Project Background
Meta's Instagram Reels team is preparing a decision on whether to expand a new creator feedback concept that helps creators understand why short videos underperform. A cross-functional team wants a fast research project to inform a Q3 roadmap decision, but leaders disagree on what "success" for the research should mean.
You are the User Experience Researcher partnering with 1 Product Manager, 1 Content Designer, 2 Product Designers, 4 engineers, and a Data Science partner. You have 5 weeks to define the research plan, align stakeholders on success criteria, and deliver findings before the Reels planning review. The work matters because the VP wants evidence to decide whether to fund a broader creator insights investment this half.
Key Stakeholders
- Instagram Reels PM wants fast directional input to support roadmap prioritization.
- Design lead wants deeper generative insights to shape the creator experience.
- Data Science lead wants measurable outcomes tied to creator retention and posting frequency.
- Engineering manager wants a narrow scope that can be tested with the existing prototype.
- Policy/Legal partner wants to avoid exposing feedback that could be interpreted as ranking transparency commitments.
Constraints
- Timeline: 5 weeks total, with final readout due by Friday of Week 5
- Budget: $35,000 for recruiting, incentives, and vendor support
- Sample: up to 24 creators across the US and Brazil
- Prototype readiness: only one clickable prototype available by end of Week 2
- No additional headcount; Data Science support limited to 6 hours per week
Complications
- The PM wants to include both casual and professional creators, but recruiting can only support two segments within timeline.
- Legal flags that some prototype language may create policy risk, which could force changes after recruitment starts.
- Reels leadership asks midway through the project whether the research can also inform a possible Facebook Reels adaptation.
Your Task
- Define the research success criteria and how you would align stakeholders on them.
- Build a 5-week execution plan with milestones, dependencies, and decision points.
- Recommend scope trade-offs if time or prototype readiness slips.
- Identify key risks and mitigation plans.
- Specify what final deliverables you would provide to support the roadmap decision.
