A Lightweight, Continuous User Research Loop at NAVIT

NAVIT is a startup that helps companies offer flexible mobility benefits to their employees. As the platform scaled, there was still no structured way to collect and act on user feedback. I saw an opportunity to bridge this gap with a process that balanced structure and approachability—making research feel both natural and doable, even in a resource-strapped environment.

This case study shows how I designed and ran a lightweight, continuous research loop at NAVIT—blending systems thinking with a human-centered approach to make feedback part of our monthly rhythm, without burning time or budget.

The Challenge

When I joined NAVIT, the product team was flying blind. There was:

  • No structured user research process

  • No analytics or usage tracking in the app

  • No feedback loops beyond customer support tickets

This meant product decisions were made with limited user insight, risking wasted effort and misaligned features. My first assignment was to implement NPS tracking—but I saw an opportunity to go further.

The Goal

Introduce a lean, repeatable feedback loop that fits within:

  • A small startup team

  • No dedicated researcher or analytics tools

  • A product team eager for guidance but limited on time

What I Built: A Monthly Research Cycle

Week 1: Start With Signals

  • Pull NPS data from the past month, filtered to detractors (0–6)

  • Clean and segment users from high-priority companies (based on account size)

  • Present a quick readout of last month’s findings to the team

Week 2: Outreach

  • Email selected users on Monday using SendGrid via Zapier

  • Follow up Thursday with reminders

  • Users can opt for: a 15-minute call or email-based feedback

Week 3: Listen

  • Conduct 15-minute interviews via Google Meet (recorded and transcribed automatically)

  • Summarize calls with AI, then review and add personal notes

  • Follow up with email responders to probe deeper

  • Ask if users are open to future usability tests

Week 4: Analyze & Share

  • Summarize call outcomes with ChatGPT and verify alignment with reality

  • Tag key insights (e.g. “confusing payment,” “unclear benefit value”)

  • Group patterns → generate 2–4 key takeaways

  • Add to the “Monthly Insights” hub, shared with the whole team

“I’m happy you are reaching out... A lot of companies say they listen to their users but don’t really do it.”

— User, as they greeted me on a call

Why It Worked

  • No extra budget needed—just a mix of scrappy tools, a systems mindset, and a friendly face to keep the loop running

  • Repeatable and fast: One person could run it in ~3–4 hours/week

  • Insights informed roadmap decisions (e.g. improved onboarding flow, clarified ticket pricing)

  • Helped the team refocus on the core user journey instead of chasing edge cases

  • Gave stakeholders confidence in user alignment

Why This Process Matters

In early-stage startups, it’s easy to defer research. But a lightweight process like this:

  • Keeps users part of every sprint

  • Avoids wasted effort

  • Builds team alignment around what actually matters to users

This kind of ongoing loop only works when users feel comfortable and the system behind it stays lean. By combining human rapport with operational thinking, I made research a sustainable habit at NAVIT—not a one-off initiative.