Project Background
Meta's Reels team wants a fast-turn research study to inform Q3 product decisions in Facebook Reels. A Product Manager has asked your UX Research team to answer: "How do people feel about Reels, and what should we improve?" The request is intended to influence roadmap decisions for creation tools, recommendations, and sharing.
You are the lead researcher on a 4-person pod: 1 UX researcher, 1 data scientist, 1 content designer, and 1 PM. Leadership wants actionable findings in 6 weeks so the team can lock the next half's roadmap. The challenge is that the research question is too broad to answer well within the available time and budget.
Key Stakeholders
The PM wants broad coverage to support multiple roadmap bets. The Engineering Manager wants a tightly scoped study that can translate into clear product requirements. The Reels Design Lead wants insight into creator pain points specifically, while the Research Manager expects methodological rigor and a realistic study plan.
Constraints
- Timeline: 6 weeks total, with findings needed by Friday of Week 6
- Budget: $18,000 for recruiting and incentives
- Research operations can recruit at most 24 participants across 2 markets
- Only 1 round of concept testing can be included
- Data science support is limited to 8 hours per week
Complications
- The PM keeps adding adjacent questions about Instagram Reels and cross-app behavior.
- A VP asks for a readout that can justify both near-term fixes and longer-term strategy.
- Recruiting flags that active Reels creators are harder to schedule than expected.
Your Task
- Define how you would determine that the original research question is too broad.
- Propose a narrowed research scope for Facebook Reels that fits the timeline and resources.
- Create an execution plan with milestones, stakeholder checkpoints, and decision points.
- Explain the trade-offs of what you would exclude, defer, or split into later phases.
- Define success criteria for whether the study is focused enough to drive roadmap decisions.
