User
Research
Freelancer
I’m Steve Mellor, a freelance user experience and design researcher, NNg-certified, with over two decades of experience turning ideas into standout digital products and services.
This has been across many regions, most notably the UK, EU, and US.
I use mixed-methods research to fuel discovery, spark innovation and design, guide usability, and shape measurement.
I’ve built and led research teams from the ground up, transforming low-maturity environments into organisations where research drives UX strategy and decision-making.
Featured techniques
Jobs To Be Done
Discovery research is very effective when the user’s specific tasks are explored.
This method will identify a wide range of unmet needs in situations where people are highly dissatisfied, indicating promising innovation opportunities.
User Testing
User testing can apply to a product at any point in its lifecycle and can be tackled in a number of ways.
When I am asked to run user testing, I always stop to interrogate the objectives, as they will provide the evidence needed to determine the research method.
Research thinking
When should start-ups invest in user research?
(September 2026) For many UK start-ups, funding becomes the moment when everything starts to feel real. Before that point, an idea may still be...
Calculating and communicating the ROI of UX research
(September 2026) UX research is often seen as a “nice-to-have” when budgets tighten, yet its real value lies in preventing expensive mistakes,...
Freelance User Researcher vs Agency: Which is best value?
(August 2026) Product teams frequently ask whether they should hire an agency or bring in a freelance User Researcher. The honest answer is that...
FAQs
Can research help find product-market fit?
Research can support product-market fit by helping you understand customer needs, testing your proposition, and identifying where the offer is or is not resonating. It gives you evidence to refine both the product and the story around it. That might mean clarifying the audience, improving how the problem is framed, or learning which parts of the offer feel most compelling. Product-market fit is rarely a single moment of certainty, so research is useful because it helps you make steady improvements based on what customers actually value.
How much does product discovery research cost?
The cost of product discovery research depends on the scope, method, timeline, and whether recruitment is needed. It can range from a couple of thousand pounds to 5 digits. In most cases, the best approach is to define the decision you need to make first, then shape a research plan that fits your budget and gives you useful evidence. A smaller, tightly focused study can still be highly valuable when the objectives are clear.
I want to test an idea before spending money developing it.
Testing an idea early can save time, budget, and effort later. Research can help you see whether the idea makes sense to users, whether it solves a real problem, and what needs refining before development begins. It can also show whether the value is obvious, whether the concept raises concerns, and which parts of the idea are strongest or weakest. That kind of early evidence is useful because it helps you improve the idea before greater investment makes change harder.
How can I validate our product roadmap with customer research?
Customer research helps you make roadmap decisions based on evidence rather than assumptions. By speaking to current or prospective customers, you can uncover their priorities, understand the problems they most want solved, and identify which opportunities are likely to create the most value. This gives you a clearer view of what deserves attention now, what can wait, and where internal priorities may not match customer reality. The result is a roadmap that is more closely aligned with real user needs and more likely to support confident product decisions.