Product research & programs for small and growing companies
Research that fits.Mindset that lasts.Method that scales.
ZYXT builds bespoke, sustainable product research programs for small companies. Insight that fits your needs, your budget, and your rhythm.
Tailored. Not trimmed.
Your needs
Every program starts from the questions your team is actually facing, not from a template built for a company ten times your size.
Your budget
Methods are chosen for the return they give you. Sometimes that means six interviews and a spreadsheet, and that is exactly right.
Your rhythm
Research runs on the same clock as your roadmap, so insight shows up when decisions are being made, not after.
Offerings
Four ways to work together.
Start small and build from there. Each engagement is shaped around your team, and each one leaves something behind that keeps working after it ends.
01 Program Build A research practice sized to your team: a steady cadence, a simple way to find participants, lightweight tools, and a home for what you learn. Built with your team, then handed over. 6 to 10 weeks
What it is
Product research is how a company learns what its customers need, do and struggle with. A program makes that learning steady instead of occasional, and ties it to the moments when your team makes decisions.
Good for
Teams who talk to customers now and then and want to do it on purpose.
You keep
A research cadence tied to your roadmap, a simple way to recruit participants, templates for planning and synthesis, a shared home for insights, and a team trained to keep it going.
02 Training & Coaching Hands-on training for the PMs, designers and founders already talking to customers. Your team learns to plan studies, ask better questions, and turn what they hear into decisions. Workshops or ongoing coaching
What it is
Workshops and coaching for the people closest to your customers. We practice on real questions from your product, not textbook exercises, so the skills stick.
Good for
Teams where PMs, designers or founders already run interviews and want to get more out of them.
You keep
Stronger skills in planning studies, interviewing, usability testing and synthesis, plus guides your team can reuse.
03 Fractional Research Lead Senior research leadership a few days a month. I keep the program running, coach the team, and sit in on the decisions that matter until you are ready to hire full time. Monthly
What it is
I work as part of your team on a regular schedule, keeping research running, coaching the people doing it, and making sure what you learn reaches the decisions that matter.
Good for
Companies that need research leadership but are not ready for a full-time hire.
You keep
A running program, a more confident team, and a clear picture of when and how to hire for research.
04 Starter Study One focused study on a question that matters right now, from planning to findings. A low-commitment way to see what research can do for your team. 2 to 4 weeks
What it is
A single study on a question that matters right now. Methods are picked to fit the question and the budget: interviews, usability tests, surveys, or a close look at what you already know.
Good for
Teams new to research, or anyone with a big decision coming and not enough to go on.
You keep
Findings and recommendations your team can act on, and a sense of what a longer program could do.
Approach
Designed to keep running after I leave.
Listen
Learn your product, your people and your calendar before proposing anything.
Build
Design methods and tools that match your size and stage, not an enterprise playbook.
Hand off
Train your team and document the system, so the research keeps going without me.
About
Big-company experience, sized for yours.
ZYXT is led by Kaylie James Wilson, a design researcher with 16 years of experience building research teams and programs. I learn fast, I work hard, and I love helping small teams cultivate their curiosity.
Selected work
Programs I’ve built.
Each of these programs, and the teams behind them, kept going long after I moved on. That’s the point.
01A youth-focused research programMicrosoft Education
Built a research program for Microsoft’s education team centered on students and young people, giving product teams a steady way to learn from the people their products are for.
02A human evaluation program for AIMicrosoft Windows AI
Built a UX research program for evaluating Windows AI experiences with real people, so teams can see how AI features hold up in everyday use alongside automated measures.
03A global research program for workplace designNike
Nike’s workplace team knew consumers deeply but knew far less about its own employees. I built reusable research tools and a shared way of collecting, synthesizing and reviewing insights. The process ran on more than 20 projects across a global portfolio.
04A community insights programWeWork
Community managers saw the member experience up close every day, but that knowledge rarely reached product teams. I embedded with the community team and introduced a tool, a training program and a design process to capture what they saw.
Let’s find out what you need to learn.
How the intro call works
Every engagement starts with a free intro call. I work with a few clients at a time, so availability varies.
Book a time
Pick a time that works and answer a few short questions about your company and what is prompting the call.
We talk
About what you are trying to learn, what you have already tried, and what a good outcome would look like.
I follow up
With a proposal sized to what you need, or an honest note if I am not the right fit.