Launch Gemini Onboarding Research Sprint

Project Context

Google's Gemini team wants to improve first-week onboarding for new users in the Gemini mobile app before a major marketing push tied to Google I/O. You are the User Experience Researcher leading an 8-week execution plan to deliver actionable insights that can influence launch decisions, despite fast-moving product changes and incomplete information.

The core team includes 1 UX researcher (you), 1 UX writer, 1 product manager, 2 designers, 4 software engineers, and a data scientist. Leadership wants fast recommendations on onboarding friction, but the PM also wants to avoid delaying launch. This project matters because onboarding completion has stalled, and internal estimates suggest a 3-5% lift in week-1 retention would materially improve activation.

Key Stakeholders

The Gemini PM wants clear recommendations within 6 weeks to lock scope. Engineering wants minimal disruption and no additional instrumentation work after week 3. The Design Lead wants deeper generative and attitudinal research before changing the onboarding flow. Legal and Privacy reviewers require approval for any new data collection. These priorities conflict: speed, rigor, and launch certainty are all competing.

Constraints

• Timeline: 8 weeks total; recommendations due by end of week 6
• Budget: $45,000 for participant incentives, vendor recruiting, and transcription
• Research scope: US only, English-speaking users, 24 participants maximum
• Instrumentation: only 2 new event tags can be added to the Gemini app, and they must ship by week 3
• Launch dependency: onboarding design freeze occurs at end of week 7

Complications

1. In week 2, the PM proposes a new onboarding concept that changes two study flows already drafted.
2. In week 4, Legal flags one proposed diary activity as too sensitive for minors, requiring a revised screener and consent flow.
3. A senior leader asks for an early readout in week 3, before all sessions are complete.

Deliverables

1. Build a week-by-week execution plan through design freeze and launch readiness.
2. Explain how you would show intellectual humility while still making fast decisions with incomplete data.
3. Identify the key trade-offs across rigor, speed, and scope, and recommend what to cut or phase.
4. Define success criteria for the research and how findings will be translated into launch decisions.
5. List the top risks, escalation points, and mitigation actions.