Heuristic
Stop collecting answers that cannot change the next move
Curiosity is cheap; attention and analysis are not.
When it fits
- A research session or stakeholder interview keeps expanding even though many questions are interesting but decision-irrelevant.
When to avoid it
- Foundational exploratory research may create value before a concrete product decision exists; define the learning objective instead.
Why it matters
For each question, ask what answer would change the decision, design, priority or next investigation. Drop or defer questions whose plausible answers lead to the same action. Keep a separate curiosity backlog if the topic may matter later.
An example
A team debating button color drops a demographic question because no plausible answer changes the accessibility fix they must make first.
Check your result
Every remaining question has an explicit reason for consuming participant or team attention.
Keep this limit in mind
- Foundational exploratory research may create value before a concrete product decision exists; define the learning objective instead.
Connected ideas
Use beforeEnd an evidence conversation with unknowns, not false closure
Evidence and sources
Supports
GOV.UK planning guidance recommends clear, actionable research objectives linked to assumptions and information needed for upcoming decisions.
Some exploratory work legitimately starts without a single immediate decision.
Plan a round of user research · Research objectives and assumptions