As a new fintech product in Nigeria’s auto-repair space, we needed insights into our target users’ challenges and pain points to shape our product positioning and marketing strategy.

Research approach: I conducted field research by taking e-hailing rides across Lagos state and engaging drivers in natural conversations about their vehicle maintenance challenges. This approach allowed me to understand their experiences firsthand, in their own environment.

Key findings and impact:

These findings directly influenced our strategic decisions:

• Refined our messaging to emphasize “keeping drivers on the road and earning” rather than just “financing repairs”.
• Prioritized WhatsApp community marketing after discovering strong peer-to-peer trust networks.
• Developed content that addressed specific scenarios drivers had shared, making our marketing more relatable.

Challenge: Before launching Crowd, we needed to understand the challenges and needs of our target users – product managers, design teams, and UX researchers.

Research approach: I designed and executed a research program using:

• Typeform surveys to gather quantitative data about current tools and pain points.
• Prolific platform to recruit relevant participants from our exact target audience.
• Structured questions about existing research workflows and tool preferences.

Findings and impact: The research revealed crucial insights that influenced our product positioning:

• The specific inefficiencies in existing research tools.
• Key features that researchers prioritized.
• Price sensitivity and willingness to pay for different feature sets.
• Messaging that resonated most with our target audience.

Challenge: Faced with resistance to our initial monetization strategy, we needed to understand the underlying concerns of buyers and sellers on our platform.

Research approach: I organized town hall sessions that brought together both sides of our marketplace. This allowed us to:

• Understand the interconnected needs of buyers and sellers.
• Identify specific concerns about monetization.
• Gather suggestions for value-added services that users would be willing to pay for.

Key findings and impact: The sessions yielded crucial insights that led to strategic shifts:

• Revised our monetization timeline based on user feedback.
• Developed new value propositions that better aligned with user needs.
• Created clearer communication about the benefits of premium features.
• Strengthened our relationship with key platform users through direct engagement.