar

        I cannot say enough great things about this course. It was everything I wanted and needed to excelling as a UX Researcher today and in the future. Right out the gate, Ari delivers on what he promises. It is so simple but yet so powerful.
Andelae McCoy

Andelae McCoy

        Great for advanced researchers and leaders who need to brush up on the basics and for newbies who need to level up quickly. The Influential Researcher will get you closer to speaking the language of business and mapping your work to what the business cares about.
Brian

Brian

        I'm an OG UXer with more than 20 years experience. In all the research-related webinars, seminars and classes I've taken through the years, I have never learned anything that resembles what you get here. Honestly, it's been a total game changer, and I'm already seeing the impact of putting what I learned into practice.
Melanie Levy

Melanie Levy

        The best thing about the Influential Researcher is that it gave me more confidence. The course empowered me to see myself as a trusted research advisor, rather than as a research service provider. I only wish I had taken this class sooner in my career!
Margaret Aiken

Margaret Aiken

        I signed up for this course to sharpen my UXR skills and learn how to better communicate my insights to decision-makers. The course content, including materials such as Notion pages and templates, as well as the clear instructions, guidance, and interactive Q&A sessions with Ari as a mentor, contributed significantly to achieving my goal.
Marjolein

Marjolein

        Even though this is a course on research, I think this is a great course for anyone in UX. There were so many new takeaways for me even when I took it up the second time. Yes, you read that right, I took the course a second time!
Nishanth Nagendra

Nishanth Nagendra

Meet your instructor

Dr. Ari Zelmanow

Dr. Ari Zelmanow

As a retired police detective turned market detective, I now investigate human behavior as it relates to shopping, buying, and using products. I am on a mission to make research relevant for businesses.


I currently lead research for Twilio's Communications Business Unit. I previously built and led insights teams @Quantive (formerly Gtmhub), @Twitter, @Indeed, and @Panasonic.


Before leading insights, I solved crimes as a metropolitan police detective at @SLMPD.


I believe in truth, justice, the Oxford comma, and NY-style pizza.

A pattern of wavy dots

Be the first to know about upcoming cohorts

Influential Research: How to use evidence to influence product decisions

Get reimbursed

Bulk purchases

Course schedule

4-6 hours per week

  • 🔎 Collecting and interrogating evidence like a detective

    Learn to use the SIMPLE investigation framework to rapidly collect evidence for your case.

  • 🎤 Reporting insights like a primetime news anchor

    Learn how to capture the attention of your audience using The Topline Method.

  • ⚖️ Building, presenting, and defending a case like a trial attorney

    Build bulletproof business cases that enable your stakeholders to make smarter growth bets.

  • Special Guest Speakers

    TBD

Learning is better with cohorts

Learning is better with cohorts

Active hands-on learning

This course builds on live workshops and hands-on projects

Interactive and project-based

You’ll be interacting with other learners through breakout rooms and project teams

Learn with a cohort of peers

Join a community of like-minded people who want to learn and grow alongside you

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have any testimonials?

Is this a workshop?

What happens if I can’t make a live session?

I work full-time, what is the expected time commitment?

Is there a guarantee?

What is the cancellation policy?

What if I have other questions?

Can you help me expense this course to my company?

What's the "instruction style" of this course?

Will I get direct access to Ari?

A pattern of wavy dots

Be the first to know about upcoming cohorts

Influential Research: How to use evidence to influence product decisions

Get reimbursed

Bulk purchases

Powered by Maven