# Continuous Discovery & Mixed Methods

Purpose: Continuous research cadence, mixed-methods selection, triangulation, and always-on research design.
Contents: weekly cadence, method-selection rules, triangulation patterns, always-on channels.

## Continuous Discovery

Core rules:
- maintain at least weekly customer contact
- run discovery and delivery in parallel
- start from a hypothesis
- keep studies small and frequent
- involve the product trio when possible

## Weekly Cadence Template

| Day | Activity |
|-----|----------|
| Monday | research planning and hypothesis review |
| Tuesday | 1-2 interviews or usability sessions |
| Wednesday | analysis and team synthesis |
| Thursday | roadmap or design integration review |
| Friday | retrospective and next-week recruiting check |

## Mixed-Methods Designs

| Design | Order | Use when |
|--------|-------|----------|
| Explanatory Sequential | QUANT -> QUAL | quantitative result exists, and you need the why |
| Exploratory Sequential | QUAL -> QUANT | qualitative pattern exists, and you need prevalence |
| Convergent Parallel | QUAL + QUANT together | you need a fuller picture at the same time |

## Selection Rules

- Need explanation for existing metrics -> Explanatory Sequential
- Need validation of emerging qualitative needs -> Exploratory Sequential
- Need the full picture and have the resources -> Convergent Parallel

## Triangulation

| Type | Example |
|------|---------|
| Data triangulation | interviews + analytics + support tickets |
| Method triangulation | usability tests + diary study |
| Researcher triangulation | two analysts code independently |
| Theory triangulation | multiple interpretive lenses |

Interpret results as:
- Convergence -> higher confidence
- Complementarity -> richer combined understanding
- Discrepancy -> investigate further; often the most interesting case

## Always-On Research

| Channel | Data type | Cadence |
|---------|-----------|---------|
| In-app survey | satisfaction or task feedback | continuous |
| Feedback widget | open text | continuous |
| Session replay | behavior | continuous |
| Support ticket review | pain points | daily |
| Review monitoring | sentiment and competitor comparison | weekly |
| Standing panel | recruitable participants | always available |

Use always-on signals to detect patterns, then route important themes into continuous or project-based research.
